Once upon a time after the Mexican Revolution, the disfigured soldier Teggrum Barros could never love anyone without harming them.  He lived as a recluse, because he was not an ordinary man, but partly made of copper metal, which made him destructively strong; rusted from age; and his metallic armor heated up as hot as fire.  The world was too fragile for him.  Just as other monsters hide in bell towers and windmills, the soldier hid in a sailboat, where he spent his time drawing, and he planned to drown himself in the sea.  But before he left the lonely world, he felt a yearning to travel to the mysterious island of Fiel to create his last piece of art, where, perhaps, he would find his true love.

This gentle, lyrical fairytale transports the reader to the magical land of Fiel, in the Gulf of Mexico, and questions what it means to be alive, in love, and sometimes trapped inside yourself.

A novel by Grimsby Grey

“A surreal and beautiful blend of Frankenstein, Franz Kafka, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  In this twist on classic fairytales, we root for the 'monsters.'” ~ Michelle Cushing, author of Rosabelle, believe

“Not since Roald Dahl has a story appealed so much to both adults and older children.”  ~ Pen2Paper book club

"Filled with the same uplifting inspiration as The Alchemist, but infused with delightful strangeness!"  ~ Book Mercredie, artist

MULBERRY+BARK

Illustration by Jose Guadalupe Posada (This image is in the public domain.)