Monkey Shines by Michael Stewart is a brutal and unnerving exploration of dependence, obsession, and the thin line between science and nightmare. After a tragic accident leaves athlete Allan Mann paralyzed, his life is saved but stripped of freedom—until an experimental helper enters the picture: a highly trained capuchin monkey named Ella. At first, Ella seems like a miracle, able to bridge Allan’s helplessness and give him back a sense of control. But as their bond deepens, something darker awakens. Ella’s intelligence sharpens into something uncanny, her loyalty twisting into jealousy, violence, and a terrifying hunger for dominance. Stewart weaves a tale of psychological terror and animal instinct, where love becomes possession and survival means confronting the beast—both in the creature at Allan’s side and in himself.
