Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia is a contemporary young adult novel that explores the intersection of creativity, anonymity, and mental health. The story follows 18-year-old Eliza Mirk, a shy teenager who leads a double life as the anonymous creator of a wildly popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea. When introverted Eliza meets transfer student Wallace, a huge fan of Monstrous Sea who has his own tragic past, she experiences her first romance—but chooses not to reveal her identity as the comic’s creator. Eliza’s quiet existence is upended when her parents accidentally reveal her online identity, thrusting her into the spotlight and challenging her ability to navigate real-life relationships, including her romance with Wallace. Eliza struggles with her mental health, balancing her online and offline identities, creativity, and repairing her strained relationships with Wallace and her family.

This guide refers to the 2017 Kindle e-book edition published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Content Warning: Eliza and Her Monsters includes depictions of anxiety and depression, as well as discussions of suicide.

Plot Summary

Eliza and Her Monsters tells the story of Eliza Mirk, an 18-year-old girl who created the famous fantasy webcomic Monstrous Sea. In addition to traditional narrative sections, the novel includes chat transcripts, Eliza’s drawings, and short passages from Monstrous Sea. Eliza is obsessed with drawing and writing the comic, spending hours on it and drawing between classes at school. Eliza checks the Monstrous Sea forums daily and posts new pages of the comic every Friday. She has millions of followers and fans.

Eliza lives most of her life online. Her two best friends, Emmy and Max, live far away from her, but she messages them often. She connected with Emmy and Max over Monstrous Sea, and now they help run the forums and her website. Her parents don’t know, but she’s saved enough money for college because of her art.

Eliza keeps her identity as Monstrous Sea’s creator a secret. Only Emmy, Max, and her family know that she is its creator. Her parents don’t understand why she’s obsessed with her online life, and they try to get her to participate in “real life”—away from screens. Eliza has refused their attempts for years. She doesn’t enjoy sports and argues with her parents about their dismissal of online activities. Her younger brothers, Sully and Church, are active in sports and close with their parents.

Eliza’s homeroom teacher assigns her to introduce Wallace Warland, a new student, to the school. Wallace doesn’t talk, and Eliza doesn’t try to engage with him. Outside of her online life, Eliza tries to be as invisible as possible. She’s extremely quiet, antisocial, and considered a weird outcast by her peers.

One day, Wallace is being bullied by two other students. Eliza stands up for him, but the bullies grab her sketchbook. Wallace, who was, until recently, a football player, retrieves her sketchbook and fends off the bullies. Eliza hurries away.

Soon, Wallace starts writing Eliza notes. He finds it hard to speak, too. He asks about her sketches because he loves Monstrous Sea and thinks her drawings are almost as good as the creator’s. Eliza doesn’t want to tell Wallace she is the creator, so she pretends to be a fellow fan. Wallace, under the handle “rainmaker,” has written some of the most popular fanfiction of Monstrous Sea. The pair build a strong friendship.

Eliza develops romantic feelings for Wallace. They spend a lot of time together, starting with a Halloween party. Wallace’s close friends also love the comic, and they embrace Eliza as another fan. Wallace shares his transcription, or novelization, of the comic. He lets Eliza read and suggest edits for every chapter; she loves his writing.

Over the next few months, Eliza and Wallace grow closer. Her parents are thrilled she’s finally not glued to her devices. When they meet each other’s families, Wallace asks her to officially be his girlfriend.

Eliza’s family goes on a camping trip, but her parents don’t allow her to bring her sketchbook or electronics. She sneaks her phone to chat with Emmy, Max, and Wallace. When her father catches her with her phone, he reprimands her. Her mother tells her that Eliza doesn’t open up to them. She’s so quiet and shy, never telling her parents what is going on in her life or what she wants to do in the future—unlike her talkative brothers. Eliza says Monstrous Sea is her future, but her mother doesn’t understand how a hobby can sustain her. As usual, Eliza gets angry at her mother for not respecting her work.

Wallace emails Eliza, fully opening up to her. Wallace’s mother left when he was a young child. His father raised him and married Vee, his current stepmother. His father was normally happy and encouraging, but his job’s pressure affected his mental health. He told Wallace many times to follow his passions rather than work a job he hated. One day while driving around the town’s sharp turn, Wallace’s father kicked him out of the car. He then drove off the turn’s edge, crashing his car. Wallace hurried down the cliff to find his dead father. Ever since his father died, he has had trouble speaking. Eliza feels terrible for Wallace’s loss and guilty that she complains about her family.

When the senior graduation announcements come out in the newspaper, Eliza reads her parents’ message. It states how proud they are of her being an artist and creating Monstrous Sea. Her secret is out. Eliza can’t believe her parents would be so ignorant. She tries to stop Wallace from reading it, but she can’t. He’s beyond upset with her.

Eliza tries to find Wallace in school, but he’s gone. She has a panic attack, falls, and hits her head on a table. After a trip to the emergency room, she spends days in bed feeling depressed. Her parents want her to see a therapist, but she refuses. She doesn’t want to finish Monstrous Sea anymore.

Her brother, Sully, pushes her to tell their parents more about Monstrous Sea, but she can’t. Sully shows their parents the comic page, forums, and followers. He explains that Eliza is famous and has made plenty of money. Her parents thought her drawing was only a hobby. Eliza thinks losing Wallace and her motivation to write are worse than her parents’ betrayal.

Wallace visits and begs her to finish the comic. He has a book deal from a publisher for his transcription, but only if she finishes the story. He won’t be able to afford college without the deal. Eliza repeatedly states she can’t. She doesn’t have the motivation, even for him. Wallace is hurt and furious.

Eliza sees a therapist who tells her that her worth doesn’t depend on Monstrous Sea and that she is more than her art. She doesn’t have to finish it if it doesn’t help her mental and emotional state. Eliza tries to explain her struggles to Wallace, but he’s still angry. She can’t handle upsetting him, so she goes to the same sharp turn where his father died. She almost drives off. Wallace finds her, saving her life. They apologize. Wallace tells Eliza that nothing is worth her life.

Eliza takes a year off before college to work on her anxiety and rekindle her creativity. She finishes Monstrous Sea, which the fans adore. Wallace gets his publication deal and attends college. Eliza’s family appreciates her art more and supports her journey. Eliza feels great self-worth at last.