Trigger warning for child abuse. It’s not explicitly described or depicted on the page, but it’s the central theme of the book.
This book is about Jam, a trans girl (maybe 10ish?) living in a world where the monsters (billionaires, abusers, police, etc) have all been dealt with. Society rose up together and pulled them down from power. They were rehabilitated rather than thrown in prison, and now there is a community-focused, accepting world where the monsters are all in the past. But maybe not, because Jam finds the subject of a painting of her mother's (a rather scary looking monster) coming out of the painting. But, scary as it looks, it’s not actually a monster: it’s instead come to hunt a monster that’s on the loose, and she should call it Pet.
What follows is a relatively straightforward story; Pet and Jam follow the trail to find the monster. It’s straightforward, but it’s intense. Jam finds it hard to believe that there could be a monster about. Her parents have all assured her she doesn’t need to worry about them, they’ve all been dealt with. All the people she knows (and the monster, assuming Pet is correct and it is real, has to be someone she knows) are too kind, too caring; none of them could be a monster. But one of them has to be.
That conflict is the heart of the story, and what makes it so intense. Jam has to deal with the fact that their is a child being abused, and that someone she knows and respects (or even loves) is the one doing it.
It’s a difficult topic, and the author handles it very well. I’m no child psychologist, but I feel like this could be a good book for a kid to learn about the topic and the bravery sometimes necessary to confront it. Strongly recommended.