The King of Aloe Vera

An elderly man has just a month to leave his home. A young woman from his neighborhood is soon to be unhoused. Slowly but surely, the two form an unlikely yet transformational friendship in this warm and funny novel about love and community.

Seventy-five-year-old Rey has lived on the same block in San Francisco’s Mission District for most of his life, watching his city transform. A widower for ten years, he spends most of his time volunteering at the library, but by the end of the month, Rey must move into a senior retirement and leave his neighborhood behind. It’s at the library during one of his last shifts where he meets Q, on probation, post breakup with her girlfriend and dealing with a troubled family. As Rey tries to decide what to do with the rest of his days, literally counting them off and cutting his remaining ties, Q begins to insert herself into his world in a way that he can’t deny.

A story about Latinx identity, intergenerational friendship, and chosen family, Moniz’s novel takes us on a journey through senior dance classes, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge, and fair housing rallies. And as the days tick down, Rey and Q find themselves leaning on each other for answers on how to find community and purpose, make amends, and process grief.

For readers of Steven Rowley and Claire Jimenez, equally funny and tender, The King of Aloe Vera delights in how we choose to live, and live out, our lives.

• "Tomas Moniz finds wonder and wisdom in the unseen souls living below the gleaming surfaces of tomorrow’s city, the ones who really make a place what it is. Here is an unforgettable tale of a grieving elderly vato and a restless young street kid who need each other more than they know. The King of Aloe Vera is a love song for the weird old Bay Area, a funny valentine for all her vitalizing eccentrics, and a tender meditation on how to make a well-lived life amid endless chaos and heartbreak.”
  Jeff Chang, author of Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America and Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
• "One of the best parts of this truly sweet and never cloying novel is the tension between Rey’s willingness to venture out of his comfort zone (as when he discovers a velour Gucci tracksuit suits him well) and his determination to enjoy his quiet pleasures (bananas drizzled with honey, a barbacoa burrito). Beneath the sweetness lies deep sadness, and a choice Rey considers that will remind readers that grief takes many forms and can last a long, long time. The characters are so authentically rendered  . . . readers will root for them.”
  Kirkus Reviews
• “The King of Aloe Vera is rich with the wit, humor, and huge heart characteristic of the work of Tomas Moniz. Wrestling with questions of home and belonging, grief and connection, the novel is also a stunning ode to the vibrant and immersive Mission District, and to forging friendships where we least expect. This is a triumphant story of what it means to be fully alive, and Moniz is the most generous and wise storyteller.”
  Megan Kakimoto, author of Every Drop Is A Man's Nightmare
• “A 70-something widower forges an unexpected bond with a 21-year-old queer woman who’s in trouble with the law in this charming novel . . .  Their friendship feels genuine, and Moniz succeeds in getting the reader to root for his flawed but lovable characters. It’s a gem.”
  Publishers Weekly
• "What a tender, emotional ride! The King of Aloe Vera is not only a love letter to San Francisco’s Mission District but a novel about the tendrils of grief and finding hope in unlikely connections. Tomas Moniz has created the hero of our times, the elderly Rey armed with his broom who shows readers how to see and live. Get ready to cry!" 
  Lilliam Rivera, author of Tiny Threads
• “Moniz’s exceptional novel with well-developed characters is about friendship, neighborhood, and community. It is highly recommended for public library collections.”
  Library Journal
• Praise for Tomas Moniz and All Friends Are Necessary:
  
  Winner of the CALIBA California Poppy Martin Cruz Smith Award for Emerging Diverse Voices
  One of People's Best Books of June
  Most Anticipated Queer Adult Fiction by LGBTQ Reads
  
  “Absolutely irresistible . . . unforgettably profound."
  I>People
  
  “Moniz’s thoughtful narrative demonstrates the reparative power of friendship, and how it can even transcend the bonds of love. Readers will be entranced.”
  I>Publishers Weekly
  
  “Playful, buoyant, subversive, observant, and rebellious . . . It’s as if Moniz is writing to show each of us the way that things can still turn out okay.”
  I>BOMB Magazine
   
  People Magazine