Mrs. Caliban

In the quiet suburbs, Dorothy leads an unremarkable life, passing her days doing household chores and waiting for her husband to return from work. Romance—or adventure—is the last thing she expects. But one day, a strange radio broadcast announces that a sea monster has escaped from the Institute for Oceanographic Research. Soon after, the creature appears at Dorothy’s door, and her ordinary life takes an unexpected and surreal turn.

In Mrs. Caliban, Rachel Ingalls crafts a strange, darkly whimsical tale that blends domestic realism with fantasy and horror. Reviewers have likened the novel’s unusual charm to influences as varied as King Kong, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the films of David Lynch, and classic fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz. It has also been compared to the suburban realism of Richard Yates and the imaginative fairy tales of Angela Carter.

A singular, haunting story about loneliness, desire, and the possibility of transformation hidden within the most ordinary lives.