REVIEW | Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

AUTHOR: Rachel Ingalls

ISBN: 0571367984

FIRST PUBLISHED Jan 15th, 1982

EDITION RELEASE DATE: Aug 5th, 2021

PAGES: 117 PAGES

EDITION LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

★★★☆

This is a very peculiar little book that perfect to read in one go. The story started with Dorothy, who is a housewife living a simple life in the suburbs. There weren’t many people in her life, just her husband, some relatives and a couple of friends. One day a monster appeared in her town who’s somehow related to Dorothy, and stirred a series of events in her routinely peaceful life.

I picked up this book knowing the blurb and for some reason, it intrigued me so much. For a very large part of the book, I wanted to figure out the background of the monster and whether it has relations to Dorothy or not. But soon I learnt that the premiss of the story is way beyond that.

This is a magical realism story about longings for excitement, for the escapement of domestic duties, for being seen and loved, for being brave enough to face the truth in life.

Dorothy and the monster, despite being two different species, share many things in common. They both are trying to figure out the situation of their existence, and how things become what they are. Just like the readers.

But in the middle of the book, the story takes an unexpected turn and swatted its direction. The mystery on the surface level faded away, and the problem in the background surfed to the front. I didn’t see that coming and was left there feeling lost and unsatisfied.

However, the writing of the book was beautiful and very atmospheric, I liked the ambiance it creates. Being a book written in 1982, the environment doesn’t feel dated at all. The town that Dorothy lives in feels very cozy, relatable, and picturesque.

In the end, I still enjoyed this book, despite feeling lost after the story shifted its focus.