Description
This masterful, “totally unforgettable” novel brilliantly blends fantasy, social satire, and feminist politics (The New York Times).
It all starts with the radio. Dorothy’s husband, Fred, has left for work, and she is at the kitchen sink washing the dishes, listening to classical music. Suddenly, the music fades out and a soft, close, dreamy voice says, “Don’t worry, Dorothy.”
A couple weeks later, there is a special interruption in regular programming. The announcer warns all listeners of an escaped sea monster. Giant, spotted, and froglike, the beast—who was captured six months earlier by a team of scientists—is said to possess incredible strength and to be considered extremely dangerous.
That afternoon, the seven-foot-tall lizard man walks through Dorothy’s kitchen door. She is frightened at first, but there is something attractive about the monster. The two begin a tender, clandestine affair, and no one, not even Dorothy’s husband or her best friend, seems to notice.
Selected by the British Book Marketing Council as one of the greatest American novels since World War II, Mrs. Caliban is a story of passion and loneliness, love and loss. Wryly subversive, it brilliantly combines surrealism, satire, and the female perspective.
It all starts with the radio. Dorothy’s husband, Fred, has left for work, and she is at the kitchen sink washing the dishes, listening to classical music. Suddenly, the music fades out and a soft, close, dreamy voice says, “Don’t worry, Dorothy.”
A couple weeks later, there is a special interruption in regular programming. The announcer warns all listeners of an escaped sea monster. Giant, spotted, and froglike, the beast—who was captured six months earlier by a team of scientists—is said to possess incredible strength and to be considered extremely dangerous.
That afternoon, the seven-foot-tall lizard man walks through Dorothy’s kitchen door. She is frightened at first, but there is something attractive about the monster. The two begin a tender, clandestine affair, and no one, not even Dorothy’s husband or her best friend, seems to notice.
Selected by the British Book Marketing Council as one of the greatest American novels since World War II, Mrs. Caliban is a story of passion and loneliness, love and loss. Wryly subversive, it brilliantly combines surrealism, satire, and the female perspective.
Advance Praise
“Totally unforgettable. Rachel Ingalls has created a tight, intriguing portrait of a woman’s escape from unacceptable reality.” —Michael Dorris, The New York Times
“A tour de force.” —The Atlantic Monthly
“I loved Mrs. Caliban. So deft and austere in its prose, so drolly casual in its fantasy . . . but opening up into a deep female sadness that makes us stare.” —John Updike
“A perfect novel.” —The New Yorker
“Ingalls skillfully combines fairy tale, science fiction and ho-hum reality.” —People
“It is an adroitly structured short novel, modulating its emotions from first page to last with masterly touch.” —The Boston Globe
“Rachel Ingalls in a remarkable writer, able to convey, in a single phrase or line of dialogue, an entire rounded scene. Her ear for speech and its content, both inflections and gestures, is faultless.” —The Spectator
“A tour de force.” —The Atlantic Monthly
“I loved Mrs. Caliban. So deft and austere in its prose, so drolly casual in its fantasy . . . but opening up into a deep female sadness that makes us stare.” —John Updike
“A perfect novel.” —The New Yorker
“Ingalls skillfully combines fairy tale, science fiction and ho-hum reality.” —People
“It is an adroitly structured short novel, modulating its emotions from first page to last with masterly touch.” —The Boston Globe
“Rachel Ingalls in a remarkable writer, able to convey, in a single phrase or line of dialogue, an entire rounded scene. Her ear for speech and its content, both inflections and gestures, is faultless.” —The Spectator
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781504039116 |
| PRICE | |
Available on NetGalley
| (MOBI) |
| (EPUB) |
