Reviews with content warning for Grief - Mrs. Caliban

Loved this quirky love affair between Dorothy, a lonely, loveable housewife, and Larry, a frogman that escaped experimentation and torture. They connect and empathise with each other's traumas. And there's lots of avocados, too.

I just wish Dorothy got actual closure with Estelle (or maybe that's just my combative side), but alas, maybe we needed that heartbreaking friend breakup.

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nialiversuch's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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savvylit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a novella! Mrs. Caliban is so many things: a romance, a thriller, a feminist fable. Ingalls has managed to pack a heck of a lot of thought-provoking story into this fast-paced little book. Larry's arrival sets Dorothy free from her unsatisfying life. For one, she discovers her own sexual agency. Furthermore, Larry's constant questions about human culture help Dorothy discover the inanity of many societal expectations.

There's so much more that happens in Mrs. Caliban, but that's about all I can say without spoiling the novella. Suffice it to say, I love this book. A short feminist fable with magical realism? My favorite genre! I can't wait to track down more of Ingalls' work.

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alishamegan's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This book certainly affected me. I was unsettled, disturbed, and upset in the end and it stuck with me for a while. Most of the characters apart from Dorothy are almost comically awful, but not comically enough for it not to be distressing. Even during the parts of the book where pleasant things are occurring, there is a constant undercurrent of tension and dread.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

'Mrs. Caliban' by Rachel Ingalls is an engaging novella that centers on one woman's issues with her marriage and her relationship with a lizard man.
Dorothy and her husband Fred have had a strained relationship ever since they lost their young son and she had a miscarriage. They have drifted apart and Dorothy suspects that her husband is having an affair. One day, she hears a story on the radio about a lizard man that has escaped from a local research facility. Questioning her sanity, Dorothy doesn't think much on it until the lizard man appears in her kitchen in need of help. As Dorothy talks with the lizard man, who she calls Larry, she learns more about his experiences in the research facility and the two start a quiet but caring affair.
If you enjoyed the movie 'The Shape of Water, but wanted more of the relationship between the protagonist and the sea monster and less of the spy plotline, then you really must read 'Mrs. Caliban.' I'm honestly shocked that this wasn't a direct inspiration for 'The Shape of Water' as it has a very similar plot line and explore how we connect to others.
Ingalls does a great job of plopping us squarely into Dorothy's life and then slowly expanding her world through her interactions with her husband, her friend Estelle, and with Larry. There are interweaving plot lines that pop back in and out throughout the story though ultimately, the story centers on Dorothy's relationships and how her grief over the loss of her child and her unraveling relationship with her husband affects those relationships. A lot happens in the story and though we don't get to delve deeply into the characters, I still found myself invested. There is consistent tension between Dorothy hiding Larry in her home and keeping up an affair with him while also hiding this fact from her husband.
The ending was not what I was expecting and given the quieter aspects of the rest of the book, felt almost over the top. I think this would be a good book for a book club as there is a good amount to delve into and unpack about Dorothy's relationships and the interweaving points of the story.
Ultimately, it's an engaging novella that expertly utilizes its speculative aspects to delve into the relationships of the main character.

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valentinaambrosius's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I’m not exactly sure why, but this book feels both rushed and stretched out at the same time.

Though it is a beautiful tale of a struggling woman finding and love long herself a bit more with the help of an amphibious man. A truly sweet portrayal of the everyday slump and routine without boring me at all.

It did heavily remind me of The Shape of Water; though this novel is much more whimsical and mundane. Mrs. Caliban is far more reflective, realistic about what would transpire (-ish) instead of outright dreamy and focused on being beautiful.

And that god damn ending!! What a twist!!! The author really sad f u and everything you stand for in the most beautiful and heartbreaking way

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