Product Description

"I loved Mrs. Caliban. So deft and austere in its prose, so drolly casual in its fantasy..."-- John Updike

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2804390 in Books
• Published on: 1982-01-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 129 pages

Customer Reviews

A true gem
I found out about this book the year it came out thanks to the fact that it was nominated by an obscure British group as one of the top 25 works of literature of all time. That might be somewhat of an overstatement, but it's a very profound little book that no book lover should miss. Even my high school students, although at first they think it's weird that a housewife would fall in love with a green monster, saw its poignancy and beautiful prose. Ingalls is one of my favorite writers of all time.

Faultlessly written fantasty of love, dreaming and betrayal
In 125 pages, this beautifully written short novel goes beyond imagination to dream, fantasty and an otherworldly love between a woman and a haunted and hunted creature from the sea. A unique look at love, betrayal and loss, in an unforgettable parable.

Monster Love
This is a powerful short novel filled with playful words and images that are in dialogue with classical ideas of romance and gothic horror. It works on Shakespeare's idea of the interplay between dream and reality, but does so at a very domestically satisfying level. As the title suggests, this novel's focus is on the housewife and not the great green monster that finds his way into her kitchen. Yet, behind this simple romance is a thick plot of betrayal. This is tightly controlled by Ingalls who never gives anything away until it will make its maximum impact. It's a shame that this novel (and author!) seems to have fallen into a category of obscure fiction because it is truly inspiring in its creative inventiveness and deep psychological portrayal of corrupted innocence.