BOOK REVIEW - “INVASIVE SPECIES" PROVES THAT THERE’S MORE POWER IN WELL-DONE MONSTER NARRATIVES THAN HALF-BAKED SOCIAL COMMENTARY

The novel may be born out of folklore, but it’s not just the “old wives” who are telling the tale. Instead, three other narratives across generations help drive the plot in Ellery Adams new novel, including a middle-aged wife, a young daughter, and a multi-tentacled eel/Medusa/squid hybrid monster with centuries of history terrorizing the human race.

INVASIVE SPECIES follows a group of neighbors living in 1980s Long Island as they become increasingly disturbed by their mysterious neighbor, Mrs. Smith, who leaves her house at night, completely nude. As the residents try to include her in neighborly festivities, Mrs. Smith recognizes an opportunity to infiltrate the community and feed on their “man-children" (aka teenagers) to sustain her monstrous existence. Meanwhile, some of the Cold Harbor residents grow suspicious about their reclusive neighbor and band together to expose her secret before it’s too late.

Invasive Species is Adams’ first foray into the horror genre. Despite her talent as a successful mystery writer with over 40 books under her belt, Invasive Species highlights the author’s awesome ability to build a modern-day Aesop fable. From the historical exposition of Mrs. Smith’s villainous origins to the graphic, violent ending, it checks all the boxes for an exceptional, old-fashioned horror story.

However, every elevator pitch you read about the novel will claim the book is about suburban women who “struggle to tame their inner demons,” which adds a confusing misdirection in an otherwise standard, meat-and-potatoes monster tale.

Mrs. Smith doesn’t exactly seem to struggle with her inner demons. On the contrary, she compares the experience of eating a “ripe" man-child to the female orgasm, which doesn’t seem to raise ethical questions within her (though, in her defense, I haven’t experienced a female orgasm or eaten any teenagers, so this is all speculation).

Natalie, a housewife and mother, struggles to exist in a sexist work environment as she transitions from stay-at-home mom to a working woman at a local real estate office. However, the persistently poor treatment she harbors towards her daughter, Jill, one of the other main narratives, doesn’t seem as urgent a resolution compared to her battle for female supremacy over a bosomy bimbo co-worker who flirts with her boss to get better listings.

Jill (a teenager, but now I’m splitting hairs at the definition of a ‘woman’...which is a hill I don’t feel comfortable dying on) fights against the odds brought by her mother's judgmental parenting style to expose Mrs. Smith for the monster she is inside. Heroic? Certainly. But that doesn’t explain why her childhood eating disorder is relevant to conquering a violent, mythical sea monster.

Una, the elderly Icelandic immigrant cleaning woman, is the only one truly motivated by her inner demons. Struggling to cope with her sister’s death at the hands (well…or the tentacles) of a terrifying sea creature, she begins to suspect that Mrs. Smith may have a dark secret, and works with Jill and a young boy named Charlie, to learn everything there is to know about the monster before it claims its next victims.

Adams’ attempt at social commentary is surface-level, at best. But dive a little deeper, and a truly terrifying modern folktale lingers in the dark waters, leaving you with an unsettling feeling that persists long after you reach the back cover (maybe that is what the female orgasm/eating children really feels like).

Stay tuned for more book reviews! Big thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.