Books like Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

In the close‑knit suburbs, Dorothy dutifully attends to household chores and waits for her husband to return from work, assuming a tranquil day will unfold. Suddenly, she hears a strange radio announcement about a monstrous creature that has escaped the Institute for Oceanographic Research. The news rattles her sense of normalcy, setting the stage for an unexpected encounter. The novel blends domestic realism with the uncanny, turning the familiar landscape of suburban life into a playground for unease. As Dorothy deals with the rumor of the escaped monster, the narrative delves into themes of marriage, adultery, and psychological tension within a woman’s ordinary existence. Through a blend of subtle humor and unsettling suspense, the story hints at deeper questions about domestic expectations and the hidden depths that may lie beneath an otherwise ordinary life.

First publish date: 1982