Book Review: Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

Title: Nestlings
Author: Nat Cassidy
Genre: Horror
Date of Publication: October 31, 2023
Publisher: Tor Nightfire

Synopsis

Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings, which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary’s Baby and the urban horror of Salem’s Lot, set in an exclusive New York City residential building.

Ana and Reid need a break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling―with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana’s deep unease and paranoia, but he can’t explain the needle-like bite marks on their baby.

– Goodreads

My Thoughts

Nestlings is a masterpiece of literary motherhood horror. Ana and Reid win the apartment rental lottery and score a reduced-price apartment in the Deptford, a prestigious and exclusive New York building. But right away, things aren’t as idyllic and serene as they’d hoped. Their one-year-old baby, Charlie, cries incessantly. Ana has been in a wheelchair ever since her daughter’s birth, and she struggles with the apartment’s accessibility.

The author’s writing style is unparalleled, and I was hooked right from the very first pages. The story takes its time, leisurely weaving a story full of tension and grotesque metaphor, masterfully blending real-world struggles, like paying bills and navigating a new disability, with paranormal horror. The plot is slow, but the narrative is rife with a rich history for the Deptford, backstory for the characters, and eerie imagery.

The book is broken up into parts, with chapter titles and breaks in the chapters, which gives little sneak peaks in the horrors to come.

The entire narrative is told in the third person, and we get multiple characters’ POVs throughout. I didn’t particularly like Reid, the husband, as he makes some poor choices, and I never managed to connect with him. Ana, on the other hand, is a far more compelling character. She’s a mother, but she resents her child for the hardship she’s brought on her. She wanted to move to the Deptford, if only while yearning for a lifestyle that had always been just out of reach, but she has doubts and regrets almost instantly after moving in. Something is very, very wrong with the Deptford and its residents. I adore stories that present a place as its own character, and the Deptford, with its breathing walls and organic warmth, fails to disappoint.

All in all, I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an atmospheric motherhood horror that’s equal parts psychological warfare and creature feature.