Books › Cackle
Cackle
304 pages
A cozy, darkly funny exploration of heartbreak that asks what happens when you stop playing nice and start embracing your inner monster.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like wrapping yourself in a cozy, oversized sweater while sipping spiked apple cider—only to realize the cider might be poisoned, and you don't actually mind. It unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, prioritizing emotional texture and character growth over jump scares. The narrative voice is wry, deeply relatable, and steeped in the specific anxieties of modern womanhood and recovering from a bad breakup. As the atmosphere shifts from picturesque small-town charm to something delightfully unearthly, the mood balances perfectly on the knife-edge between comforting and creepy. It is a deeply empowering, autumnal read that will delight anyone who loves stories about women unlearning their people-pleasing habits, embracing their dark sides, and finding power in unconventional friendships.
- Mood
- autumnal
- cozy-creepy
- empowering
- unsettling
- Tone
- wry
- conversational
- darkly comedic
- relatable
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- recovering from heartbreak · unlearning people-pleasing · embracing the dark side · unconventional female friendship · self-actualization
- The writing
- The prose is sharp, witty, and highly conversational, perfectly capturing millennial anxieties against a backdrop of creeping gothic dread.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from a state of anxious, heartbroken people-pleasing to unapologetic, joyful self-acceptance.
- Who it's for
- Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to heal a broken heart by moving to a creepy small town, befriending a witch, and learning to stop apologizing.
Content notes
- arachnophobia
- toxic relationships
- mild gore
- gaslighting
About the book
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.
Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem...a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power...but she couldn’t be...could she?
Description from Open Library.
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