Suburban Hell

 

Suburban Hell was a book I could not resist based on title alone. I enjoy stories about the darker side of suburbia in general…so finding something by this title in the horror section of NetGalley  lured me into reading this fun book.

The author lures the reader into this horror comedy with strong female characters who struggle with a work/family balance and the banalities of suburban life. For comfort and escape, they develop their own fringe community/club called the She Shed. The dynamic that the women share in this setting is reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. (And fans of his work will definitely enjoy this book) However, Suburban Hell still manages to be a very original story.

The first half of this book reads more like a comedy on everyday life of PTA moms struggling to fit into the suburban culture. The snappy dialogue and witty observations make it feel like a light, breezy read….until the first horror hits.

The horrific incident that makes the plot suspenseful involves violence to animals. However, the violence itself is not exposed, rather the evidence of the violence is. People who find themselves sensitive to innocent animals being killed (like myself) might find this troublesome, however the author does an excellent job interweaving dark humor with the situation immediately afterward.  Not going too deep into the disturbing nature of this but focusing on hilarity of interchanges around this situation made this novel read more like a comedy.

However, some of my favorite supernatural horror tropes are still woven throughout the story: playing with Ouija boards, imaginary friends that are not imaginary and demons play a role in the story as well.  The notion of demons initially gets a character who grew up in a conservative mega church but has denounced that upbringing and is discussed yet again when another neighbor tries to proselytize the main character.  The author maintains a very lighthearted approach to these supernatural themes throughout the whole book.

Suburban Hell checked off a lot of boxes on a lot of my favorite things in horror fiction, so I found it impossible to put down. Maureen Kilmer has a gift for comedy, I laughed so much while reading this story. This is a very impressive debut novel that I would recommend to anyone in the mood for a light, humorous read with supernatural themes.