Many neighborhoods have the creepy house, the one kids dare each other to approach. Maybe it is empty, or perhaps it is inhabited by someone believed to be a danger. It may be run down or majestic, but it exudes a haunted feeling. Scary houses and their people are the stuff of urban legend and horror fiction alike. In INVASIVE SPECIES, Ellery Adams offers up a monster and her home, and the neighbors who want to destroy her. 

It’s 1982 in Cold Harbor, a small and mostly affluent Long Island town that is an ideal place in many ways. During the summer, the kids spend time at the beach and in sailing clubs. Of course, families have their struggles. But for the most part, things are serene and lovely --- except for Eel’s Nest, the dark mansion that towers over the surrounding houses with gardens unkempt by its mysterious owner, Mrs. Smith.

"INVASIVE SPECIES is a fun read. Adams does a good job with her small-town setting and multiple perspectives. Her villain is familiar but with some new features and motivations to make her feel fresh."

This summer, Natalie Scott is back in the workforce as a realtor. The mother of 13-year-old J.J., 12-year-old Jill, and five-year-old Justin is excited for her prospects and is dreaming of a new car and, more importantly, a renewed sense of purpose. On her first day, though, she runs into workplace misogyny and is assigned a difficult house to sell that sits near Mrs. Smith’s place. 

Natalie’s friends are also having a hard time. Beth Pulaski is known for her great beauty and appeal, not to mention her baking skills. She longs for a baby, but she and her husband, Don, have been unable to conceive. And now she’s worried that he’s having an affair. Elaine Bernstein is a doting mother who has become obsessed with the preparations for her son Charles’ bar mitzvah. This annoys Natalie to no end, especially as the lavish post-ceremony party doesn’t seem to be what Charles himself wants. Now, in the midst of all these suburban goings-on, a monster is awakening. 

Of course, Smith is just the name the monster has taken on to hide among humans. And after decades of hiding, she is ready to feast and maybe even procreate. For all of this, she needs men and boys. The summer sailing and planned Bernstein party seem like perfect opportunities. The novel has great heroes in Jill Scott, Charles Bernstein and wise housekeeper Una Einarsson, an Icelandic woman who knows a thing or two about sea monsters. Una sets out to learn as much as she can about Mrs. Smith and Eel’s Nest to try to protect those around her, especially Jill and Charles.  

INVASIVE SPECIES is a fun read. Adams does a good job with her small-town setting and multiple perspectives. Her villain is familiar but with some new features and motivations to make her feel fresh. Mrs. Smith is a seductive siren and succubus type, but she has a compelling backstory. 

Adams does lean a bit too much into the Jewish mother stereotype and doesn’t always interrogate tropes about women as mothers and martyrs. There is much to consider here about hidden monsters (and maybe women?), and readers may wish that Adams went a bit further with her themes. Still, this is a dark (but not frightening) and entertaining book.