I first met Tamika Thompson last year on the Diversity in Horror panel at StokerCon. Later, I read a short story by her that I really enjoyed, and she told me her debut novel was coming out soon that explored similar themes as her short story. I was immediately intrigued and, as soon as I could, I made a reservation at the library. The book arrived at the same time as Japanese Gothic (see my review for that book here), and as soon as I finished that one, I got into The Curse of Hester Gardens.
I have to say, it’s nice when you get two excellent novels in a row.
Set in a public housing complex with a history of crime and violence, The Curse of Hester Gardens follows Nona McKinley, a woman who has been raising her sons on her own since her drug dealer husband was sent to prison. Sadly, her oldest son Kendall was murdered, money is always tight, and her younger son Lance is getting mixed into a bad crowd. Her only salvation is that her middle son Marcus is off to an Ivy League college in the fall.
Except…something terrifying is happening in Hester Gardens. Things are always weird there, as numerous spirits are said to haunt the place. But now, something new is making itself known. Nona is encountering what might be an angry spirit appearing in her home, Marcus is acting very much unlike himself, and the fragile life she’s constructed for her family seems to be crashing down around her. All of it may trace to a secret she’s been keeping. A secret covered in blood. And the residents of Hester Gardens may pay the price with Nona.
From the prologue, I was hooked. The story is written with a powerful realism, mixing in the real life tragedies of gun violence, urban decay and neglect, overincarceration, and others with the fictional narrative to add believability. Plus, the descriptions allowed me to really see and feel like I was in Hester Gardens (not a fun place to imagine yourself in, let me tell you). I could almost smell the garbage that is hardly ever picked up!
I also empathized with main character Nona. She’s had a really rough time and is trying her best, so it’s not hard to root for her. She’s also very human and makes mistakes, some of which are understandable given her situation, and that helped me like her more. The other characters whose POVs we look through also were written so that, even if we only spent maybe a chapter or two with them, they felt like well-rounded characters.
And the scares? Top notch! The concept of the curse and the spirits in Hester Gardens made for a freaky audience, and the human factor added to those scares as well. Plus, there were some scenes with the entities that had me gripping my book so tightly. (That hole-in-the-bathroom scene!)
Finally, the story kept me guessing throughout. I had trouble guessing where the story would go, especially in the last hundred pages or so. I read quite a few moments with wide eyes because I could not believe where the story had gone!
So yeah, I’m hard-pressed to pick out anything I didn’t like. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give The Curse of Hester Gardens a 4.8 out of 5. Powerfully written, with strong emotions and realism. If this is Tamika Thompson’s first novel, I can’t wait to see what she does with her second.
In the meantime, grab a copy of The Curse of Hester Gardens and read it today. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Rami Ungar The Writer 