Nat Cassidy (Mary; Steal the Stars) explores terror and sorrow in Nestlings, his urban horror novel written in part to process his own loss and trauma. Reid and Ana win a housing lottery for an affordable apartment in New York City's notorious Deptford building, convincing Reid that their luck is turning following the traumatic birth of their daughter, Charlie. Ana isn't so sure: the top floor isn't safe for a mother in a wheelchair, something is going on next door, and Charlie has changed. But Reid, enamored with the building and its strange residents, remains steadfast that this is what his family needs. Tension builds as readers watch how dreams denied change a family from the inside out: "This felt real. This felt like a life she'd known. When the screams began in the other room, Ana's immediate thought was: This does, too."
Blending real-world emotions with supernatural shadows, both readers and characters alike wonder: What is the nightmare buried in the core of the building? When will Reid's lies of omission catch up with their marriage? What came through the window Ana definitely closed? What's the breaking point of everything unsaid? Would you do anything (really, anything?) to keep your child alive? Cassidy's exercise in horror houses the raw pain of grief: that of an anticipated life that is no longer possible, a body that worked in a way you were used to, a family that didn't always feel such guilt--and, ultimately, whether one is ever really out from under grief's weight. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer