Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I’m excited about this author because she has two specialties. The first is pink horror which centers female characters, especially those who are complex and flawed. The second is her Florida Gothic style which combines the dark, nightmarish madness of a Gothic story with a modern Florida aesthetic.

It’s through this lens that Parasocial presents a chilling view of the relationship between influencers and the fans who live for their content.

As a feminist horror fan hailing from Florida, I can hardly think of anything that feels more tailored to my tastes. Parasocial by Wendy Dalrymple is the first of what I hope will be many indie horror books I’ll get to review this year.

Summary:
Casey’s life is boring. At nineteen, she doesn’t have much going for her aside from a dead-end job as a pet store cashier and a crush on a coffee shop clerk who can’t even remember her name. The only thing that she can seem to get really excited about is Della, the vibrant and charismatic content creator whose daily video streams Casey follows obsessively. When Della announces that she’ll be undergoing treatment for a serious illness, Casey sets up a crowdfunding account to pay for her medical expenses. It’s the right thing to do — and may even help her become closer with her idol. But who is Della, really? Casey is about to find out the hard way why you should never meet your heroes.

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The Florida Gothic aesthetic is new to me, but also instantly recognizable in Parasocial. Decaying, forlorn houses often figure prominently in Gothic tales, and I couldn’t get over how perfectly Della’s moldy, sagging Tampa home was the perfect Floridian version of that. The reader may not have much idea where the plot is headed by the time the house is introduced, but they’ll certainly get a sense of dread that tells them nothing good or normal can come out of that building.

Casey as a protagonist was brilliant, too. I was completely absorbed in her story by the time I’d read only a few pages. In putting all of this novella’s action in the hands of a nineteen year-old character, Dalrymple manages to capture that authentic feeling of barely-in-control naivete that most people probably feel in their youth. You know, that brief age when you’re legally an adult but still basically a child. It made me sympathize with Casey as she hopped from one ill-advised decision to the next. Then the twists and turns to her story kept me hooked all the way through. I kept thinking I knew where the plot was headed, but I was wrong every time — and I loved it.

The writing could use tightening up in a few places. Casey is a little too self-aware at times — almost as if she’s nodding directly to the reader to say, “yes, I know I’m a stupid teenager.” It took me out of the story here and there, but didn’t impact my overall enjoyment of the book. Also, the climactic confrontation between Casey and Della wraps up more neatly and quickly than I’d hoped — though ultimately I’d call the ending satisfying.

What will live on in my brain about this novel isn’t what it could have done better, but what an engaging and refreshing read it was. I’ll remember it for showing how it’s so easy for a well-meaning young woman to get herself into a tense situation that she can’t smile and nod her way out of; for Della’s captivating combination dark power and unhinged scheming; for all the uncomfortable, horrifying moments that make Parasocial a worthwhile take on Gothic fiction.

This is an easy four stars. Parasocial was a fun and chilling examination of the role of social media in our lives, and the relationships that can form between ourselves and people we may never even physically meet. It would be a great quick read for anyone with an itch for something fresh and disturbing.