The Curse of Hester Gardens

Released in March of this year, The Curse of Hester Gardens is the latest novel from speculative fiction author Tamika Thompson. This is the first of her books that I’ve read. But after finishing it in two breathless days, I can tell you it won’t be the last.

If you remember last month, we discussed The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. This feels like its spiritual sequel.

This dark and twisted tale starts with our main character, Nona. She is the mother of three sons, living in project housing referred to as Hester Gardens. Her husband is in jail for drug trafficking. Her oldest son, Kendall, was murdered. This leaves her with her remaining teenage sons, Marcus and Lance. Heartbroken and rightfully angry, Nona is committed to protecting her remaining sons. Protecting them from the violence, drugs, and crippling poverty that surround them. Protecting them from their sorrow and grief. Most of all, protecting them from the ghosts that dwell alongside the living in Hester Gardens.

Some of those ghosts are there because of her, though. And they have no intention of forgiving or forgetting.

While reading this book, I found myself compelled to scribble things in the margins. And one thing I wrote was this: This community looks after each other as much as it cannibalizes each other. This rings true throughout the whole book. Nona remembers babysitting the other kids in the neighborhood. Her sons talk about people giving them some extra money because they know there’s no food in the McKinley house. When one of the girls in the neighborhood is scared by a ghost and screams, the young men come running to protect her.

At the same time, the young men sell drugs to each other. They commit violence against each other. It’s suggested that some of the people might steal from each other.

This wonderful and horrible blend of all the good and bad of living in a poverty-stricken community is evocative. It adds to the horror by humanizing everyone, antagonist and protagonist. Honestly, it’s hard to say there is an antagonist in this book. Aside from systemic racism, that is.

Another note I scratched on the page was the phrase “Eight dollars?!” Because this was how much Nona was paid per hour at her job. After years of working there, mind you. This book is set in 2016. Can you imagine raising three teenage boys on eight dollars an hour?

Much like Amityville Horror before it, The Curse of Hester Gardens is a horror story about money and the lack thereof. Nona’s neighbors collect and refurbish trash to sell. Some are on disability or Social Security. No one seems to drive; they all ride the bus. Many of the young men sell drugs to get by.

Ghosts are scary. Putting your children to bed hungry is worse. Most of us would rather live in the Murder House from American Horror Story than raise children on eight dollars a damned hour.

Throughout the book, it becomes clear that the boys of Hester Gardens are being controlled and manipulated by the ghosts that surround them. This is the real heartbreak, because these aren’t bad kids. These aren’t unloved boys. One boy, after finding out that his sister was groped on the bus, went every night to her work to escort her home. Another is a teenage father who loves his son deeply and does his best to care for him. Nona’s sons are, well, they’re teenagers, so sometimes they’re moody as hell. But they’re quick to give their mother a hug or check in with her.

Of course, this is by design. Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death in America. But what’s often lost in that conversation is the humanity of the people holding those guns. Most people don’t just wake up and decide to start shooting people. There are reasons, and it’s irresponsible to toss up our hands and talk about ‘gang violence’.

Ah yes, gang violence. That sinister phrase is at the heart of this story. Right along with Nona’s broken heart.

I was thirteen the year of the Columbine School shooting. It made headlines all across America. Two troubled boys shot up their school.

It wasn’t called gang violence. It was two ‘disturbed boys’. The media rushed to cover it, and they rushed to find excuses for the shooters. But that wasn’t the first school shooting. It was just among the first with white shooters.

The subtle throughline in The Curse of Hester Gardens is this. There are two Americas, as described by Dr. King. There’s the America I grew up in, where gun violence is seen as a tragedy and a mental health crisis. Then there’s the America Nona and her boys grew up in. Where gun violence is to be expected, and the fault of the victim as much as the shooter.

I’ve always known this, but this book brings it into focus all over again. Maybe it’s because Nona and I are similar in age. Maybe it’s because I spent a good many years in HUD housing called Greenview Gardens. Or maybe it’s because this is what good horror does to you. It shows you the world you live in with fresh eyes.

I cried through most of The Curse of Hester Gardens. I couldn’t put it down, though, and now I have to track down more work from this author. If you’re looking for a good horror to finish out your Summer reading list, check this one out.

Oh, and I’m publishing a new book! My science fiction series, Station 86, is coming to print for the first time. The first two novellas, Seeming and You Can’t Trust the AI, will be available in Volume 1 on October second. It’s the perfect blend of space opera and horror. If you like my work here, you should check it out.