Book Review: The Stepford Wives

[Joey Stark]

Title of the book: The Stepford Wives
Authors: Ira Levin
Genres: horror, thriller

A wonderfully chilling contemporary horror novel - no wonder it's a classic.

Joanna Eberhart and her husband have just moved to the perfect town of Stepford. Its lawns are perfect, the people are perfect and in particular, the other wives are perfect. It doesn't take long for Joanna to start to feel uneasy. There's such a thing as too perfect and things in Stepford are starting to feel...off.

This was my first time reading an Ira Levin book and wow I think I'm in love. Given as a Christmas present, I read this in a day - it may be short but its lacking in no aspects whatsoever. The tone of the book is tongue-in cheek at times and full of dark humour but with this persistent undertone of unease throughout that gathers steam in it's final parts. The characters are well formed, I enjoyed the style of writing and the plot kept me hooked throughout. The skill of the atmosphere created by Levin is of the highest level and I'm glad I've never seen the adaptations so I could experience the full twists and turns and sinking horror for the first time.

I'm already on to my second of Levin's books and have another waiting after that.