After Annie’s longtime boyfriend dumps her, she accepts a teaching position in a small town in upstate NY. She leaves her Manhattan apartment behind along with the man she was hoping to marry. Annie’s new apartment turns out to be perfect (besides the spider infestation) and the townspeople are friendly enough. Annie is still heartbroken over the breakup until she befriends Sophie, a confident and enigmatic woman who seems to be a pillar of the community. Sophie is kind, generous, and loving so Annie doesn’t understand why the community seems to fear her. As Annie spends more time with Sophie, she realizes their fear may be warranted.

Cackle is funny, creepy, and charming. There are a few chilling scenes but nothing too scary. I loved Annie, Sophie, and their relationship so much. Annie’s inner dialogue and sarcasm were hilarious and her loneliness and depression were palpable. Sophie was a wise, nonconforming goddess and I think anyone would’ve been drawn to her. There is an element of suspense to the story as we aren’t fully aware of Sophie’s intentions and I was nervously anticipating the state of their friendship by the end of the book. Sophie helped Annie realize she needed to stop living for others and take the time to love and care for herself. This is a beautiful story about friendship and recognizing your self-worth. I loved every minute and I highly recommend.