The irony in the title, Our Lady of the Inferno, with its reference to the biblical Virgin Mary, one tainted, corrupted, existing in an infernal hell, alerts the reader to the sort of novel talented author Preston Fassel has produced. The story has an urban feel, gritty, noir, providing the reader with a unique window into an American subculture of which prostitution forms a part, a world littered with 1980s pop culture references to comics, television and film. References to cinematic horror, often oblique, foreshadow the horror emerging in the lived reality of the narrative.

The story is the union of two portraits. A young woman prostitute and her disabled sister, and a psychopath with a vendetta.

Meet protagonist Ginny, a troubled young prostitute with a taste for the obliterating altered state of consciousness alcohol affords, and a commitment to education as the key to redemption for those in her charge, a small group of pornai at the Misanthrope Motel. She’s ruthless yet compassionate, obeys the rules that have been imposed upon her, and craves and strives for escape. Her younger sister, Tricia, is confined to a wheelchair. Ginny regards Tricia a burden she’s resigned to carry, shouldering the responsibility with long-suffering love. Their banter is funny, lighthearted. They bicker and squabble, tease and goad, and yet there’s an undertow of bitterness and regret, and overwhelming frustration, each of them craving the unobtainable, a better life. While Ginny drowns her anguish in the bottle, Tricia escapes into film and comics.

Through the sisters, Fassel explores an important moral theme, recognising that it is society that places young women like Ginny and her small group of pornai in such vulnerable situations and then ignores their existence. Further, that while prostitutes exist in a reality where almost all the predators are men, it’s a dangerous assumption because, sometimes, one of those predators will be a woman.

Antagonist Nicolette, at once disturbed and disturbing, slices into the main narrative, at first offering puzzling intrigue and menace. Fassel paints her portrait with texture and depth. She’s a troubled soul shut off from the world, obsessive compulsive, living her life through a set of complex rituals. Her mind is racked as much by fear and paranoia as it is loathing and rage. Hers is a quest for retribution. She blames, but as is often the case with childhood abuse and neglect, the target of her blame is misdirected. She’s a repulsive character yet the reader is drawn into sympathy even while revolted by her acts.

In Our Lady of the Inferno, Fassel weaves together the two narratives, building the suspense, the dread, leading the reader towards the inevitable, all the while inviting them to look at that which confronts, to ponder, to penetrate beneath the surface of taken for granted attitudes and norms.

The carnal aspects of the novel are juxtaposed with a theme of transcendence, embodied both literally and metaphorically in Sally Ride: cosmic, spiritual, aspirational and social transcendence, all are sought after by protagonist Ginny, for herself, her sister, and the pornai in her care, as she struggles to find liberation from her pimp and motel owner, the outright misanthropic Colonel.

Written with grace, restraint and poise, the prose is evocative, at times almost poetic; edgy when it needs to be, sometimes suggestive; insinuating rather than descending into gratuitous portrayals of gruesome acts. And when the horror does take place, its detail is measured and carefully crafted.

Fassel is a visual, visceral writer, one in full command of the craft. Capable of conjuring a charged atmosphere one moment, a poignant scene the next, the author’s descriptive powers are enviable, especially in his depictions of character: “His intellect perhaps enough to make up for his lack of physicality but his social manners too crippled to cement the relationships he is always reaching out towards.”

Our Lady of the Inferno is as much a page turner as a novel to inhabit and thoroughly absorb. The story is well-paced, unfolding petal by petal until its awful truth lies splayed. Fassel handles his subject well, demonstrating sensitivity and insight, the result of considerable research and a natural empathy. The result is a novel that is finely tuned, ironic and hard hitting in equal measure, rounded out with a touch of comedy and a penchant for the absurd. ( )

In Spring 1983, New York is home to two powerful women who have no idea they are destined to clash. The first is Ginny Kurva, an accomplished woman who is a prostitute to most, a teacher to the other girls she leads, a useful tool to her pimp, and a mother to her disabled sister Tricia. She's confident but cold to all but her sister. Nicolette Aster seems quiet, valuable, and trustworthy worker at the landfill, but her true self is so much more depraved. Her nights are filled with bloodlust, a twisted hunting ground, and macabre meals. As the year goes on and turns to summer, their paths will cross in an explosive way.

Our Lady of the Inferno is a character driven novel featuring two very different women. The first is Ginny Kurva, who exudes confidence but keeps herself removed from everyone except her sister Tricia. Although being a prostitute is far from what she wanted from her life, she channels her dream of teaching to her charges, the other prostitutes she leads and cares for. Together, they conduct scientific experiments, read classic novels, and converse in German before and after working the streets. Ginny has an armor of nonchalance as if everything just rolls off her no matter how bad the situation is. She isn't perfect and definitely does some horrible things, but her intentions are always to try to make the best of every situation. Her moments of escape take place in a seedy movie theater with Roger, the only person who sees her for herself. I love that Ginny is steeped in the 80's from her fashion to her speech to her love of The Wrath of Khan and Flashdance because she seeks solace in culture. When her facade breaks and reality crashes through, it's completely heartbreaking. I loved following this amazing but flawed woman throughout the novel.

The other main character is Nicolette Aster, hardworking on the outside and completely unhinged on the inside. Through her perspective, the outside world doesn't matter at all and it could have taken place at any time because of her extreme detachment. Other people don't matter to her and she refers to them as "Someone" in her head instead of bothering to learn their names. She often retreates to her Meadow, a place in her mind where she can relax and be herself. In the real world, she is constantly having to make sure that she appears normal and checking off the expected behaviors that do not come naturally to her. The glimpses into her thought processes felt alien and uncomfortable. She believes that she is some sort of mythological creature that receives tribute and other messages directly from the city which culminates in hunting, sacrificing, and eating people to fuel her own power. The difference between her appearance and her inner self is jarring and impressive. This perpetrator was assumed to be a man because it's much more common, but this novel shows that women have the capacity to be monsters and heroes even though it's not typically portrayed.

Both women are flawed, compelling characters that have relatable characteristics and offputting ones. The story drew me in and had me thinking about it throughout my work day. My only criticism is the time spent with each of these characters. I understand that we are meant to sympathize more with Ginny and should spend more time with her, but I found Nicolette's mind fascinating and wanted to see more from her perspective. The moments of horror took a while to get to and were spaced out a little too much for me. Other than that, Our Lady of the Inferno was a book that I struggled to put down because of its well drawn characters and its unique, disturbing brand of horror. ( )