Amber Dean’s debut novel, 'Hysterical,' reinvents the serial killer genre by focusing on the darker aspects of obsession and desire rather than a traditional monster. Set in New York City’s underground nightlife in 2013, the story revolves around Jessie Anne, a young woman whose infatuation with her best friend Tinsel spirals into violence and predation.
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In an interview with Ginger Nuts of Horror, Dean elaborates on her creative process and the development of Jessie as an unreliable narrator. She emphasizes the importance of portraying mental illness authentically, moving away from the trope of the emotionless psychopath. Drawing from her experiences in the burlesque scenes of New Orleans and New York, Dean infuses the novel with an atmosphere that reflects both thrilling intimacy and unease.
Dean explains her initial inspiration came from the environments she frequented in her early twenties and the societal pressures shaped by social media. These elements informed her exploration of identity, safety, and the consequences of how women are perceived in society.
One of the main challenges Dean faced was embodying Jessie’s psychological complexity, ensuring her actions stemmed from relatable emotions rather than genre clichés. This shift in perspective made Jessie a more unstable and frightening character, pushing the narrative into uncharted territory as it blended reality with psychological horror.
During the editing process, Dean discovered how extreme the book's ending could be, realizing she had allowed the character’s journey to take her down a brutal yet satisfying path. She found that readers reacted strongly to the effects of the story, often feeling disoriented as they navigated Jessie’s unstable perspective.
Dean identifies the core of her horror as reflecting on undesired feelings and the ways identity can fracture under societal expectations. She challenges typical horror tropes, particularly the image of the 'final girl,' focusing instead on characters who confront their darker impulses without retreating.
Ultimately, 'Hysterical' invites readers into the unsettling mind of Jessie Anne, where desire and longing become pathways to violence, a theme Dean feels resonates deeply with those who grapple with their own complexities of identity and obsession.