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Book Review
Oct. 31st, 2023 09:56 pmA House with Good Bones
by T. Kingfisher
This very satisfying horror novel is narrated by Sam Montgomery, an archaeoentomologist whose latest dig is on hiatus, so she goes to spend some time with her Mom in North Carolina. Mom lives in the house she grew up in, and when Sam arrives, it quickly becomes clear that something is wrong. It turns out that the house has recently become haunted by Gran Mae, Sam's maternal grandmother, who was a piece of work. And that's only half of the spooky stuff going on.
This book had a lot of charm for a horror story. The characters were quirky and fun, and the suburban subdivision setting was an effective contrast for the creepy and gothic goings-on. Sam is a terrific narrator - very smart, very snarky, relatably dorky, and clearly the type of person I would be fast friends with in real life. The rest of the cast was wonderful, too. Sam's Mom is sweet but not saccharine. possessed of both a warm heart and a strong spine. She and Sam have a very good relationship, which made the book that much more enjoyable. The witchy neighbor Gail is also very cool. The plot is a bit of a slow burn, but that just makes the payoff more effective and satisfying.
by T. Kingfisher
This very satisfying horror novel is narrated by Sam Montgomery, an archaeoentomologist whose latest dig is on hiatus, so she goes to spend some time with her Mom in North Carolina. Mom lives in the house she grew up in, and when Sam arrives, it quickly becomes clear that something is wrong. It turns out that the house has recently become haunted by Gran Mae, Sam's maternal grandmother, who was a piece of work. And that's only half of the spooky stuff going on.
This book had a lot of charm for a horror story. The characters were quirky and fun, and the suburban subdivision setting was an effective contrast for the creepy and gothic goings-on. Sam is a terrific narrator - very smart, very snarky, relatably dorky, and clearly the type of person I would be fast friends with in real life. The rest of the cast was wonderful, too. Sam's Mom is sweet but not saccharine. possessed of both a warm heart and a strong spine. She and Sam have a very good relationship, which made the book that much more enjoyable. The witchy neighbor Gail is also very cool. The plot is a bit of a slow burn, but that just makes the payoff more effective and satisfying.
