The House that Horror Built

I'm not sure Christina Henry wanted to write a horror novel. The majority of the work, I appreciated how well constructed the main character was, how strongly you get a sense of someone keeping poverty at bay, having escaped an oppressive, borderline abusive/neglectful, religious upbringing, survived homelessness and constantly vigilant in supporting a kid as a single parent without a high school diploma in a gentrifying area. I'll admit Harry bordered on too selfless to be believable in regards to always putting her son first, but it's hard to make that call as someone who's never been a parent. What might be considered secondary characters, Javier, the employer with the tragic backstory, the late coming Daniel, a gentle giant of a character actor, were also well-captured in fairly short order. I have more issues with the plot than I do the characterization. I could see this tagged as thriller or gothic more than horror, even if ghosts and a horror movie costume were involved. You get a lot of a mom who wants the best for her kid, and is firm in her resolve to put up with a lot to make his life better because her beginnings were miserable in a lot of ways. The mid/post-pandemic job market and real estate market are very good reasons for a character to continue on with an uncomfortable if not downright unsafe job. There's a decent amount of commentary woven into this woman's daily life, but it doesn't feel heavy handed.

When it comes to how things were resolved... it's a bit of a speed run. While I wish we knew more about the Bright Horses house's origins, I am glad the reporter never got to have his triumphant moment after the earlier pestering. I get delaying reveals in the interest of ratcheting up the tension, but Harry's so pragmatic about the idea that she'll just have to work in a house with a haunt, even with a creepy mask that likes to move about or a wall that speaks and psychic waves that try to strangle, that you don't get anything approaching chilling until the final reveals. Was it fairly clear the wife and son had to be dead early on? Yes. Does the fake out of the coma and the preserved corpse reveal basically create the only spine tingle in the book? Also yes.

And here we arrive at my frequent conclusion with straightforward horror: it's often more sad than scary. Javier Castillo didn't love anything or anyone more than filmmaking, he neglected his wife and never cared enough for his son, which destroyed both relationships long before he felt it necessary to murder them both. Lena, it seems, spent her entire marriage in denial about her place in Javier's affections and the likelihood that having professed early no interest in children, that her husband would grow to love a kid he never wanted. Michael, afforded indulgent affection and indifference from his parents respectively, might not be able to solely blame his dysfunction on his upbringing, but it is tragic that his mother loved him enough to always take his side but never enough to intervene when he started acting destructive, something the book makes clear Harry is prepared to do with her son. Lena and Harry are mirror images in some actions and Michael and Gabe are more so, but it does feel a little simplistic, how Gabe is nigh flawless as a son as Harry is nigh flawless as a mother. Makes for a sharper contrast, but as much as messy family drama is not my speed, the seeming total lack of it here in the present tense (brief spats not withstanding) occasionally disconnected me from a sense of stakes. Speaking of: No sooner has Harry capitulated to needing to stay briefly in the haunted house because no other choice remains, than her and her son are out again, and while the reader is no doubt glad they've escaped alive, we're leaving the characters in the exact circumstances Harry spends most of the book dreading: no job, no home. Interesting narrative choice for an ending. I guess reality remains the place where the greatest horrors lurk...and now I'm sad again! ☹️

⚠️child abuse