The Perfectly Fine House

Imagine a world where the specter of your great-grandmother walks you home from school. A world where ghosts not only exist, but are elected as sheriffs and presidents. Where humans are called breathers and Christians are a fringe group called Crucians whose beliefs about resurrection befuddle the countless spirits moseying about. A world where a house that isn't haunted, is far scarier than one that is. Why aren't there any ghosts here? They're everywhere else. What's wrong with this house?The premise of The Perfectly Fine House is so hilarious and delightful that its poor execution is especially aggravating. The worldbuilding makes sense. The initial source of conflict is intriguing. I think the main pitfall is poorly developed characters, especially women. When a character feels fleshed out (dead or alive), you may not like them or agree with their decisions, but at least you know who they are. When characters feel flat, the plot falls flat, and you're left with questions. Questions such as, why does everyone blame Kyle, a single being, for an all-consuming unpredictable evil no one in the world understands? Why do Kyle and Donna come at Buster Beats guns ablazin' instead of just asking him how the modules work? Why do both Kyle and Donna fall hard into respective instaloves? How old is Eileen? More generally, why is pedophilia kind of spun as merely unconventional? What is going on with Donna and her rampant yet unwarranted body image issues? Why is everyone glaring all the time? Why wasn't this horror book scary? Why was the ending just...destitution and that's it?If you're into other books authored by white dudes who don't know how to sustain a cool premise, check out [b:The Humans 16130537 The Humans Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353739654l/16130537.SY75.jpg 21955852] or [b:Reincarnation Blues 33571217 Reincarnation Blues Michael Poore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500555996l/33571217.SY75.jpg 54372404].