The Spite House

Quality chills. Very solid delivery of main theme: Even if an injustice sparks the spite it's corrosive to any who hold on to it. Rage becoming self-destruction/corruption or neglect and cruelty to others, even toxic masculinity to a lesser extent - [grandfather's motto, his bullying, imposing behaviour, show of force as power, messaging of how older patriarchs can really poison the mind of a younger generation]. 

Really loved how the author handled the inclusion of what might otherwise be classic eyeroll-worthy horror tropes/plot holes. 
Props for teasing the mystery of why the family is on the run, while also giving a truly believable set of circumstances of why they're desperate and out of options enough to consider staying in a haunted house.
Again with the initial reporter interaction, a much more skillful setup of a common horror trope (why wouldn't you listen to a sincere warning, offer of info about your dodgy circumstances?), making the character's disregard of help offered, plausible.

Also skillful in bringing you into the minds of certain selfish, unlikeable characters, not really so you empathize, but so you see how often they don't perceive any wrongdoing in their actions, or see the ends justifying the means regardless, aka the slippery slope to becoming a monster of the real world.

Makes really great, well-controlled, use of shifting POV - building up story and perspective of main characters, but also teasing snippets from other relevant people that give POV of house history in particular. 
 
I enjoyed the parallel narratives of certain story aspects :
1) family mystery/drama for father and daughters; history of father with his own grandfather; dark family mystery of the Houghtons
2)  Mystery of the house, why built; why haunted

I could see parts of the third act raising some eyebrows less in shock than in stretched disbelief, and some outcries of ‘not all mysteries alluded to solved by the end', but perhaps it's my atheistic self that finds the points at which the narrative chooses to dive into the loosely explained paranormal and where it chooses not to try and explain what mortal man can't possibly know or explain (assuming its existence) very appealing. 

And can I just say how marvelous it was to read horror giving me all the creepy vibes WITHOUT needing to gross me out at the same time? Horror writers: it doesn't have to be disgusting to scare me. This is proof! 

Basically I loved this, and will be eagerly anticipating the next Compton horror novel. 

⚠️Racism, child abuse, child death