House with Good Bones (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)
English language
Published Jan. 13, 2023 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.
A contemporary Southern Gothic from award-winning master of modern horror T. Kingfisher, A House With Good Bones explores the deep, dark roots of family.
Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother. She seems anxious, jumpy, and she’s begun making mystifying changes to the family home on Lammergeier Lane. Sam figures it has something to do with her mother’s relationship to Sam’s late, unlamented grandmother.
She’s not wrong.
As vultures gather around the house and frightful family secrets are unearthed under the rosebushes, Sam struggles to unravel the truth about the house on Lammergeier Lane before it consumes her and everyone else who stands in its way.
Another solid T. Kingfisher messed-up horror story. It has everything: a relatable protagonist, great writing, weirdos, and a twist.
It was obvious to basically everyone but the protagonist what was going on the whole time, but I feel like the point wasn't a big reveal of what was going on, but going along on her journey of discovery with her.
I am a huge fan of everything T. Kingfisher writes and have slowly been working through her backlog of work. A House With Good Bones is a very southern (United States) sort of horror story. The setup is that Samantha has to go back to live with her mother in small town North Carolina, and her mom and the house have changed while she's been gone.
I love the wry tone and joking asides. There are some deeply creepy moments, both big and small that ratchet up the tension right up to the climax of the book. I love the weaponized horror of southern white racist grandmas. Also, an info-dumping entomologist protagonist is exactly what I'd expect out of Ursula Vernon.
Bonus spoilery thoughts in this post
Sam, a thirty-something entomologist, temporarily moves back to the family home to cover a housing gap. The house, where her mother now lives, was originally the home of her now-deceased grandmother, the cruel and overbearing Gran Mae. Sam notices some jarring differences in both her mum and the house, and the story unravels from there.
This book was the perfect easy and entertaining read to end and begin the year with. I enjoyed it and finished it very quickly. I could have done with more tension and a bit more length once the horror really kicked off. Also more insects! Still, T. Kingfisher remains one of my favourite recently-discovered authors and I will read every horror book she puts out.
