Review: How to Sell a Haunted House
/5 stars. This is by FAR my favorite Grady Hendrix book - irresistible, campy, fresh, full of darkness and depth and emotional triggers. I absolutely loved it. I went in almost totally blind and I know it's nearly impossible at this point, but try if you can/if you dare. Read it in 2 days. Couldn't put it down. And it actually gave me the creeps, which is more than I can say for 99% of other horror books I read.
It's a masterful use of tropes: Louise, single mom and separated from her family, gets the call that both her parents have died in a car accident. She has to leave her daughter and return home to make arrangements - and almost immediately runs aground thanks to her troubled brother. As they navigate their grief and fight over assets, something becomes very clear: their parents' house is haunted.
Broad strokes? It's a little predictable. But the moment-to-moment journey is sheer, crackling, creepy, breathless chaos. The minute you realize something is wrong - really, really wrong, like more wrong than facing the horror of losing loved ones - it feels like a joyful punch in the face. And it only gets better from there.
I personally have never had an aversion to clowns or puppets or dolls, but I totally get why others do, and now I get it EVEN MORE. Omg the attic noises ("soft thumps") and the descriptions of the dead eyes and mischievous smiles and the whole damn thing from idea to premise to execution was pretty much perfect. Grady Hendrix's writing really reminded me of Stephen King in this book, with a better sense of humor. And yeah, it's fucking hilarious.
I borrowed this from the library but will purchase immediately so my person can read it (he is one of those people who does really hate dolls) but he'll also love it. I'm sure many reviews will touch on the trauma aspect of it all - childhood trauma, trauma as an adult, trauma as a parent, the trauma of having parents who are just damn weird (raises hand) - and definitely read all that. It's important and lends to the brilliance of the story. But I think I'll just keep sitting here cackling with glee over what a fucking fun ride that was.
How to Sell a Haunted House on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads