A House with Good Bones

I absolutely loved this. First let me just say that I’m not a huge horror fiction reader – I scare easily and can’t watch horror movies… BUT I’m able to tolerate horror in books better, though they can still creep me out. Lately I’ve been wanting to dabble and read some horror because I haven’t read any in some time and I’m strangely in the mood for it. Seeing as what I read is hugely dictated by my mood, I jumped into T. Kingfisher’s A House with Good Bones and it was exactly what I was looking for.

I love gothic fiction, something about the creepy, atmospheric feel of it is just the perfect amount for me to be slightly scared without being downright frightened. Jane Eyre and Rebecca are some of my favourites and I haven’t read gothic fiction set in present day so this book particularly intrigued me.

Set in North Carolina, Sam visits her mother in the house she grew up in, but something is off. Her mother is not her usual self, she’s lost some weight, and she seems to be constantly anxious about things around the house. I love Sam. As the narrator of the story I felt an instant connection to her and personality. She’s archaeoentomologist and she’s endlessly fascinated by bugs, but she also loves boxed wine and British murder mystery shows. I don’t necessarily love all those things, but I greatly related to her skepticism about ghosts and her drive to investigate things for proof and scientific explanation.

Maybe for seasoned horror fans this book wouldn’t be creepy/scary, but it sure was for me. T. Kingfisher does an excellent job making the ordinary creepy. I was skeptical about things feeling gothic and creepy because it’s set in present day in a suburban house but at the same time that’s EXACTLY what made it scary. If anything it made me a little glad I WASN’T living in a house, if only to be safe from certain things in the backyard or vultures perched on the roof.

It’s light in parts, creepy in others, and also manages to be funny in different moments. The last quarter in particular does a great job in tying things together. This is my first T. Kingfisher book and it certainly won’t be the last.

Thank you Tor Nightfire for sending me a copy for review! All opinions my own.