A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
233 pages/7 hours
Horror Suspense
4/5*
Formats available: Book, Libby eAudiobook, Libby ebook
"Mom seems off."
“Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.
She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.
But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.
To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.”
It is well known around here that I love the author T. Kingfisher. She is an extraordinary writer who dabbles in both Fantasy and Horror ; both of these genres are my favorite. Kingfisher recently dropped her newest book A House with Good Bones and I was on it as soon as my hold came through on Libby. (If you would like to read with Libby too, use your library card and pin number to access this database online or through your app store for free! Libby has thousands of eBooks and audiobooks for you to borrow through your device and they don't accrue fines or fees. Libby is also Amazon Kindle compatible. If you have questions, contact us at KHCPL). I went into this book blind: not reading the synopsis or any pre-reviews and was not disappointed. A House with Good Bones is about a thirty-something young entomologist/archeologist named Sam who goes to visit her mother while her current job is on hold. Sam realizes quickly her mother seems to have picked up a lot of paranoia and has dropped a lot of weight. One after another weird events within the home happen and Sam realizes that either her poor mother is ailing in her mind or the house has gone bad; neither seems to be the better option. Did I mention that there is also a kettle of vultures watching over the house?
What I loved most about this story is that I laughed throughout the entire book, even when chills were climbing up my spine. This haunted house telling is much different than anything I have read before and definitely is a great relief from the gothic upswing that books seem to be taking nowadays. Kingfisher also has great taste in creating main characters; in my experience it's difficult to find books written to my personal age demographic and body type. Sam, the main character, is in her thirties, chubby, nerdy, and career-driven; Sam sounded a lot like me! Apart from being an enjoyable nightmare, this book was a refreshing take on the haunted house trope we all know and love. I am giving this a 4/5 stars.
You can find A House with Good Bones in our physical library as a Hardback and on Libby as an EBook and an audiobook for checkout. For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann