This was unexpectedly heavy and spends a lot of time exploring the horrors people inflict on each other. I found it overwhelming, but I’d recommend if you’re looking for a philosophical, slow-burn horror that mixes stream-of-consciousness with grotesque, strange moments. 

 

Energy: Disorienting. Bleak. Confessional.  

 

🐕 Howls The philosophizing around the halfway point (that might be a me thing). Long stretches of reflection that were heavy and sad (this could be a 'tail wag' for many though). Bizarro confusing moments got tiring after a while. Kept mixing up the siblings (probably the similar names, they had their own personas). 

🐩 Tail Wags The “wait…what?” moments. Confusing bizarro and grotesque moments. Mix of rooting for and being horrified by the main character. The ‘haunted’ house being a newer build. The nonsensical and unhingedness. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set mostly in a gated community of North Dallas, Texas, USA

Perspective: Our MC grew up in a gated community in the house that once served as a model home during development. As an adult, they live in England with their 14-year-old child. The death of their parents prompts a return to their hometown and reuniting with their siblings.  

We get brief perspective of the MC’s 14-year-old who meets up with a friend they met on social media.  

Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s).

🔥 Fuel: Foreshadowing. Atmospheric tension. Family and relationship dynamics. Layered secrets. Provoking thoughts and feels. Unpredictability. What happened to our main character in childhood? Why are their parents dead? What does it all mean? Are they going to be okay?

📖 Cred: Hyper-realistic surrealism

 

Dried flowers. Roasted potatoes. Lemon disinfectant. Sawdust. Grilled hotdogs. French double doors. Greasy pizza. Wide highway. Shopping mall. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Dissociation. Food restriction (as child). Depression, low moods (symptoms). Ambiguous diagnoses (personality disorder, dissociative, generalized anxiety, complex-PTSD). Loss of parents (as adult). Corpses (discovery of). Racism (graphic; disbelief, threats, prejudice, persecution, mental attacks; hypocrisy). Murder-suicide (implied). Chemical burns, scars. Animal torture, death (off page mention; very brief;

dog, fish, ant farm, guinea pig

). Cancer (brief mention; cervical). Grief. Suicide attempt (recall). Suicidal ideation, planning (discussion; on page). Sexual content (consenting; on page). Homophobic slurs. Grooming, adult/minor relationship. Munchausen by proxy (discussion). Gaslighting. Home invasion. Child abuse, pedophilia (rape, sexual abuse,

female perpetrator

). Fire (building; arson). 

 

Rep: American. Mixed race (Black, White). American British. Cis. Genderfluid. Trans. Hetero. Queer. Lesbian. Dark, brown, freckled, light brown, and ambiguous skin tones. Fat. Jewish convert. Diabetes. Autism. Dyslexia. 

 

📚 Format: Library Hardcover