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Justin Chen's Reviews > The Spite House
The Spite House
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4.5 stars
A layered gothic horror with an old-school feel, The Spite House reminds me a lot of horror novels from the 80s, such as The Elementals by Michael McDowell, and Maynard's House by Herman Raucher, where the story starts out as a character-focused slowburn, then nosedives into a horror that's more psychological and fantastical (like a drug-induced nightmare rather than the typical ghosts and spirits). It also has a very consistent undercurrent of dread throughout, which is a tone mainstream horror literature has moved away from lately. Its departure from trends makes The Spite House a standout read.
The audiobook has noticeably elevated my overall experience; Johnny Compton's writing is sharp, but leans on the stoic side, which can make the story coming across like a news report, rather than a passionate telling. But Adam Lazarre-White's performance infuses a lot of humanity back into this material, and makes the characters come to life. If you find the physical read is too dry and clinical, I would highly recommend giving the audiobook a try.
The Spite House is surprisingly complex, with the integration of American history and architectural terminology (spite house is a real thing!), alongside the fictional familial drama (there are like 2–3 family histories we're following throughout). Even though nearing the end it does get a little convoluted trying to wrap everything up, I appreciate the effort in trying to compose something different, rather than just a straightforward haunted house story.
The lore of J-horror The Grudge is another work that comes to mind; playing with the theme of a place being 'cursed' by all the extreme emotions from the people who have resided there prior. The Spite House is an acquired taste — it's purposefully slow (but not aimless), constructing its horror upon an intangible concept, and vague on giving answers in its closure. Readers expecting a page turner might be taken aback by how much threads need to be untangled in this shortish book, but this is 100% a memorable read.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A layered gothic horror with an old-school feel, The Spite House reminds me a lot of horror novels from the 80s, such as The Elementals by Michael McDowell, and Maynard's House by Herman Raucher, where the story starts out as a character-focused slowburn, then nosedives into a horror that's more psychological and fantastical (like a drug-induced nightmare rather than the typical ghosts and spirits). It also has a very consistent undercurrent of dread throughout, which is a tone mainstream horror literature has moved away from lately. Its departure from trends makes The Spite House a standout read.
The audiobook has noticeably elevated my overall experience; Johnny Compton's writing is sharp, but leans on the stoic side, which can make the story coming across like a news report, rather than a passionate telling. But Adam Lazarre-White's performance infuses a lot of humanity back into this material, and makes the characters come to life. If you find the physical read is too dry and clinical, I would highly recommend giving the audiobook a try.
The Spite House is surprisingly complex, with the integration of American history and architectural terminology (spite house is a real thing!), alongside the fictional familial drama (there are like 2–3 family histories we're following throughout). Even though nearing the end it does get a little convoluted trying to wrap everything up, I appreciate the effort in trying to compose something different, rather than just a straightforward haunted house story.
The lore of J-horror The Grudge is another work that comes to mind; playing with the theme of a place being 'cursed' by all the extreme emotions from the people who have resided there prior. The Spite House is an acquired taste — it's purposefully slow (but not aimless), constructing its horror upon an intangible concept, and vague on giving answers in its closure. Readers expecting a page turner might be taken aback by how much threads need to be untangled in this shortish book, but this is 100% a memorable read.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
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Caleb
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rated it 2 stars
Mar 16, 2023 12:02PM
I am glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed The Elementals, but was not able to get into this one. I can see the similarities, but I felt I was unable to connect with the characters in The Spite House whatsoever.
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Caleb wrote: "I am glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed The Elementals, but was not able to get into this one. I can see the similarities, but I felt I was unable to connect with the characters in The Spite Hou..."I think the audiobook definitely helped, I can see reading it physically might be a bit on the dry side.
Justin wrote: "Caleb wrote: "I am glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed The Elementals, but was not able to get into this one. I can see the similarities, but I felt I was unable to connect with the characters in..."That's always a major challenge on whether I read or listen. Unfortunately, I didn't want to wait and the book came available at my library first.
Terrific review! I’ve been on the fence about this one, but your review pushed me to pull the trigger on it! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review. This sounds just like somenthing for me. To the tbr! Thanks for pointing it out Justin.
JaymeO wrote: "Terrific review! I’ve been on the fence about this one, but your review pushed me to pull the trigger on it! Glad you enjoyed it!"Hope you'll enjoy it as well!
Karine wrote: "Great review. This sounds just like somenthing for me. To the tbr! Thanks for pointing it out Justin."Happy to hear that!
Excellent review! I liked this book a lot too. I’m going to check out the other books you have recommended.
