Author: Max Doty
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN: 979-8217092239
A family moves into a newhouse and discovers it has supernatural abilities. As they try tolearn the ways of the structure and how to appease it, they’ll findthemselves bargaining to keep it happy while battling new andunsettling desires. Author Max Doty gives readers a wacky conceptthat mostly works in his brand new release The House That Eats theDead.
When Claire and Tom Morganfind what they think is the perfect house in a swanky San Franciscosuburb, they can’t deny that it’s the perfect place for theirfamily. Their son, Derek, was recently attacked on his way home inthe city itself, and this house would be exactly what he and hislittle sister, Grace, need for a fresh start. Never mind that theprice tag is seven figures; with Tom’s job as a lawyer in a venturecapital firm, they’ll just be able to swing it. Finally, a quietplace where the Morgan family can live out their little piece of theAmerican dream, including a room that Claire can turn into her artstudio.
Yet even from the firsttime Tom and Claire walk through the house, they both sense somethingdifferent about it. Fresh flowers become brittle then disappear intodust. Hot pizza delivered to the door gets as stiff as cardboard.Groceries go missing from the fridge. Claire almost hopes it’s herimagination, because if it isn’t she would have to believe thehouse is eating these items.
Tom notices the strangeoccurrences too, and it’s official: their new home has the capacityto eat things that were once alive. What’s more, once these thingsare consumed, their memory disappears. This becomes apparent when abeloved item of Grace’s goes missing. Once it’s out of sight,it’s literally out of mind. Grace looks at Claire quizzically whenClaire mentions the stuffed animal, and Claire realizes it’s as ifthe precious stuffy never existed.
Claire and Tom start toexperiment with this power, discovering the house’s appetite isalmost insatiable. Fresh cuts of meat from the butcher disappearfast, along with all the dust and crumbs in the house. More thanonce, Claire’s mother-in-law tries to look for a mess and comes upwanting. When she asks Claire to recommend the housekeeper doing sucha fabulous job, Claire just shrugs.
Then comes a terribleaccident, and Claire and Tom realize they’re at a major turningpoint. They can make the entire situation disappear, and only the twoof them will ever remember it happening. But at what cost? And whenthings begin escalating, Tom finds it almost irresistible to make alltheir problems disappear. Meanwhile, Claire wonders if they’ve letthemselves get in too deep. Because the house’s appetite refuses toabate, and even though she forms an alliance with it she knows itwon’t hesitate to eat her too if it’s hungry enough and thecircumstances are right.
Author Max Doty’sinnovative concept offers a fresh perspective in the horror genre,which will definitely appeal to readers wanting to experiment withhorror without exposing themselves to the gore of other comparabletitles. Doty’s protagonist has a sense of humor; Claire deliverssome funny lines that will make readers laugh out loud. At the sametime, he writes the entire situation with such depth that it’s easyto picture Claire and Tom’s house eating items. The result is anovel that will definitely make readers shudder in the best way andkeep them glued to the pages or screen for more.
About two-thirds of theway through the book, however, the novel starts to drag slightly.Claire finds herself at a point of questioning everything, especiallywhen an unknown person discovers the house’s ability to eat. Ratherthan be more proactive in figuring out who this person is, Clairespends a lot of time wringing her hands about what she and Tom havealready done. Add to that the fact that Derek and Grace are aware ofthe house’s abilities but that readers don’t get to see theirexperiences firsthand, and Claire’s first-person point of viewbegins to feel somewhat limiting.
Still, the novel is funand does hold some surprises for readers along the way. Those wantingto try something new in the horror genre that can maintain a sense ofhumor while still offering the requisite genre markers will want totry this one. I recommend readers Bookmark The House That Eats theDead by Max Doty.