How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix Published by Penguin on January 17, 2023
Genres: FICTION / Horror, FICTION / Thrillers / Psychological, FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 432
Format: eBook
Source: Library
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"Wildly entertaining."-The New York Times
"Ingenious."-The Washington Post
New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.
Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.
But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…
Like his novels The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Final Girl Support Group, How to Sell a Haunted House is classic Hendrix: equal parts heartfelt and terrifying—a gripping new read from “the horror master” (USA Today).
Yikes. Why would I pick up a book that promises a haunted house filled with puppets and dolls? I don’t know. Anyone who knows me would find that strange. I listened to the first 1/4 through audio but decided the ebook was the way to go this time.
Hendrix always promises a wild time and How to Sell a Haunted House is no exception. I was so creeped out at one point I had to have my kindle reader on my phone pulled up in multi page view because somehow that would help me get past the murderous dolls. This isn’t just a spooky read filled with squirrel nativities hell bent on maiming you and soulless eyed dolls staking their claims in the living room.
I am really impressed with how many layers Louise, and really the whole family’s, had by the time things reached a fever pitch. Through conversations and thoughts, Hendrix addressed grief in all its forms, complicated family dynamics, estrangement, and more. Mark and Louise’s experiences and memories are so different and it has shaped their entire relationship for better or worse. It was difficult to read their tension.
At the time of reading this, my daughter is five and Louise’s struggles as a parent struck hard. It also made the horror of Pupkin especially terrifying (I had to put the book down for the day. But then promptly picked it back up because I HAD to know what happened). If anyone asks why I remain staunchly anti-puppet and dolls as gifts for my little I will just cite this book.
About Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties. He's also the author of We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and the upcoming (July 13!) Final Girl Support Group!
He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70's and 80's horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.
And he's the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and Satanic Panic.
You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod. He also does a podcast called Super Scary Haunted Homeschool.
If you're not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website.