Margaret refuses to leave her Victorian estate, even though every September the walls bleed and the resident ghosts become aggressive. While her husband, Hal, flees the seasonal haunting, Margaret manages the supernatural chaos through strict household rules and denial. The situation changes when Hal goes missing and their estranged daughter, Katherine, arrives to search for him. Katherine is unaware of the spirits, forcing Margaret to conceal the increasing violence of the house guests while investigating her husband’s disappearance and the basement’s dark history.
Fans of haunted house tropes and psychological thrillers will find a story that treats domestic abuse and trauma as tangible monsters. Readers gain a perspective on how victims normalize dysfunction to survive their environments. The narrative moves from a mystery about a missing person into a confrontation with the psychological endurance required to live in a broken home. It provides a look at the lengths a person goes to for a sense of ownership over their life, even when their surroundings are literally falling apart.
Escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
Insights from The September House
“I find that if I don't look at them, they aren't there.”
Margaret has a specific way of ignoring the bleeding walls. It shows how much we can normalize chaos just to keep our home.
Hal was a nightmare long before the house got hold of him. The ghosts are scary but his everyday cruelty was the real haunting.
“I am not going to leave her here in a house that is bleeding.”
Katherine coming home changes everything because she refuses to accept the rules. Seeing her mother accept the violence breaks her heart.
“He is a very polite ghost, as far as ghosts go.”
Fredrick the ghost is actually kind of a comfort. Sometimes the monsters we know are better than the ones we don't.
- Published
- 2023
- Publisher
- Berkley
- ISBN
- 9780593548615
- Language
- EN
