Thomcat
11/23/2024
Long book that can't decide if it's a comedy, a mystery or gory horror. Perhaps a short story would have been better?
The majority of the novel is introducing characters and situations. Some are humorous, but most are trying. The reader finally gets past the unreliable narrator about 3/4 of the way through, coming up with a solution to the mystery - but then the horror really starts.
I get it, the haunted house is a metaphor for abuse. Follow the rules, careful what you do or say. The author has a doctorate in psychology, so she knows what she's saying. I just feel that a shorter story (or perhaps one without all the elements) would have conveyed the message better. After finishing this, I just feel worn out, and not in a good way.