This House is Haunted by John Boyne

October 8, 2019

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

It’s October, so the time has come for scary things, like ghost stories.  After the death of her father, Eliza Caine applies for a position as a governess for two children at a country house, Gaudlin Hall in Norfolk.  But when she arrives, there are no adults present and the children are alone with no explanation for the missing adults.  Eliza soon learns that there is some creepy stuff going on in the house, and when she enquires about the family, the villagers give her strange looks.  Eliza eventually learns that she is the sixth governess to hold that position in a year.  The children refer to their mother frequently, how she expects them to dress and act, and Eliza begins to suspect that her ghost is haunting Gaudlin Hall.

Written in the style of Dickens, some readers have complained that the story isn’t scary enough (or at all scary), but this is a ghost story for those who enjoy literary fiction and pays homage to the classic ghost story The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, as well as Jane Eyre and the ghost stories of Edith Wharton.  Disquieting and atmospheric rather than horrifying, this is gothic fiction in the style of the Victorian era.  With none of the gore or violence that characterizes many modern ghost stories, this is a perfect book to curl up with on a chilly October night, with a fluffy throw, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and a plate of shortbread cookies (and the dog or cat, of course).  I love just about anything that John Boyne writes, and while this novel isn’t quite as good as most of his other books (such as The Heart’s Invisible Furies), the writing is elegant and it’s still worth reading.

N.B., if you are interested in gory, violent, unlimited horror, search “splatterpunk” in your library’s online catalog.