Book Review: A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

The word Southern Gothic always gets me. Maybe it is the South that is bred into my being and the fact that in the South you are surrounded by giant old houses that are sometimes draped in Spanish Moss that seems to sing as it sways. The setting in some of the historical towns screams Gothic and it is easy to imagine that someone other than the current owners might roam the halls of the houses.

Southern Gothic stories draw me in and they are almost always a guaranteed read for me. They are horror, but lightly done. I find the horror in these books takes more of a weird turn, much like some of the Urban Legends you hear as a child sitting on the front porch of MeMaws house in the humid summers.

Naturally when I saw an early listen opportunity for T. Kingfisher's A House With Good Bones, and a blub that said 

" A haunting Southern Gothic," I said, " Sign Me Up!!"

Sam Montgomery leaves her job in Arizona for a bit to go visit her mother in North Carolina. Once she arrives, she realizes things are a bit out of sorts with not only her mother but the house. Usually bright and cheerful, the house seems to have regressed to the point of being put back to when her Grand Mae lived there years ago, a bit plain and boring, also her mother seems to be nervous, and looking over her shoulder, as if she might be scared. 

The story is a slow burner, but I believe most Gothic tales are, the writers who write them set up great introductions to the characters and what may be coming. It does not take long to get drawn into this highly entertaining story however, Kingfisher is imaginative in her weaving of the story and is exceptional in her use of words.

The characters are all purposeful and full of quirks, I enjoyed all of them, even creepy Grand Mae. Let's face it, there is nothing better than the eccentrics of Southern Women, they themselves will keep you entertained if the story you are reading does not. You won't have to worry about that happening with A House With Good Bones though.

This book has so much to offer besides its delightful characters, it has family secrets, ghosts, a haunted house, and surprisingly, a lot of humor. Yes, it gets weird, and it gets creepy, but not unbearably creepy, I mean it wouldn't be a Southern Gothic tale without weird creepiness now, would it?

Nah...I don't think so.

Grab yourself a big ole cold glass of sweet tea, settle into a porch swing, and dig into this one.