Title: A House at the Bottom of a LakeAuthor: Josh Malerman
First Published: October 31, 2016
Publisher: This Is Horror
Pages: 118
Genre: Horror
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Rating:
Synopsis:
Both seventeen. Both afraid. But both saying yes.
It sounded like the perfect first date: canoeing across a chain of lakes, sandwiches and beer in the cooler. But teenagers Amelia and James discover something below the water's surface that changes their lives forever.
It's got two stories.
It's got a garden.
And the front door is open.
It's a house at the bottom of a lake.
For the teens, there is only one rule: no questions. And yet, how could a place so spectacular come with no price tag? While the duo plays house beneath the waves, one reality remains:
Just because a house is empty, doesn't mean nobody's home.
Review
A House at the Bottom of a Lake is a unique little novella, a teenage summer romance wrapped up in an eerie haunted house story. The setting of a house that defies comprehension underwater was a fascinating and wholly original setting. Malerman does an outstanding job of building suspense in all of his novels and it is on full display here. There were moments in the story that genuinely unnerved me and have stuck with me days after reading. The one issue that arose is the same one that happens in most of the Malerman stories that I’ve read, which is that it never truly delivers on the spooky premise.
The real focus, and honestly the beauty of the novella, was the way that first love and sex are portrayed. It’s exciting and terrifying, to fall in love is maddening, and we become obsessed with the idea of that other person. The house becomes the vehicle for the lover’s romance, a little secret for the summer. The intensity of those feelings is turned up to one hundred as the lover’s become absolutely consumed with their love and the house they’ve built around it.
This is a risky novella but it will be perfect for the right reader. Of the Malerman books that I’ve read so far, I’d say that this one is easily my favorite. I just wished there were more scares, like a hot summer fling it was exciting but ultimately left me wanting a little more.
Quote
“Both seventeen. Both virgins. But both saying yes.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Josh Malerman
Josh Malerman is an American novelist, short story writer, film producer, and one of two singer/songwriters for the rock band The High Strung. He is best known for writing his post-apocalyptic novel, Bird Box, which was the inspiration for the Netflix film Bird Box
Discover more from Radical Dreamer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
