Lost in a creepy colonial forest

A Puritan woman in colonial New England walks in to the forest to pick berries and goes missing.

What happens next is a strange, dream-like horror story.

Characters talk in quirky, threatening riddles. Animals are misleading tricksters. The forest is a nightmarish illusion.

I will say no more because the mystery of what is happening is part of the book’s spell.

But be warned, don’t go in to these woods expecting to find any easy answers. The story is a writhing, twisted creature viewed through shattered glass. It does not aim to follow a clear plot, which some readers may find frustrating.

Instead, the achievement of ‘In the House…’ is its dark, imaginative mood.

It abounds in whimsical charm, beneath which lurks an eerie something-is-not-right feeling.

The ending has no definitive message or meaning, but if you would like to find one for yourself there is plenty of symbolism to dig through.

You could spend hours examining the themes of women, witches, and society. I preferred to read it as an exploration of the spooky, fairytale mood.

RECOMMENDATION: I think children would enjoy this immensely. The dialogue is very playful in an odd, disturbing way. It would be fun reading the characters’ lines with creepy voices.

Best read on a dark, stormy night when the wind slithers through the window to slam your bedroom door shut. BANG!

I rate it 3 out of 5 berries.

I thought it would have a werewolf theme, based on the (incredible) cover art. No werewolves unfortunately. The book has numerous nods to traditional fairytales, but is something entirely its own.

FYI: Contains domestic violence, as well as children in captivity in the style of Hansel and Gretel.

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