The September House
Books | Fiction / Horror
4
(53)
Carissa Orlando
“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted HouseA woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.
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Author
Carissa Orlando
Pages
352
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2023-09-05
ISBN
0593548612 9780593548615
Community ReviewsSee all
"“Does anyone deserve to live like this?”
Psychological horror would be the best way to describe this book. As horror it’s just ok but what IS brilliant is how the house is made metaphor for lived trauma and it’s gradual internalized effects on the psyche. I wasn’t really ready for the direction the specific type of trauma took and was reluctantly dragged there; however ultimately I was in awe of how the author pulled from those experiences and played it out so nonchalantly to horrific effect. Unfortunately the ending was just too typical. I would have preferred to keep that theme running to a more nuanced or even ambiguous conclusion. 3.5⭐️"
Sher Free✌️
"Really good and creepy! Couldn’t tell what was real. Enjoyed this very much!"
Skye Edelson-Bennett
"The September House by Carissa Orlando is a new favorite. I'm so glad I borrowed this from the library on a whim because it was such a pleasant surprise. If you're a fan of Grady Hendrix, T. Kingfisher, Darcy Coates, and Simone St. James, this horror novel cannot be missed. Here's to hoping it gets adapted into a TV series by Mike Flanagan - that would be the ultimate! I can't wait to see whatever Orlando writes in the future because that was one heck of a debut novel."
Lauren St
"Margaret lives in a Haunted House. She knows the rules- if she touches a trickster, she'll get a flash of their last moments; stay out of Elias' space and she'll avoid his teeth, and don't go into the basement. Every September, the activities of the tricksters get worse throughout the month. This September things are complicated by a visit from Margaret's daughter Katherine. Katherine has never visited the house and is driven to do so now by the mysterious disappearance of her father.
Angelique, the trickster maid with a crushed skull, and Edith, Margaret's only friend, help her hide the happenings in the house from Katherine.
The September House is rather deep. Margaret is not your typical horror heroine. Her past has taught her to be flexible around others and to follow rules. Her most important rule, one any mother can understand, is to protect her daughter.
There is lots of gore in this book. There are scenes that are worthy of nightmares. The part leading up to the climax is grotesque. If you can stomach it, The September House is a book about a resilient woman who won't let a Haunted House get the best of her. I definitely recommend."
Brandi Always Reading
"Such an easy read! I couldn’t put this book down "
Lisa k
"This book was interesting and not something I would normally read. Not sure I'd read something like it again but definitely didn't hate it!"
P H
Piper Havens
"Very repetitive and boring. I was pretty sure I figured it out by chapter 3 but I stuck it out anyway because of the great reviews. I was right and disappointed by the way this book went. I wanted more and it seemed like this book tried so hard to be scary and gory that the actual story was put to the wayside. Katherine is insufferable and Margaret never grew as a character. The time jumps in this book felt unnatural and easily could give you whiplash. Needless to say I wasn’t impressed and wasn’t spooked. "
Sandy
"Such a missed opportunity. Starts out original, but then falls onto trusted haunted house tropes. Borrowed it from Libby so it gets an extra star "
jared lane
"Terrifying spin on real-life nightmares we get accustomed to against a backdrop of classic haunted house with twists, gore, strong female characters, and a ribbon of humor that felt more “Cabin In The Woods” than “Evil Dead” which I loved. "
Blair
"Margret refuses to move out of her haunted house. She’s fully aware of the unusual and sometimes dangerous happenings, but she’s made rules for herself to adjust - her motto is “everything is survivable”. That is, until her daughter Katherine makes a surprise visit and begins asking questions about her father, Hal. Margret must prepare to break some rules and make a few new ones, because September is starting…
This book offers horror, heart, and humor all in one. The haunted house serves as an allegory for domestic abuse, and the parallels become clearer as we learn more about the characters and their pasts.
I really enjoyed the author's twist on this trope!"
CB
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