This summer was also the time for spooky books. Regarding that, today I bring your attention towards The House, whose ebook was available since 17th August and whose hardcopy will be in bookstores from 2nd November.

First and foremost I must thank the Penguin Random House for giving me the occasion to participate in such an extraordinary experience. I loved the whole concept of the book blog tour and I read with pleasure the previous reviews from my colleagues bloggers.

Londoners Jack and Syd moved into the house a year ago. It seemed like their dream home: tons of space, the perfect location, and a friendly owner who wanted a young couple to have it. So when they made a grisly discovery in the attic, Jack and Syd chose to ignore it. That was a mistake.

Because someone has just been murdered outside their back door. And now the police is watching them.

I read this book in a matter of few days. Simon Lelic’s The House is a thriller more than a horror story. The two main characters, Jack and Syd, are a couple who decide to buy a house where to start a family of their own (I’m not talking about making babies but something more profound). However, as soon as they enter in it they found themselves trapped in a series of unfortunate events (to quote the fortunate book series).

After having thought a lot about the story I realised that the real theme of the whole book is not the house itself, with its spooky atmosfere, but the true meaning of home and family. Whether they are Syd and Jack or Syd and her parents or Jack and his parents, at the centre of the drama that unfolds there are dysfunctional families, with a set of problems going from simple trust issues to actual domestic violence.

The book is a report written by the young couple, so there’s a duality of some sort which is deeply interesting and which reminded me a bit of Game of Thrones. The style of the author it’s simple and full with pop references, from Harry Potter to Hunger games to Doctor Who. When I say simple I don’t mean childish or plain, just sort of neat. What I found difficult in the reading process it’s how the author struggles to manage the sense of tension that he tries to build up. There is an honest attempt in doing so but there are a lot of chronological jumps that irremediably break the continuity.

The others characters are like caricatures, portraits that adhere to preconceived packages. This fact was a reflection of the story being told from the perspectives of two different narrators, so I’ve found it appropriate and suitable to this kind of story. I especially liked the detective, Inspector Leigh, a well built character with a certain degree of wittiness.

If you are looking for a good, not too deep kind of read this is definitely your book!

Following you can see the poster of the blog tour with the next dates, don’t forget to check them out too!

-Davide