Review: This House is Haunted by John Boyne

Here is what this book is about (taken from Amazon):
Written in Dickensian prose, This House Is Haunted is a striking homage to the classic nineteenth century ghost story. Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels, she is greeted by the two children now in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There is no adult present to represent her mysterious employer, and the children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, another terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.

From the moment Eliza rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives within Gaudlin’s walls. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall’s long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past. Clever, captivating, and witty, This House Is Haunted is pure entertainment with a catch.

This was the perfect creepy Autumn read.  If I had a working fireplace, I most definitely would have been reading this whole book in front of it.  I really enjoyed it because the creepiness isn't super intense.  It starts out very straightfoward.  Eliza has a few weird encounters, but she chalks it up to emotions from her father's recent death and being overtired.  But she eventually realizes that something else is going on, and you can't help but route for her, especially since most of the governesses before her have not left the house alive.

I thought Eliza was a great narrator.  She starts out and you immediate know that she's survived something.  Even though this pretty much tells you that Eliza makes it out okay, you're still wondering what's going to happen next.

I absolutely loved the way Boyne wrote the book.  It is described as being "Dickensian," and it definitely reminded me of classic ghost stories.  And this is pretty much the perfect ghost story for Halloween time.  I think a lot of people would really enjoy it, because like I said above, it isn't so creepy that you have to put it down.  It's cleverly done, like the old scary black and white movies that are scary because of the anticipation.

Have you read This House is Haunted?  What other creepy ghost stories have you read recently??  Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!


Title: This House is Haunted
Author: John Boyne
Date of Publication: October 8, 2013
Number of Pages:
Genre: Fiction
Source: Netgally