A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Book Description

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

Review

If, like me, you love spooky reads with a side of laughter, add A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher to your To-Be-Read pile. Like now.

This novel was so much fun. Kingfisher has a brilliant ability to make me chortle on one page and shiver on the next. The story walks a perfect tightrope between eerie Southern Gothic vibes and laugh-out-loud humor. Think A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking for tone, but with the darker, more grown-up themes of A Sorceress Comes to Call.

For me, the star of A House With Good Bones is Sam, the protagonist. She’s hilariously awkward. A hyper-aware narrator you’ll want as your weekend road trip buddy. You know, the friend who makes you giggle-snort in public and then points out something genuinely unsettling you would have otherwise missed. Her dry wit makes the creeping dread somehow even more delicious, like decorating a nightmare with perfectly piped buttercream frosting.

In A House With Good Bones, Kingfisher doesn’t shy away from the strange. Prepare yourself for pet vultures, a buried secret, roses that are a little too perfect, and other unsettling (but utterly purposeful) details. It’s horror, but it’s the kind that leans on tension and atmosphere rather than jump scares.

I loved it.

Throw in strong supporting characters, a thread of generational trauma, magic, and a lurking evil, and you end up with a novel that delivers a surprising amount of depth. If you enjoy the creepy fun of horror, with a side of contemporary fantasy snark, you’re going to love A House With Good Bones.

Content Warning

Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Fire, Toxic Relationship, Witchcraft

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Nick Kwan on Unsplash