How to Sell a Haunted House
Ratings275
Average rating3.7
4.5 ⭐️
i don't even know where to begin with this. How to Sell a Haunted House is first and foremost an exploration of grief that i found incredibly poignant just 3 months out from my own experience with the death of a parent. had this come into my life at any other time, i have no idea how i would feel about it. but this was the most seen i'd felt since my loss, even though my relationship with my family is much different than Louise's.
in addition to its heart wrenching relatability, this was so fucking scary. i was losing my mind over these puppets and everything that was occurring around this family. somewhere around the 75% mark i found myself wondering how there was so much left of the book, then turned the page and almost yelped out loud at its contents.
my only other experience with Hendrix was My Best Friend's Exorcism, which i did not enjoy and did not find scary. i'm so glad that i managed to mesh well with this book's contents and i look forward to trying some more of his work now!
Dolls and handmade puppets that move on their own? Absolutely horrifying.
I hate to say that this book wasn't even on my radar! The audiobook was available at my library so I grabbed it on a whim. Mood reading at its finest! I haven't had great experiences in the past with Grady Hendrix books, so it was a shot in the dark. But boy did I underestimate this story!
Dolls and puppets are a huge fear of mine. Remember that movie “The Boy” where the doll moves? Still gives me nightmares. This is that except with a freaky little talking puppet that is filled with demonic rage. My heart was pounding the entire time. The horror was so well done as well as the overall writing. I also felt like the grief aspects were done really well and didn't take me out of the story. I will forever be recommending this book if you want an intro to the horror genre. Will forever be chasing the heart pounding high this book gave me.
Grady Hendrix revolves his haunted house story around a pair of adult siblings who are dealing with the death of their parents and their own strained relationship. It is a strong character and relationship story with enough scary bits to satisfy horror fans as well.
I found Lousie and Mark to be relatable in some ways (Louise's desire to get away from home, her drive, Mark's frustrations and aimlessness) but they were also unlikeable (Louise's incredible denial and neurotic controlling behavior, Mark being a petulant dick). We saw most of the story through Louise's eyes and at times her attitude made me want to reach through the book and shake her.
There are little bits of humor, mostly in the dialogue, which Hendrix is great at. With the scary scenes, at times I realized what I was imagining could be quite absurd and silly, given the nature of the “items” that were possessed.
Great entertainment, escapist but smart.
No estuvo mal, tampoco fue uff. Esperaba que haya un gimmick más copado por el título que tiene, pero me resultó un tanto cliché. El gore fue usado como sinónimo de terror y no funciona así.
3.5 rounded up to 4! I liked the setup better than the wind down and how it wrapped up. Enjoyed how spooky it was initially but wow were the main characters hard to uhh be around lol. Highly recommended for enjoyers of horror, especially if puppets are a favorite trope
The book was enjoyable and if creepy doll stories freak you out, you will enjoy this book. I found it a bit long. That is what kept me from giving the book a 4 star rating.
Loved the first 1/4 of the book. Related to Louise as a “never good enough” big sister to her younger brother Mark. It went downhill slightly when Pupkin was introduced. Some of the scenes were creepy, but the puppet/doll trope just doesn't work for me. It reminded me of a grown up Goosebumps.
I hated this book so much. It literally put me in a reading slump, it's that bad.
80/100
A very solid haunted house story. I can see why people have complaints about the characters being unlivable and while I feel some of this was a tad forced and on the nose. We do get character development as the story goes. I do wish we got more back story to have the heavy moments towards the end be more impactful but I found this book very touching. And while it's not the most philosophical book to take on death and grieving. It does have something to say which I do appreciate. Just wish the themes were explored more.
Baca buku horor ketika di rumah sendirian itu ngeri-ngeri sedap. Tapi makin sedap dengan:
- bumbu perseteruan kakak adik Louise dan Mark tentang rumah yang diwariskan orang tua mereka yang meninggal mendadak dalam sebuah kecelakaan misterius. Louise hidupnya sukses (lulus kuliah, kerja kerah putih di San Francisco, punya anak satu), Mark hidupnya berantakan (drop out dari BU lol trus kerja serabutan).
- wasiat orang tuanya sebagai kunci perseteruan: wasiat mendiang ayah mewariskan 100% rumah dan harta ke Louise kalau sang ibu meninggal lebih dulu. Wasiat mendiang ibu mewariskan 100% ke Mark kalau sang ayah meninggal lebih dulu.
- campur tangan keluarga besar, macam si sepupu yang bilang ke Louise: rumah orang tua kamu tuh harganya bisa sampai tiga per empat juta dolar. Duit lumayan tuh bisa buat anakmu nanti kuliah Ivy Lig dan ga cuma PTN dekat rumah (state school)
- misteri kematian adiknya ibunya Louise yang meninggal mendadak puluhan tahun silam. Kenapa semua keluarga besar generasi kakek-nenek Louise bersikukuh buat, udah relakan aja itu masa lalu. Ini adalah bagian trope yang paling menyebalkan karena things would get resolved earlier if people just talk?
- koleksi boneka angker. Ibunya Louise produksi boneka (dan taxidermy) buat ngajarin cerita-cerita gereja. Jumlahnya puluhan (ratusan?) berderet memenuhi rak di rumah, yang lalu dia wariskan ke Louise dalam wasiatnya.
Ini sebetulnya baca loncat-loncat karena merinding sendirian di rumah (Boy ga membantu).
i loved the exploration of sibling relationships and grief. the grief and sudden death of both parents was the true horror for me because that's a great fear for me. grady hendrix always has this humor and horror balance i love and also some really disgusting scenes but i'm not a huge paranormal horror fan. especially not haunted dolls so the actual horror element of this for me fell super flat. i get it and i'm sure plenty of people will enjoy it and while grady has a humourous tone in almost all his books, the haunted doll was giving juvenile and not in a good way i enjoyed.
I loved this. But I also love haunted doll/puppet stories. I also love general fiction about generational trauma and grief. So this had absolutely all of the themes I love in a super interesting package.
Louise and Mark are siblings that haven't lived near each other for most of their adult lives, but come together when their parents die unexpectedly in a car accident. Their complicated relationship adds to the tension when they enter their parents home that is FILLED with dolls and puppets that are decidedly creepy. From there the story unfolds with one twist and turn after another that kept me glued to the pages. The first Grady Hendrix book I read was The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and I loved it. This second read by this author did not disappoint! This was the first book that truly scared me in quite some time, but in all the best ways.
I've liked all of Grady's books prior to this, but this was a whiff for me. Unlikable characters and a silly puppet. I'd just stomp on the puppet, problem solved.
book 4/30 ✅
How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
3/5 ⭐️
How To Sell A Haunted house tells the story of Louise and Mark, a pair of estranged siblings who have never really seen eye-to-eye about things, and what happens after the death of their parents.
Okay - y'all, I almost didn't finish this book. I had a tough time getting into this because of the author's writing style, which is part of the reason why I think I didn't like Final Girl Support Group. The novel had its moments - fast-paced action, suspense, and tenderness. For me, I felt like I had to power through a lot for things to “get good,” but once things picked up, it was a wild ride to the finish.
Loved it! A horror story that doesn't take itself too seriously. It was emotional, suspenseful and darkly funny in parts. Enjoyed it and keen to read the other Grady Hendrix books I own.
4.5 absolutely loved it
*update bumping up to a 5 because im still thinking how much I loved this book and how it really stuck with me and I need to reread it!
Rating: 3.5 leaves out of 5Characters: 3/5 Cover: 4/5Story: 3.75/5Writing: 4.75/5Horror: 2/5Genre: Horror/Psychological ThrillerType: BookWorth?: YeahHated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked LovedI have been waiting for this book since it was announced and now that I finished it I am kind of empty, but let's get into it.If you like your run of the mill horror movie that verges on the line of A/B this is for you. The horror was sprinkled in. It had its moments of NOPEs but for the most part it was pretty chill. I would look into the phobia's for this book because some may need it. Dolls aren't my cup of tea when it comes to horror. I think it is a bit silly. Don't get me wrong, when they move on their own or start talking, yeah imma be scared but when you have to FIGHT them... I find it funny af. Now lets get into characters. 65-70% of the book I hated Mark. Maybe even 80-85% if I am being honest. He is unbearable in the beginning and when you think he is going to be better BAM he is on his shit again. Towards the end though he gets to be okay. My hate for him simmered down to an eh fine he can be in the same room as me. Louise on the other hand, I get her. I would probably be the same way if I had to deal with a family like that. She isn't perfect but with what she has had to put up with I can see why she acted that way. For the story it good. There were times when I was kind of meh about it and a few times when my jaw dropped. I did like the end half of the book. I think Grady really did a good job in wrapping it up. I could see this being a good horror movie you could pop on and have a little gathering that won't ruin your week. Lol.
In How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix has turned the banal and the ordinary into something existentially terrifying. This is Hendrix's modus operandi. Often, the most mundane things: an IKEA shopping store, book clubs, one's best friend, or the idea of a family home in his hands, turn twisted, greasy, full of spikes and tendrils, patiently waiting to dig its way into the mind of his helpless readers. Grady Hendrix writes the best horrors.
“wishing harder than she'd ever wished before that for just sixty seconds someone would hold her, but no one holds moms.”
One of the overarching features of Hendrix's stories is the flawed characters. People are imperfect, gray in emotions and deeds, sometimes heroic, and other times cowardly. Unless you seek a novel where the good is always good, and the evil is easy to spot, stories and characters are complex three-dimensional creations. As a reader, horror is more effective when I can empathize or am repulsed by characters past their inherent “goodness” or “badness.” Hendrix capitalizes on the grayness of characters to effectively tell his stories.
The premise of How to Sell a Haunted House is that Louise's parents have died. Louise, a mom, has had to leave her child with her ex to travel to Charleston to tie up familial loose ends. One of the loose ends is her childhood home, her father, an academic, and her mother, a woman obsessed with dolls and puppetry. They both loved and knew her best, and the raw pain and emotional deadness from losing a parent are shown well. It feels like Louise has been scooped out emotionally, but she still has to go on living, making decisions, and dealing with what is left of her family, her brother Mark. Mark has his own battles to fight. While Louise left, he stayed, and there is contempt there.
“But she didn't have a choice. She would have to handle whatever happened. There was no such thing as too much. There was just more and more, and her limits didn't matter. Life didn't care. She could only hang on.”
As it turns out, selling the house and dealing with their crumbled relationship will be much more complicated and terrifying than either thought.
There is something unnerving about dolls. It could be because they represent us and who we think we are or the uncanny valley effect, which is the reaction to how human an object looks while not being quite right. Often, it involves revulsion and unease. Some stories capitalize on this trait, Like Annabelle and Chucky. On the one hand, they are toys, harmless objects of play and joy; on the other hand, there is something not quite right about Annabelle. Hendrix took this idea and turned it up to 11. Puppetry is creepy, generally. But obsession and puppetry are so much worse. Think puppets in every room, hanging from the ceiling, their strings lightly brushing your face as you walk under them, their glass eyes staring at you but not seeing. Eyes, everywhere. Hendrix probably sat back in smug satisfaction at the horror practically dripping off the pages.
“This is where we grew up. It's not The Shining.” “It's Shining-adjacent,” Mark said in the gloom.”
Now take those puppets, eyes everywhere, and give them life. Stick them in a house and put two broken people in there with them. The puppets are unhappy with Louise and Mark's choices; they have access to tools, their teeth, knives, and a propensity for mischief. Voila, How to Sell a Haunted House.
It is shocking how scary How to Sell a Haunted House is. It isn't one thing, but the combination of writing, characters, dolls, and atmospheric worldbuilding that creates a sense of malice and revulsion on every page. And it only builds as the book nears the last third. Is this my favorite Hendrix book? It's hard to say; they are all different and well done, but this one is the most atmospheric.
“Louise tried to think of how to explain death to a puppet.”
Read this novel if you are looking for a frightening time, hate puppets, or want to immerse yourself in a Hendrix world. It is worth the scare and the time to read it. God, I hate puppets.