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julie_reads15's review
4.0
Summary
The Yellow House by Emily O'Grady is an adult literary fiction novel about living in the shadow of a serial killer.
Ten-year-old Cub lives with her parents, older brother Cassie and twin brother Wally outside a rural Australian town. Also on the property is the yellow house, where her grandfather used to live before he died, and the knackery. Cub soon discovers her grandfather was a serial killer who murdered innocent girls in the knackery.
When Cub's aunt Helena and her cousin Tilly move into the yellow house, secrets from her family's history are exposed.
Told in the point of view of Cub, on the cusp of adolescence, her curiosity forces her to come to terms with her family's dark history.
A powerful coming of age story about loyalty and loss of innocence.
Review
It was interesting reading a novel about the effects a serial killer's legacy has on their family. It's a side we don't usually see in fiction.
Cub's point of view was interesting because her limited understanding of the events going on around her aroused suspicion, and her childlike innocence and naivety left her unable to pinpoint exactly what was going on. I liked seeing how Cub processed these clues when, as an adult reader, I knew what was actually happening.
However, there were times when Cub was too distant from the action. In particular, the middle of the narrative dragged for a bit because it was just Cub having childlike fun.
I loved the mystery and suspense, the dread that something bad was going to happen. Cub's wise narration of events added to this foreboding.
The ending was powerful and haunting. The writing style flowed quickly and created vivid imagery of a rural Australian setting.
I recommend this book for anyone who's 16 years and older and is interested in a novel that explores the impact a serial killer's legacy has on their family.
The Yellow House by Emily O'Grady is an adult literary fiction novel about living in the shadow of a serial killer.
Ten-year-old Cub lives with her parents, older brother Cassie and twin brother Wally outside a rural Australian town. Also on the property is the yellow house, where her grandfather used to live before he died, and the knackery. Cub soon discovers her grandfather was a serial killer who murdered innocent girls in the knackery.
When Cub's aunt Helena and her cousin Tilly move into the yellow house, secrets from her family's history are exposed.
Told in the point of view of Cub, on the cusp of adolescence, her curiosity forces her to come to terms with her family's dark history.
A powerful coming of age story about loyalty and loss of innocence.
Review
It was interesting reading a novel about the effects a serial killer's legacy has on their family. It's a side we don't usually see in fiction.
Cub's point of view was interesting because her limited understanding of the events going on around her aroused suspicion, and her childlike innocence and naivety left her unable to pinpoint exactly what was going on. I liked seeing how Cub processed these clues when, as an adult reader, I knew what was actually happening.
However, there were times when Cub was too distant from the action. In particular, the middle of the narrative dragged for a bit because it was just Cub having childlike fun.
I loved the mystery and suspense, the dread that something bad was going to happen. Cub's wise narration of events added to this foreboding.
The ending was powerful and haunting. The writing style flowed quickly and created vivid imagery of a rural Australian setting.
I recommend this book for anyone who's 16 years and older and is interested in a novel that explores the impact a serial killer's legacy has on their family.
grackback's review against another edition
2.0
Extremely mixed feelings about this book - I think over all it fell flat and had me really wanting something else out of the story. Whilst I was hooked throughout the book, the ending felt extremely mediocre and didn't really leave anything to question - i.e. it wasn't a huge reveal. I feel as if the author had a lot of ideas about making the family history creepy just as a bit of reader intrigue, and whilst the ending did make you think about whether it’s nurture or nature, there was no real motive or intense revelation that left me feeling satisfied.
sarah_mcmullan_nz's review against another edition
4.0
An undeniably Australian coming of age, tackling identity, legacy and the perception of others. Cub and her twin brother Wally live on a neglected property on the outskirts if a rural town. Maligned by the locals, it's only now that Cub is starting to wonder why people seem so against her and her brother.
We
r, and that he killed the women in the knackery in the paddock behind her house. The fact it was her Dad that turned him in means nothing to the townsfolk who believe Cub's Mum and Uncle must have known, and who relentlessly ostracise and punish them.
O'Grady cleverly handles the character of Cub, a protected "innocent" slowly piecing together her family history and infamous legacy, while realising that dark thoughts can lurk behind the faces of people you know, maybe love. Everyone learns this, it's part of growing up, but it's an incredibly pivotal point for girls becoming young women who are not only negotiating a world where boys are no longer playmates but suddenly something more with new rules around dress and behaviour; where female friendships are often wrought and men become more than adult authority figures but suddenly people you need to interact with as peers but not. (we're often told to be wary of men or you end up dead in a paddock but in this case that outcome was incredibly close to home. Literally)
Easy to read with characters that grab you.
I want to know more.
Ps: this would make a great screen adaptation
We
r, and that he killed the women in the knackery in the paddock behind her house. The fact it was her Dad that turned him in means nothing to the townsfolk who believe Cub's Mum and Uncle must have known, and who relentlessly ostracise and punish them.
O'Grady cleverly handles the character of Cub, a protected "innocent" slowly piecing together her family history and infamous legacy, while realising that dark thoughts can lurk behind the faces of people you know, maybe love. Everyone learns this, it's part of growing up, but it's an incredibly pivotal point for girls becoming young women who are not only negotiating a world where boys are no longer playmates but suddenly something more with new rules around dress and behaviour; where female friendships are often wrought and men become more than adult authority figures but suddenly people you need to interact with as peers but not. (we're often told to be wary of men or you end up dead in a paddock but in this case that outcome was incredibly close to home. Literally)
Easy to read with characters that grab you.
I want to know more.
Ps: this would make a great screen adaptation
llbel123's review against another edition
5.0
'Oh, not another book written from the perspective of a child'. I am glad i didnt let that thought hold me back, as this book is beautifully written and examines themes that made me feel uncomfortable in all the right ways.
indoorg1rl's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ten-year-old Cub lived with her parents, older brother Cassie, and twin brother Wally on a lonely property bordering an abandoned cattle farm and knackery. Their lives were shadowed by the infamous actions of her deceased Granddad Les in his yellow weatherboard house, notorious for unimaginable crimes more than twelve years ago. Cub was now forced to come to terms with her family’s murky history.
I have been finding a number of crime fiction books written from a child’s perspective lately, and I’m liking them all. This one was no exception. From Nancy Business’ Tippy Chan, Gemini Falls’ Morris Turner, and now The Yellow House’s Cub, I enjoyed this reading-between-the-lines style where the main character was seeing the world through a more innocent lens, while we, the readers, could see the subtext of what actually happened.
This was another book I stumbled upon because of the Goodreads Group Reading challenge that placed me in Team Yellow, where I had to read as many ‘yellow’ books as possible for a week. And what a happy finding it was. I could see how this book won the 2018 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award.
rikkireads_'s review
4.0
I read the majority of this book in one sitting - I really did not want to put it down. And I thought I was in a slump! This was an incredibly compelling read, filled with unsettling symbolism and foreshadowing, as well as the ever effective naïve/innocent narrator. It had moments that reminded me of The Choke or even My Absolute Darling but in this case the violence etc. was much more subtle, particularly because of the first person narrator. I'd definitely recommend this one to a few people...
emma2590's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
michael1986's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
oanh_1's review
3.0
This was breathlessly tense and gripping, but the voice of an 11 year old gets very tedious (so, it was well written from that perspective!) Everything felt very painfully, and depressingly, true.