Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - A House with Good Bones

Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

104 reviews

just_one_more_paige's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I’m getting really into Kingfisher’s writing, after loving Nettle & Bone last year and just recently really enjoying Thornhedge. I found this one at my local bookstore in the used section and decided, even though horror isn’t really my vibe, to go for it. Which turned out to be an extra good call as, when I opened it to start reading, I saw that it was actually a signed copy. What a cool surprise!

When Sam’s newest dig site (for her job as an archaeoentomologist) has to go on an unexpected hiatus, she takes the opportunity to head back to her childhood home in rural NC to check in on her mother. Sam had heard from her brother, after his last visit, that she’d been acting strangely. So, she shows up ready to drink boxed wine and watch British murder mystery shows. And realizes that maybe her brother was right… The house she remembers, all the eclectic art and bright colors, had been changed back into the sterile “perfect home” look that it had been when her grandmother was still alive and living there. And her mother is acting a bit off, jumpy and nervous and not at all like herself. Between that and the vultures everywhere and the invading bugs and jar of teeth buried in the garden, Sam’s scientific mind is struggling to explain everything away.

This was a super slow build into the horror that really worked for me. The slow crawling growth in those vibes matched the roses/garden/bugs themes that were central to the setting/plot really well. As I started reading this, a friend messaged to say they had liked it, that it had just the right amount of creepy…and I couldn’t agree more. The atmosphere was spot on, but never too much for this scaredy-cat reader. I don’t want to give too many details away, because that ruins the fun, but the little bit of magic/supernatural that comes in to bring the plot home (as it were) was well-used, in combination with the rose garden and vultures and bugs and isolated/rural setting (including standard angry old man neighbor). And the “big creepy” that came with the finale was horrific enough to deserve the build, but not overwhelming or overdone. Again though, I have to ask (especially after just reading it in House of Hunger too), whyyyyyyyyy does horror always have to include loose teeth?! Ohhh my squeamish comes out with them.

I *loved* the narrative voice. Sam’s super intelligent snarky-ness was fantastic. It’s different than the more fairy tale style narrations of Kingfisher’s other works (at least the couple I’ve read), which I maybe should have expected due to the genre change, but really didn’t. However, it was a pleasant surprise, because it was so well written. Self-deprecating, smart, sarcastic female MCs are a personal favorite of mine (and Sam’s passion for insects was especially endearing, on top of that). Plus, I enjoyed her scientific “prove its anything but” approach to horror too.

Another thing I loved was the recognize-ability of the south, especially the rural NC that I know (and love/love-hate) in these pages. It had the classic old lady silly (and racist Confederate) house art, phone/internet access realities (as in, a lack of functionality), Cheerwine (iykyk…but we at least agreed on its gross-ness!), cultural traditions (including openly recognizing racism from the white population, which isn’t as typical, so that was a pleasant surprise), attics chock full of both legitimate old family heirlooms and useless “can’t throw this out” stuff, the giant armpit humidity vibes, neighborly small talk and suspicious/reclusive neighbors, and so much more. The recognizability of many of these mother-daughter (and about grandparent) interactions, about propriety and making the front of a perfect home/family, fit the setting and story really well, and were both well portrayed and wonderfully, lightly, satirical.

The finale was a really unique take on the way that rage builds over a lifetime when sidelined and ignored, the power that yearning for something different and working to protect it once you have it (especially when it began with a child’s desperation), can take on. It allowed the addition of a lovely emotional depth to a typical horror story. I really enjoyed my time with this book; totally entertaining.

“It’s easy to think that sweet people are weak…”

“Like many family dynamics, it didn’t have to be healthy, it just had to work.”

“Ultimately, I’m still just a white women form the South, with the accompanying combination of hypersensitivity and total obliviousness.”

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cwerber's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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crownoflaurel's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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pbeeandj's review

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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aedoran08's review

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dark funny hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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whimsicalish's review

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adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Sadly I did not enjoy this one as much as T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead.

This one felt lacking the mystery. You figure out early on what is happening in the house. The set up with the main character and her family is appreciated but it's a slow pace in the first half. Before any hauntings have happened, you're learning more about Latin names to insects than anything else.

I did enjoy most of the characters. They felt like real people. I'm not sure why the book had to flirt with the idea of a budding romance. It didn't have anything to do with the story or characters. It's just kinda there.

The thriller was the climax at the very end. Bummer that it ends so quickly when you get a taste of the creepiness.

It's not a bad book. It didn't enthrall me like her previous one. I'm still interested in her future stories.

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