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A review by ruthypoo2
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved it… I loved it! I’d categorize this story as bonkers with a lot of creepy haunted house bits, dysfunctional family tension, fight action, the trauma of carrying immense guilt, and the power of love. The two main characters, siblings Louise and Mark, are brought together following the sudden deaths of their parents. Though estranged for years, they understand it's their responsibility to deal with the house and its contents, which involves coming face-to-face with old injuries as well as their mother's extensive collection of dolls and puppets.
There are a number of secondary characters that play important roles, primarily the members of Louise and Mark's family that live close to their parents and in a lot of ways understand where the family has skeletons hidden in the closet. But they are a consistent and reliable source of support for the sister and brother, bringing in reinforcements when needed, and in this story, the emotional and physical hits just keep on coming with no relief in sight.
Not so soon," Louise thought. "I can't handle another one so soon." 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.
While Louise and Mark could be supremely frustrating individuals, I ended up liking them both. I loved their family and all the peripheral characters too, especially one named Barb. There's also one puppet in particular that plays a key role in the story and its name is Pupkin. I became a huge fan of that little SOB, Pupkin. In my opinion, the ending of the story worked and was able to tie up everything properly.
I don’t think Grady Hendrix gets the credit he deserves for building realistic characters with complex personalities. This book is now one of my favorites from Hendrix, along with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which, if you haven’t read it, is a great tale of the importance of female friendship and support, IMO. Hendrix, like Stephen King, does a wonderful job of character building and putting ordinary people into extraordinary (often supernatural) circumstances where they have to reach deep within to find the strength and bravery to defend themselves and others. I love these kinds of heroes!
I may have enjoyed this story more than some others because I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng, were very good. The characters go through a variety of emotions and bouts of terror that the narrators translated well. And the narration gave Pupkin a voice and personality that made him come across as a multi-dimensional entity.
There are a number of secondary characters that play important roles, primarily the members of Louise and Mark's family that live close to their parents and in a lot of ways understand where the family has skeletons hidden in the closet. But they are a consistent and reliable source of support for the sister and brother, bringing in reinforcements when needed, and in this story, the emotional and physical hits just keep on coming with no relief in sight.
Not so soon," Louise thought. "I can't handle another one so soon." 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.
While Louise and Mark could be supremely frustrating individuals, I ended up liking them both. I loved their family and all the peripheral characters too, especially one named Barb. There's also one puppet in particular that plays a key role in the story and its name is Pupkin. I became a huge fan of that little SOB, Pupkin. In my opinion, the ending of the story worked and was able to tie up everything properly.
I don’t think Grady Hendrix gets the credit he deserves for building realistic characters with complex personalities. This book is now one of my favorites from Hendrix, along with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which, if you haven’t read it, is a great tale of the importance of female friendship and support, IMO. Hendrix, like Stephen King, does a wonderful job of character building and putting ordinary people into extraordinary (often supernatural) circumstances where they have to reach deep within to find the strength and bravery to defend themselves and others. I love these kinds of heroes!
I may have enjoyed this story more than some others because I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng, were very good. The characters go through a variety of emotions and bouts of terror that the narrators translated well. And the narration gave Pupkin a voice and personality that made him come across as a multi-dimensional entity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, Death of parent, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Animal death and Murder