A review by monsterofidaho
The Spite House by Johnny Compton

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

With an increasing number of relevant social thrillers to pick from, The Spite House is a masterful addition to the continually rising star that is the Black horror renaissance. Johnny Compton promises and delivers with a book that wholly deserves its comparison to Get Out. The Spite House, after all, is more than its 272 pages. It’s about the hypervigilance that comes with living in the world as a Black individual; family ties strained taut, starting to fray; and it’s about deep trauma passed down from generation to generation, compounding with each iteration. With differing points of view from chapter to chapter, Compton unfolds a network of characters who are all culpable when it comes to the horrors that take place in the Masson house. Even now that I’ve closed the book, there’s a piece of myself still rooted in this story; a piece that has taken up residence in the spite house on top of the hill.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings