horrorbutch 's review for:

The Flowers at Flood House by J. J. Walker

3.0

emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

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 Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley. 

A short novella about a haunted house and the dangers of a past that will not stay buried. Seth is a recent arrival in the small town in Stillwater, having moved there with his mother to take better care of her since her dementia has been causing her to behave erratically. But the small town is not a big fan of newcomers, especially not those who can be found wandering the streets at night… naked. The only person who does not seem to hate him is Yanna, a woman who also lives in town and the only person he can call when he begins to see and smell the strange things that haunt his mother. 

The story moves fast and I found the connection between Seth and Yanna sweet, despite how little time they have to develop it. I think finding similarities in one’s experiences amidst grief can certainly lead to deeper and faster connection than otherwise possible, so that was something I enjoyed. 

I also quite enjoyed the way the story was told in short sequences, the way frailty of memory was explored and how trauma and grief affected all characters in the story, including the house. I enjoy haunted house stories where the house has character and despite how short the story was that was something that was well done here! 

I unfortunately did not much care for Gina, Yanna’s sister, or Yanna’s relationships with other people in town. There were a few scenes that I think could have been removed to instead focus more on Yanna’s relationship with the house and with Seth. As these scenes were very short, they did not really add that much to Yanna’s character and with a story that is so short it can sometimes be better to really dig into the main relationships instead. In general, some parts of this novella could have been more fun if they had been explored in more detail. I also wish the mother's dementia had played a bit more of a role, since I feel that it was advertised as playing a much bigger role than it ended up doing.

All in all however I found this to be an intriguing short read with some great imagery, an interesting weaving together of a few timelines and an interesting exploration of how sometimes solving an older haunting can help you deal with your own pain. 

TW: ableism, death, grief, gore, gun violence, murder, violence