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A review by alyssamarie87
Our House by Louise Candlish
3.0
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to read and review!
I must admit, when I first heard about Our House, I had the strangest notion that it was a paranormal story. Then I read the synopsis and I realized it definitely is NOT paranormal in any way, but that didn’t deter me in the least. There were a lot of interesting questions raised in this book, and I almost felt like one of Fiona’s and Bram’s children as I read through the narrative.
One thing I really LOVED about Our House was its unique writing style. Both Fiona and Bram tell their stories separately, so we get a better understanding of what each of them was going through at the same time. If there was a specific event in both their lives, we saw each side of the story. Fiona’s story was written as an interview for a famous crime podcast, and I read it as if I was listening to her tell her story. Each of her sections ended with public tweets from listeners who were also hearing Fiona’s story, and this authenticated the storytelling vibe.
Bram’s story was almost the same, but instead of speaking for a podcast, he was writing a (very long) letter telling his side of events. From the start, I wasn’t sure what his plan was with the letter, but as the novel progresses that becomes more and more clear. There was also a third stream of narrative, in which we see Fiona and Bram after the house is being occupied by strangers. Fiona is clearly distraught and confused, and Bram is nowhere to be found.
The ending was very unexpected for me – I never saw it coming! I really loved how the whole book allowed me to see only in black and white, placing blame and innocence on certain characters, only to pull out that knowledge from me so unexpectedly. The author was able to twist everything around and complicate things for each character, but I did have a bit of an issue at the very end. There was one final twist that I didn’t see coming, and it’s because I basically missed it! I had to go back and reread a few chapters from the end to make sure I understood what happened correctly. I wish it was made a little bit more clear, as the book ends rather abruptly, but I’m not sure there was an easier way to convey it.
Overall, this is a very solid thriller, and the concept had me hooked from the start. Everything about Our House made for a great summer read, but that ending really killed the whole mood for me. The characters were believable and relatable, and I loved getting to know their parallel stories. I’ve seen so many positive reviews that, if you’re intrigued by the premise of Our House, then it’s definitely worth a read.
I must admit, when I first heard about Our House, I had the strangest notion that it was a paranormal story. Then I read the synopsis and I realized it definitely is NOT paranormal in any way, but that didn’t deter me in the least. There were a lot of interesting questions raised in this book, and I almost felt like one of Fiona’s and Bram’s children as I read through the narrative.
One thing I really LOVED about Our House was its unique writing style. Both Fiona and Bram tell their stories separately, so we get a better understanding of what each of them was going through at the same time. If there was a specific event in both their lives, we saw each side of the story. Fiona’s story was written as an interview for a famous crime podcast, and I read it as if I was listening to her tell her story. Each of her sections ended with public tweets from listeners who were also hearing Fiona’s story, and this authenticated the storytelling vibe.
Bram’s story was almost the same, but instead of speaking for a podcast, he was writing a (very long) letter telling his side of events. From the start, I wasn’t sure what his plan was with the letter, but as the novel progresses that becomes more and more clear. There was also a third stream of narrative, in which we see Fiona and Bram after the house is being occupied by strangers. Fiona is clearly distraught and confused, and Bram is nowhere to be found.
The ending was very unexpected for me – I never saw it coming! I really loved how the whole book allowed me to see only in black and white, placing blame and innocence on certain characters, only to pull out that knowledge from me so unexpectedly. The author was able to twist everything around and complicate things for each character, but I did have a bit of an issue at the very end. There was one final twist that I didn’t see coming, and it’s because I basically missed it! I had to go back and reread a few chapters from the end to make sure I understood what happened correctly. I wish it was made a little bit more clear, as the book ends rather abruptly, but I’m not sure there was an easier way to convey it.
Overall, this is a very solid thriller, and the concept had me hooked from the start. Everything about Our House made for a great summer read, but that ending really killed the whole mood for me. The characters were believable and relatable, and I loved getting to know their parallel stories. I’ve seen so many positive reviews that, if you’re intrigued by the premise of Our House, then it’s definitely worth a read.