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watermelon_pepperoni 's review for:

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
4.0

READ: 07/17/24

4.5
A tag line for this book is "Every childhood home is haunted, and each of us are possessed by our parents." And that intrigued me like nothing else.

Louise gets a phone call from her estranged brother Mark, telling her that their parents are dead. She immediately books a flight back to her hometown and all the things she thought she had left behind.

This was excellent horror. I was fully immersed, reading the audio as I did housework. It made me tense, sad and provided catharsis.

Mark and Louise were the backbone of the novel for me. Caring about them, and their sibling relationship being destroyed and repaired was done so well. I love how we meet Louise and completely understand why she dislikes and distrusts her brother, but then we get context. And it's not just about Mark's traumatic past, (though learning of his trauma is crucial to understanding him) it's just everything about their family and what happened after Louise left.

Fucking puppets bro. Pupkin terrified me, I hate his little voice and his little songs. Even after the l reveals, the idea of him and the freaking cult in Mark's past make my memories of him ones of wanting to fucking burn that puppet.

All the ladies in this book gathering together to exorcise Poppy was a great moment.

The tragedy at the end did shock me. I guessed who Pupkin was, but not how he died. That reveal was so sad, but also brilliant.


Ten of Pentacles - Read a book focusing on family/legacy (Week Three Significator: Wheel of Fortune - Read a book that represents your favorite season)