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A review by johnlynchbooks
One by One by D. W. Gillespie
5.0
D.W. Gillespie has surprised the hell out of me with his latest novel, One by One. It’s wonderfully written horror that takes a simple idea and manages to make it both terrifying and surprising.
The story starts out simple enough. Down on their luck, the Easton family sells their home in order to begin again in a fixer-upper against the wishes of essentially everyone BUT dad. They move in, and despite dad’s best efforts, the house just feels off to everyone else. Even our protagonist, 10 year old Alice, who’s on board with the home after an initial walkthrough, has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Gillespie does a wonderful job setting the atmosphere. As a kid, I moved around quite often, and so I could easily picture myself in Alice’s shoes, stuck adjusting to a strange new home that just isn’t right. Alice discovers a creepy painting and before she knows it, the new residents start disappearing. The book moves steadily along, setting a tense mood and creepy atmosphere. On two different occasions I thought I had the story figured out, only to reach the climax and find out that I was completely wrong. The book was exceptionally well written throughout and I breezed through it in one day. The mystery of the house was intriguing, and following the story as seen by a 10 year old really helped with the immersion. I loved the time I spent in the Easton’s home, and when I got to the conclusion, I was hit by another surprise, this time with Gillespie ending the book on an emotionally deep note that I just didn’t expect.
One by One, By D.W. Gillespie is one hell of a read. As Alice explores the house, you can feel how creepy it is. It’s almost like you’re right there with her. Gillespie does a wonderful job pulling you into the novel, taking you on a journey that will keep you guessing as to what is actually going on right up until the final reveal, before finally slapping you with an emotionally deep outcome that you weren’t prepared for. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and highly recommend it to anyone.
5/5 stars
The story starts out simple enough. Down on their luck, the Easton family sells their home in order to begin again in a fixer-upper against the wishes of essentially everyone BUT dad. They move in, and despite dad’s best efforts, the house just feels off to everyone else. Even our protagonist, 10 year old Alice, who’s on board with the home after an initial walkthrough, has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Gillespie does a wonderful job setting the atmosphere. As a kid, I moved around quite often, and so I could easily picture myself in Alice’s shoes, stuck adjusting to a strange new home that just isn’t right. Alice discovers a creepy painting and before she knows it, the new residents start disappearing. The book moves steadily along, setting a tense mood and creepy atmosphere. On two different occasions I thought I had the story figured out, only to reach the climax and find out that I was completely wrong. The book was exceptionally well written throughout and I breezed through it in one day. The mystery of the house was intriguing, and following the story as seen by a 10 year old really helped with the immersion. I loved the time I spent in the Easton’s home, and when I got to the conclusion, I was hit by another surprise, this time with Gillespie ending the book on an emotionally deep note that I just didn’t expect.
One by One, By D.W. Gillespie is one hell of a read. As Alice explores the house, you can feel how creepy it is. It’s almost like you’re right there with her. Gillespie does a wonderful job pulling you into the novel, taking you on a journey that will keep you guessing as to what is actually going on right up until the final reveal, before finally slapping you with an emotionally deep outcome that you weren’t prepared for. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and highly recommend it to anyone.
5/5 stars