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A review by maiagaia
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"When did I realize that Catherine would never let me go?"
TL;DR Read this book if you want an atmospheric dark academia mystery with some really horrifying and creepy elements that includes beautifully realized and complex characters. Don't read this if you have to agree with/love your protagonist or if you are looking for something with a fast-moving plot.
Now onto some more in-depth thoughts.
Wow. Where to begin. This is a stunning book.
The most amazing accomplishment was the atmosphere Elisabeth Thomas was able to craft here. This book is gorgeously written without being overwrought. Others have criticized it by saying nothing happens, that there is no plot, and I am honestly confused by those assertions. No, this is not a thriller. It's not action-packed or filled with page after page of jump scares. Instead, it is a spiral of dread that leads to a bone-chilling but quiet climax.
The characters, particularly the protagonist Ines, have so much depth. I loved each and every one of them. Ines has been criticized for being unlikeable, but I don't see that. No, she doesn't always make the "right" decisions, and yes, she does some bad things, but she is a fully realized human. I ached for her situation. It's very clear that she is suffering with some sort of cocktail of depression and trauma for basically the entire novel and that informs her actions (and more often, her inaction.) Without getting into too much detail, her relationship with Baby in particular absolutely broke my heart, and that only happened because Elisabeth Thomas made both of those characters feel like real people to me, so I couldn't help but care about them. (Side note: someone else said Ines seemed more interested in sleeping with every boy in the school than with anything else, and I take deep offense to that. She was more interested in sleeping with every PERSON in the school than with anything else. Ines is a bisexual icon. You can't change my mind.)
"I used to believe the house was haunted. Really, it was the other way around; the house haunted me."
TL;DR Read this book if you want an atmospheric dark academia mystery with some really horrifying and creepy elements that includes beautifully realized and complex characters. Don't read this if you have to agree with/love your protagonist or if you are looking for something with a fast-moving plot.
Now onto some more in-depth thoughts.
Wow. Where to begin. This is a stunning book.
The most amazing accomplishment was the atmosphere Elisabeth Thomas was able to craft here. This book is gorgeously written without being overwrought. Others have criticized it by saying nothing happens, that there is no plot, and I am honestly confused by those assertions. No, this is not a thriller. It's not action-packed or filled with page after page of jump scares. Instead, it is a spiral of dread that leads to a bone-chilling but quiet climax.
The characters, particularly the protagonist Ines, have so much depth. I loved each and every one of them. Ines has been criticized for being unlikeable, but I don't see that. No, she doesn't always make the "right" decisions, and yes, she does some bad things, but she is a fully realized human. I ached for her situation. It's very clear that she is suffering with some sort of cocktail of depression and trauma for basically the entire novel and that informs her actions (and more often, her inaction.) Without getting into too much detail, her relationship with Baby in particular absolutely broke my heart, and that only happened because Elisabeth Thomas made both of those characters feel like real people to me, so I couldn't help but care about them. (Side note: someone else said Ines seemed more interested in sleeping with every boy in the school than with anything else, and I take deep offense to that. She was more interested in sleeping with every PERSON in the school than with anything else. Ines is a bisexual icon. You can't change my mind.)
"I used to believe the house was haunted. Really, it was the other way around; the house haunted me."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicide