Just Like Home - Sarah Gailey
Vera Crowder needs to go back home. Her mother, Daphne, is dying, and soon the infamous Crowder House will lay empty for the first time in decades. According to the community, though, Crowder House should've burned to the ground ages ago, because of the monster that once lurked within its walls.
"Just Like Home" is simply an astounding piece of horror literature. This was my first Sarah Gailey, and certainly won't be my last. Her writing is descriptive, transportive, and unnerving most of all, and contributes so much to the steady undertone of dread in this story. The chapters flowed back and forth between adult Vera returning to Crowder House--and confronting memories of growing up in its clutches--and young Vera attempting to lead a normal childhood in the shadow of Crowder House.
To read and love this book will be to go in pretty blind--trust me on this! What I can't stress enough is that this book is viscerally horrifying, and it's not for the faint of heart. Mostly psychological horror with some definite points of shocking violence, this story will give you the feeling of walking on eggshells the entire time. Its characters are complex, tormented, and refreshingly realistic--and yet, a good portion of the story is still plot-drive as the truth of Vera's childhood unfolds.
For me, the ending of the book packs a huge punch and is extremely profound; I chose to interpret it one way, whereas other readers might very well interpret it otherwise. Just another reason to pick up this book, it'd make a spectacular discussion read!
"Just Like Home" is simply an astounding piece of horror literature. This was my first Sarah Gailey, and certainly won't be my last. Her writing is descriptive, transportive, and unnerving most of all, and contributes so much to the steady undertone of dread in this story. The chapters flowed back and forth between adult Vera returning to Crowder House--and confronting memories of growing up in its clutches--and young Vera attempting to lead a normal childhood in the shadow of Crowder House.
To read and love this book will be to go in pretty blind--trust me on this! What I can't stress enough is that this book is viscerally horrifying, and it's not for the faint of heart. Mostly psychological horror with some definite points of shocking violence, this story will give you the feeling of walking on eggshells the entire time. Its characters are complex, tormented, and refreshingly realistic--and yet, a good portion of the story is still plot-drive as the truth of Vera's childhood unfolds.
For me, the ending of the book packs a huge punch and is extremely profound; I chose to interpret it one way, whereas other readers might very well interpret it otherwise. Just another reason to pick up this book, it'd make a spectacular discussion read!
Rating: 5 Stars,
Publication Details: Out 7/19/22, TorBooks
Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!
