Another slow month for me. I am in a reading slump but really trying to push through it!
What did you read this month? Did you read any spooky books in honor of the season? Share your October reads in the comments!
The Night House by Jo Nesbø
☕☕☕/5
I received The Night House from Netgalley for free in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
Richard’s parents die in a fire, and he moves to a small town to live with his aunt and uncle. He struggles to fit in, and then strange things happen to his classmates. Is Richard behind it, or is something more sinister going on?
Overall, I give The Night House 3 coffees. It is a bit different from Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, but a similar style. It starts slow and builds. By about the mid to two-thirds point, you want to keep reading to discover the twist.
Unfortunately, in The Night House, the twist is an overdone trope that is not much of a twist or original.
Nesbo does a great job setting the scene. I feel like I am meeting all these interesting characters in a small town. The first two-thirds of the book has a creepy atmosphere, leaving you unnerved. It does not carry through to the final third. The setting for the end of the book felt forced and sterile.
There were two interesting climaxes, but the resolution left me feeling unfulfilled. It was too much of a cheap trope.
The characters feel well-developed, and I wanted to know more about them. The characters were detailed, and the dynamics and growth were great. Richard seemed like a reliable narrator, but was he? I do love a good, unreliable narrator.
Nesbo references literature (Lord of the Flies, Metamorphosis) and movies, mostly classic monsters such as Frankenstein and Swamp Thing. It was an interesting way to show Richard’s interest and thoughts. A few things felt like foreshadowing, but you aren’t sure where it will go.
I would recommend this book if you like unreliable narrators and great characters. However, without giving any spoilers, the ending may annoy you.