The House

’This thing I’ve planned for so carefully: it has all gone drastically, horribly wrong.’’

Well, this proved to be a very difficult review for me to write. Not because I didn't like the book, obviously. I didn’t just ‘’like’’ it, I enjoyed it so much that I started composing bits and pieces of my review at around 50% mark. The ‘’problem’’ is that there are so many twists and turns and hidden secrets in the story that I was terrified I would slip up and spoil everything. So, this is going to be short.

We follow the story of Syd and Jack, a young couple who has just been offered a deal for a house that they’ve never believed would come to them. The house is an impressive building, in a beautiful London show more neighbourhood and it is as if it ‘’chose’’ them for its owners. However, Jack has a feeling that there is something dodgy with the house and especially with the circumstances under which the previous owner left all of his belongings behind to start a new life in Australia following a woman he met online.

The writing style is something that I haven’t seen recently and it is engaging and makes the book flow nicely. It is an exchange- in written form- between Syd and Jack, their experiences before they met each other, their life together, an attempt to clarify their thoughts and make sense of the things that have happened to them.Because of this technique, we don't have elaborate speeches and complex descriptions. We have clear interactions and everyday language, but given in a coherent way, as if we’re eavesdropping the discussion between two people, as if we’re reading their diaries.There is nothing pretentious and Simon Lelic has done a wonderful job.

To say anything about the characters is a risk, because I’m unable to refer to them without giving away parts of the plot. I’m just going to say that Syd and Jack are people you will care about and they will lead you safely throughout the story. Syd was especially interesting, a complex character that was well-matched to her more vulnerable, more thoughtful partner.Also, there are two ‘’fathers’’ whose behaviour is going to a) make you furious, and b) give you nightmares.

The moments where the writer takes us back in time and lets us into the past of the characters are amazingly composed and they are integral to the whole story. They aren’t just background information, they are linked to the troubles of the present. Here is where writers show their ability to go back and forth in time, all the while keeping the readers interested and invested in the plot. I’m saying this because one could risk a comparison between ‘’The House’’ and ‘’The Upstairs Room’’. And yet, these books couldn’t have been more different. ‘’The House’’ achieved everything ‘’The Upstairs Rooms’’ tried to do and failed.

Simon Lelic has created a unique thriller. It starts with suspicions that something paranormal might have taken over the house, it has strong elements of domestic thriller and themes like violence, secrets, despair, the wish to right the wrong and learning to live with wounds that refuse to heal. It is a novel that will not disappoint you and thank God I concluded this review without any spoilers.

Many thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. show less

Like an episode of the TV show Damages (that tantalisingly shows us the end of the story at the beginning), the cracking prologue of The House gives us a little hint of what we're in for: a knife, a lot of a blood and the fear that something has gone terribly wrong. The next chapters are almost the personal journals of Jack and Sydney describing what leads up to the bloody knife incident. It reminded me a bit of The Blair Witch Project as you know something terrible has happened but you must unravel the thread and start at the beginning to find out the whole story.

Jack and Syd are house hunting in London but with a tight budget they are not confident that they will find their dream house. When a house comes on the market, they join the show more queue of prospective buyers and put in the best offer they can afford for not just the house but all of its weird and wonderful contents. They are shocked when their offer is accepted and the house is theirs. They never quite settle in due to strange noises and unusual smells and, with both parties keeping their unease a secret from the other, it isn't long before cracks start to show in their relationship.

One good thing comes out of their move to this house as Syd is drawn to a young girl who lives behind them, 13 year old Elsie. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship as they perhaps have more in common than they first realise. My heart went out to Elsie, as she hurtled towards the dark and dismal depths of despair and I really did hope that Syd was her light at the end of the tunnel.

With jaw-dropping cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter, this is a book that you will not be able to put down. It didn't quite go in the direction that I expected as it started out quite creepy: I think I was expecting 'The House' to play a bigger part, although it does play a key role in the story. It is so fast-paced that you should prepare your eyes for a good workout because you will speed read your way through The House in no time at all.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

Simon Lelic has created an interesting and addictively suspenseful psych thriller with enough twists and turns to classify for rollercoaster level fiction. He writes his story from the point of view of his 2 main characters which adds this extra layer of intrigue to see how things unfold from the different perspectives.

The first half of the book reads like journal entries which two very obviously distinct voices and personalities are narrating; later you discover why the book starts off with a 2 person diary. You learn practically everything about the 2 main characters, Syd and Jack. What was really fun was how the author so seamlessly pulled both of their stories together, where one character left off the other would pick up in their show more chapter so on point you can easily imagine sitting in front of this couple as they take turns interrupting each other to tell another part of the story. It really played a lot to their character development how easy you can tell they have a strong relationship just by the dialogue.

Where it really starts to flip the story on its head is in the second half of the book where it changes from journal entries to a more traditional story so you discover why the characters were keeping the diary and how everything falls out.

All the characters felt realistic and their actions believable, even the villains unfortunately which causes its own emotionally draining problems. If there was ever a case to make for why kids should be allowed to blame their parents for them growing up to make bad choices, this book sure gets the gold standard.

As someone with their degree in Psychology I have a habit of reading tons of purported psych thrillers out of curiosity to see why the publishers are marketing them as such. This one really does justice to the term because it’s one of the few where you are treated to a complete analysis of why the characters make the choices they do and how nurture in childhood has such a strong impact on who we grow up to be.

It was interesting to see how the consequences of choices and actions played out right to the last chapter.

In its own way this is also a love story. It tells the tale of how a couple in love will do anything for each other and give the ultimate example of trust. It describes the love a person can develop for a child that's not their own and the lengths a person will take for them. It portrays the love a person can develop for their fellow citizens in need. It's a swirl of the darkness and light that make up humanity. show less

I loved this thriller. A nasty-beyond-belief villain that made my heart race and head ache just thinking about him. Syd and Jack have moved into a new home . It's full of the past owner's belongings and it's taking some working through, but there's this smell, a pervasive, rotting smell and Jack investigates in the attic. What he finds up there horrifies and mystifies in equal amounts. There's a link there to Syd's past, a link that couldn''t be accidental and so begins the downward spiral of Syd's happy ever after. A deep, dark and twisting tale that chillled me to the bone, Highly recommended.

It's always a pleasure to pick up a new book by the frankly awesome Simon Lelic. What he does best is create voices you want to hear, and this is done to excellent effect here. Okay so if pushed I couldn't say with certainty who did what to whom when the final reckoning was played out but who cares, I enjoyed the journey. There was grit, suspense, entertaining dialogue...all this plus the unalloyed joy of a Jeremy Corbyn joke. Contemporary and gripping.

This story follows Jack and Syd and what happens when the move into their new house. The story is told by both Jack and Syd in turn and the story unfolds as to what happened and why.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read anything by this author before and the book was one I randomly picked as part of a deal.

There is a trigger warning here now for child abuse, not sexual but still abuse. At times I did find all this difficult to read.

The story was is quick and engrossing and did keep my interest until the end. There are a few twists along the way as with all thrillers.

I enjoy thrillers set in the home, this one wasn't what I expected but I still enjoyed the story.

Fun! A pacey, one-sitting kind of read.
Twisty, but I'm not sure the final twist worked 100% for me. The characters were so much fun to get lost in though that it didn't really matter.