The September House is one of the most original thrillers I’ve read in a while. This stunning character-driven story is an emotional roller-coaster: shock, humour, fear, comfort…it has it all!
We follow the story of Margaret, who lives in a haunted house with her husband, Hal. Or at least she did, until Hal went missing. Throughout the years of their stay in the house, the couple realized that something wasn’t quite right with the beautiful Victorian mansion—what with the walls bleeding, the endless screaming at night and the unwanted ghostly visitors that would literally take a chomp out of your flesh if you gave them a chance. Eventually, the couple’s only choices were to leave the house, or make peace with it and follow the rules of the entity controlling their lives. Margaret chose the latter. When Hal goes missing, their daughter, Katherine, wants to come stay in the house to investigate her father’s strange vanishing incident…only she isn’t aware that the house is haunted, and Margaret will try everything in her power to stop her daughter from finding out.
What stood out to me while reading The September House was the amazing character work. The three main characters are Margaret, Katherine and Fredericka:
Margaret could be a truly frustrating character at times—but for valid reasons. Her voice was balanced and well-developed, with well-placed humour combined with a sad reality of loneliness and trauma. Watching her process her ever-changing environment and the changes in herself was fascinating, making her feel so very realistic. It is especially interesting watching her live in denial, building coping mechanisms that the reader sees straight through:
“This house was everything I’d ever wanted. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but sometimes it actually was. Or at least as close as anything could come to perfect in this life, which admittedly was not very close…I knew how to survive here, and I always had the sense that if…I just played by the rules well enough, I could make it into a perfect home…I loved this house. And you didn’t give up on the things you loved.”
Page 191
Katherine was so annoying—in a good way! She helped drive the plot forward by placing constant conflict in her mother’s life, forcing Margaret to question her beliefs and the lies to tells herself to survive. It was Katherine’s character arc that felt the strongest in the end.
Fredericka was my favourite character, adding fun and a good deal of sarcasm to the story. I still catch myself thinking “Needs must when the devil drives” (Page 16) whenever an unpleasant situation that I cannot avoid arises.
The story setting was FANTASTIC. Bleeding walls? Victorian décor? Ghosts who snap and love and murder? Hell yes! The setting contributed wonderfully to the overall moodiness and creepy vibes of the book.
As for the plot: creative, unpredictable and filled with strong moral codes. I really enjoyed the pace of the story; it built up to an utterly wild ride towards the end. Those last few chapters were hectic in all the best ways!
What I loved and appreciated most about this book is the theme of finding beauty in darkness:
“A leopard cannot change his spots,” she (Fredericka) said before moving into the living room to fluff the pillows.
“Can’t imagine why he’d want to,” I (Margaret) thought. “The spots are part of what makes leopards so beautiful.”
Page 106
The September House inspires one to carry on despite difficult situations, but also evokes a warning of becoming too comfortable with the darkness.
5 stars and one of my new favourite books!
Maan Atelier 