The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Alyssa Tyler editor in chief
I spend many early mornings in Whitesitt Hall. Many times, I will go to the Student Publication office at four in the morning to start knocking out work. And when I do this, I start making coffee, tidying up, and attempting to get everything organized. Typically, I listen to an audiobook during this time, and let me say personally, do not listen to a horror novel while in a near century old building by yourself.
This past week I read the book, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. For the past few years, I have kept myself to a strict rule: only read the books on your ‘To Be Read’ list. However, when scrolling through Libby and Hoopla this book caught my eye, and I decided to cut some slack for myself.
The novel opens with Louise, a basically single mother to a five-year-old, Poppy. Louise receives the call that both of her parents have died in a car crash from her brother Mark, who she cannot stand. Mark is a messy little brother while Louise is the most stereotypical oldest daughter to ever exist. It is her way or the highway; she must work harder than everyone else, and her younger brother, Mark, will never meet her expectations. However, now that they have entered their adult lives, they have essentially split ways.
This news comes as a shock, and Louise then flies from San Fransico to meet her brother in a suburb of Charleston to go over the funeral arrangements. Almost immediately they begin fighting about anything and everything. From how to get rid of everything in the house, the funeral arrangements, to the will.
One thing to mention before diving too farther into the plot is the sibling’s mother, Nancy, was an avid puppet owner. She inherited puppets, made puppets, lived puppets. When the two enter their childhood home they both find every inch filled with dolls and puppets, all that are extremely creepy. However, one tops them all, Pumpkin, Nancy’s childhood toy that Louise took a liking and sudden hating to as a child.
As the sibling duo begin going through the house, they notice odd happenings. Dolls moving from one room to another, writing in the mirror, thumping in the attic, all the tell-tale signs of a haunted house. And one item seems to be at the heart of the issue, Pumpkin.
The novel begins extremely slow, it is almost impossible to get through. As the oldest sister I understand not agreeing with your siblings, but there’s only so much complaining you can take about it. While Mark is beyond aggravating, everything he does will drive someone crazy.
The writing, however, was well done. With horror novels I have a hard time finding myself ‘scared.’ If I want to be ‘scared’ of a novel it typically has to be a psychological thriller. However, there are a few scenes in this book that had me hooked. While in Whitesitt Hall I was double checking shadows and looking down on every hallway. The plot was interesting if anticlimactic and predictable, but there are some relationships that are saved which also warmed my heart. Overall, I rate this book 3.5/5.