Hello Readers,
Possible Spoilers
I read this book for the first time two years ago after
meeting Dawn at YALC, side note Dawn is amazing and really nice.
The Dead House takes its readers on a journey through one
girls’ descent into madness. Filled with unexpected plot twists and turns, this
chilling thriller mixes mental illness and the supernatural in such a wonderful
way that leave readers guessing until the end. Speaking about mental
illness in such an inventive way that allows the reader to get a sense of what
Dissociative Identity Disorder might be like.
This book allows for narratives to be explored, in the
scariest way possible and it makes this book so addictive and clever. I found
the book emotional and incredibly moving as the book is a skilfully woven web.
Explored in retrospect through diary entries, video transcripts, police
interview transcripts, e-mails and instant messages, newspaper clippings and
other documents relating to one horrible event known as the Johnson Incident.
Through each of the different mediums of storytelling, the tale of the incident
begins to emerge one brutal step at a time without giving too much away. This
book gets seriously spooky at times but remains thrilling, fast-paced, dark and
surprisingly morbid. Dawn this book made me get spooked by mirrors
for a couple of days after which let’s be honest is a brilliant compliment to
Dawns ability to weave such a beautifully believable creepy story.
We learn that our main character Kaitlyn is imprisoned in
the same body as her ‘sister’ Carly. During the day Carly is awake and in
control, while at night Kaitlyn takes control. What starts out as an intriguing
and gripping insight into the lives of these two girls quickly becomes
something much more sinister. I was instantly drawn in by Kaitlyn’s early diary
entries, it showed their daily struggle to cope with their situation, battling
doctors who are insistent that Kaitlyn doesn’t exist and she was just an
alter-ego of Carly. Kaitlyn is entirely a child of the night, she is visceral
and intriguing, violently alive, independent and it is clear she really cares
for her sister, Carly. While Carly is seen entirely through the eyes of others,
love and care really seeped through the pages and it was such a nice change
from some of the bickering sister relationships you read.
As you delve deeper into the book you can see that there
was no way out for them; as the psychosis set in deeper and deeper, the book
itself changed into something darker. A world that makes you look around and be
glad to be sitting where you are.
This might be a little off topic but I love the way the
book is designed. I adore the cover and the pages look worn and the fonts and
style change throughout the book which all beautifully comes together to create
a wonderful self-enclosed world. I honestly can’t recommend this book enough
its worth a read at least once.
L x
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