This is one of the best horror novels I’ve read in years. From page one, I was pulled into the constantly twisting narrative, the sense of impending dread growing slowly until I couldn’t put the book down. Kliewer adds so many little moments of terror that by the end, you’re not sure where the next scare is coming from and you’re ready for anything. I cannot speak highly enough about how masterful this book was. 

Kliewer’s style made this book the unsettling journey it was. It’s a laid back narrative at the start, opening with something simple – a knock at the door and a family who wants to see the house where their father grew up. Normal grows into unsettling, eventually morphing into uncertainty, fear, and horror as you realize nothing is as it seems. Just when I thought I knew where the book was going, it veered into another direction. I found myself continuously shouting “what?!” in the best way. For me, a horror novel should have you looking over your shoulder at every noise, and this book did exactly that.

There were moments of actual horror, and for that I applaud the author. It’s often so hard to convey the elements of a horror movie through the written word – so many horror novels have a scary premise but they’re just intriguing, not actually scary. Kliewer is a master of sneaking in little terrifying situations and characters unexpectedly, making you afraid of every corner and dark basement.

Most impressive was the continuous thread of never being sure what’s real and what’s not. Everything seems clear at the beginning of the book but as things start to change and fall apart, reality becomes less and less clear until you’re not sure who to believe in this narrative. By the end, you’re left in the dark, wondering if it was all made up in the protagonist’s head (I’m looking at you, St. Elsewhere). It’s the kind of novel I want to study to figure out how the author was able to keep me so on my toes. 

Finally, I greatly appreciated the ‘found footage’ written materials sprinkled throughout the book. At the start, they seem like random or helpful little tidbits but, by the end, they’re a key part to the mystery, adding greatly to the suspense and leaving you to wonder which reality they come from.