09/16/2013
This stylish debut novel from Condit employs a supernatural horror element that drives the main conflict. Lacey Miszlak, a pregnant fourth-grade schoolteacher, and her husband, Eric, a divorce attorney at his uncle’s law firm, are searching for their dream “starter house” in Greeneburg, a fictitious city in South Carolina. Lacey falls in love with a Cape Cod being fixed up for sale by a man who lives next door, Harry Rakoczy, who cuts the Miszlaks a good deal. After the Miszlaks move in, Lacey collides with a rambunctious nine-year-old boy riding his bicycle; he introduces himself as Drew. After Lacey’s doctor puts her on bed rest, Eric summons her mother, Ella Dane Kendall, a freewheeling herbalist, to help. Lacey makes the perturbing discovery that she lives in what the locals call the “murder house” that “eats babies,” while also beginning to suspect that Drew, whom she has befriended, is a ghost. Meanwhile, Eric represents Lex Hall, whose wife Jeanne is divorcing him and taking their one-year-old daughter, Theo. Lacey’s fears over her and Eric’s safety escalate when Drew’s destructive force damages the upstairs. She learns the truth from Drew about what happened where she lives before her baby is born there. Eric connects Lex to the troubled house and Drew, before Condit’s entertaining debut novel shifts into high gear for the violent showdown. Agent: Jenny Bent, the Bent Agency. (Jan.)
Starter House: A Novel
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sonja ConditUnabridged — 11 hours, 50 minutes
Starter House: A Novel
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sonja ConditUnabridged — 11 hours, 50 minutes
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Overview
Her dream home is about to become a house of nightmares...
From the moment Lacey glimpses the dusty-rose colonial cottage with its angled dormer windows and quaint wooden shutters, she knows she's found her dream house. Walking through its cozy rooms, the expectant mother can see her future children sitting on the round bottom step of the house's beautifully carved staircase, and she imagines them playing beneath the giant maple tree in the warm South Carolina sun. It doesn't matter to Lacey and her husband, Eric, that people had died there years before.
But soon their warm and welcoming house turns cold. There is something malevolent within the walls-a disturbing presence that only Lacey can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and jealous little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone. Protective of this enigmatic child who reminds her of the troubled students she used to teach, Lacey bakes cookies and plays games to amuse him. Yet, as she quickly discovers, Drew is unpredictable-and dangerous.
Fearing for her baby's safety, Lacey sets out to uncover the truth about Drew and her dream house-a search for answers that takes her into the past, into the lives of a long-dead family whose tragic secrets could destroy her. To save her loved ones, Lacey must find a way to lay a terrifying evil to rest...before she, Eric, and their child become its next victims.
Editorial Reviews
[a] stylish debut novel” — Publishers Weekly
“If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.” — Booklist
“Good, scary fun, packed with emotional nuance” — Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully written in luminous prose, Starter House kept me up late at night with its disturbing, tangled tale of childhood and what it means to be a parent. Despite the darkness, Condit’s prose has so much heart and emotion, [...] I couldn’t put it down.” — Yangsze Choo, author of THE GHOST BRIDE
“A creepy creepy book that I am so thankful that I did not start reading until many months after buying my first house! [...] The book definitely takes some risks and thankfully the pacing was superb, so it made the book hard to put down!” — Kritters Ramblings
“Sonja Condit’s debut is a poetic and chilling read! The perfect blend of creepy suspense and lyrical prose, I feel Starter House is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction as well as the darker stuff.” — No More Grumpy Bookseller
“The tone of Starter House was foreboding, and had me wishing I only stuck to reading it during daytime hours. [...] I would definitely add the Starter House to your TBR list for Halloween this year, it would be a perfect creepy read for the month of October!” — BoundbyWords
“I could easily see this book as a movie, and I highly recommend Starter House to anyone who wants a change from the usual haunted house genre.” — Sweet Southern Home blog
“a great creepy and gothic read that will keep you reading with a flashlight under the covers late into the night!” — Book Addict Katie
Sonja Condit’s debut is a poetic and chilling read! The perfect blend of creepy suspense and lyrical prose, I feel Starter House is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction as well as the darker stuff.
If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.
Beautifully written in luminous prose, Starter House kept me up late at night with its disturbing, tangled tale of childhood and what it means to be a parent. Despite the darkness, Condit’s prose has so much heart and emotion, [...] I couldn’t put it down.
The tone of Starter House was foreboding, and had me wishing I only stuck to reading it during daytime hours. [...] I would definitely add the Starter House to your TBR list for Halloween this year, it would be a perfect creepy read for the month of October!
a great creepy and gothic read that will keep you reading with a flashlight under the covers late into the night!
A creepy creepy book that I am so thankful that I did not start reading until many months after buying my first house! [...] The book definitely takes some risks and thankfully the pacing was superb, so it made the book hard to put down!
I could easily see this book as a movie, and I highly recommend Starter House to anyone who wants a change from the usual haunted house genre.
If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.
2013-10-05
In Condit's creepy debut, a young couple's dream home turns out to be haunted. The cottage at 571 Forrester Lane in the Southern town of Greeneburg is perfect for Lacey and Eric Miszlak. She's pregnant and wants to be near the best schools; he wants a 20-minute commute to his uncle's law firm. Lacey brushes aside the spooked reaction of their broker (who knows more than she's telling) but discovers after they move in that the house harbors a ghost: Drew, a needy little boy who asks her to be his mother. Lacey, a former elementary school teacher, prides herself on being good with difficult children, but she quickly learns to fear Drew's rages and his hostility toward her unborn child. "The thing in the house. It eats babies," blurts out the broker's daughter. The trouble started in 1972, when Andrew Halliday killed his wife, three of his four children and himself. Only Andrew Junior survived the massacre; he's changed his name to Lex Hall and has retained Eric in a custody battle over his young daughter. Yes, it's a lot of coincidences to swallow, and Drew's ability to travel as far afield as Australia seems more convenient than likely even within the parameters of a ghost story, but Condit paints such a convincing portrait of the Miszlaks' tension-riddled marriage and does such a good job of escalating the menace in Lacey's encounters with Drew that readers won't care much about probability. The novel has unusually strong characterizations as well, in particular the depiction of Lacey's New Age–y mother, Ella, who proves to be stronger and more protective than her daughter could understand in childhood. Eric too, controlling and overcautious though he is, comes through with flying colors in the violent denouement at the top of the stairs that have seen so many previous deaths. Good, scary fun, packed with emotional nuance.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170383290 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 12/31/2013 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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