Starter House: A Novel

by Sonja Condit

Overview

Promising talent Sonja Condit makes her debut with Starter House, an eerie and mesmerizing tale about a young couple whose new house holds deadly secrets from the past, sure to appeal to fans of Heart-Shaped Box and The Thirteenth Tale.

From the moment Lacey sees the house with the beautiful wood staircase, she knows she’s found her dream home. Growing up rootless with her flighty mother, Ella Dane, a self-proclaimed psychic, Lacey is determined to give her unborn baby the stability she never had.

But shortly after she and her husband, Eric, move in, the warm and welcoming house becomes cold and dark. There is something malevolent within these walls that wants to hurt her unborn child—a terrifying presence that only she can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and temperamental little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone.

To protect her unborn child and save her family, Lacy must discover the truth about her dream house and the troubled Drew—a decades-old mystery involving secrets, violence, and guilt—and confront an evil that has lingered in wait for years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062283061
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/15/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	402
Sales rank:	612,282
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Sonja Condit received her MFA from Converse College, where she studied with Robert Olmstead, Leslie Pietrzyk, R. T. Smith, and Marlin Barton. Her short fiction has appeared in Shenandoah magazine, among other publications. She plays principal bassoon in the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium. She teaches at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2014
When Lacey Miszlak first sees the dusty rose Cape Cod cottage, she knows that it's the perfect house for her, her husband Eric, and the baby that's on the way. When the realtor tells her and Eric that people have died in that house, Lacey is undeterred. After all, people die everywhere, and the house is being sold for a fraction of what it's worth. It isn't until she and Eric move in that Lacey feels a malevolent presence, particularly on the staircase, and meets a strange and disturbing little boy named Drew, who claims that he once lived here. Soon, Lacey hears rumors that the house is unsafe for babies, and determined to save both her unborn child and her home, she sets out to befriend Drew, the boy whom only she can see, and unravel the mystery before it's too late. VERDICT For the most part, Condit's debut is well written—the plot moves along quickly, and the characters, especially Lacey, are lively and engaging. However, it has one serious flaw. The novel's plot twist, which readers will figure out about halfway through the book, isn't supported by the world that the author creates. There are numerous opportunities throughout the story where Condit could easily have offered readers an explanation, but she doesn't. While the novel has a lot of potential, readers, especially dedicated horror fans, will likely find the premise unbelievable. [See Prepub Alert, 7/22/13.]—Elisabeth Clark, West Florida P.L., Pensacola

Library Journal

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.)

Publishers Weekly

[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

From the Publisher

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

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

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

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

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

a great creepy and gothic read that will keep you reading with a flashlight under the covers late into the night!

Book Addict Katie

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

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

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.

Kirkus Reviews