When I finished Sarah Pinborough‘s new novel The Death House, I had to take a moment to collect my thoughts. Not because it’s particularly twisty or complex— it’s about as straightforward as one can get for a tale of teenagers stuck in a dystopian hospice— but because it comes in quietly and leaves with the emotional impact of a wrecking ball.It […]
Sarah Pinborough’s new book is The Death House, a tense supernatural mystery involving the residents of the titular institution. Believed to be stricken with a fatal illness, they are studied by the Matron and her nurses, and forced to find a new way to live under the constant specter of death. We asked Sarah to tell […]
Going back to school is rough for many kids—between the constant study grind, complex social politics, cramped hallways, and intense extracurriculars, school can be a confusing, scary place. Boarding schools are an entirely different beast, isolating students from their families and presenting their own arcane rules and social structures. Stressful! Especially when they involve magic, monsters, ghosts, and […]
Growing up is difficult enough. The body changes in odd ways; social dynamics rapidly shift, pulling former best friends in different directions; a new struggle with identity pops up by the day. Naturally, this period existential angst and physical oddity is a goldmine for horror writers, from the trauma inflicted by bullying, to the loss […]
