The House of Ashes

The House of Ashes, by Stuart Neville

 

I received an ARC of this book.

I wouldn't call this a fun or quick read, but it was definitely a good book. The story and characters really stayed with me even after I finished the book.
The story starts with Sara, a young wife whose husband has moved the couple to a remote Irish cottage that has been in disrepair. But the book really, in my opinion, picks up with Mary's story, who apparently lived in the same house some years earlier. Mary was incredibly compelling, even as a very young girl. The author is able to use Mary and her point of view to relate some of the horrifically tragic events that take place in the house, and very effectively does that without being graphic or gratuitous. In a book that deals with such serious issues, this was a very smart way to let the reader know what was going on without having to implicitly describe things in detail that would be very unwanted. (The last book I reviewed on this blog, Snow, was just the opposite. There were descriptions of things that I had absolutely NO desire to read.)

I was completely drawn in by Mary and, even though I had some idea of what would happen to her, I was rooting for her throughout the book. Even though the reader pretty much knows what heinous event took place in that house decades ago, the author still does a superb job of building the tension to a point that when it does finally occur, it almost feels like a relief.
I would have liked a little more fleshing out with Sara. While she was a main character I feel like I knew her less that may of the secondary characters.
This is a haunting book that deals with serious issues. I did like it, despite thinking early in that I would not. It is very well written.