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A review by readundancies
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
T. Kingfisher is one of my favourite authors in the horror genre specifically because she manages to add a level of mundanity which tempers out the paranormal aspects she tends to lean into with her horror works. It softens the horror and makes it rather cozy, without sacrificing the creepiness or unsettling vibes that can be attributed to her writing style. Her characters never seem to take themselves too seriously, and while they often have a similar snark to their personalities, they also tend to have a lot of heart and it's that heart which I find myself gravitating towards each time I pick up one of her novels.
A House With Good Bones is no exception, and so while some might find the similarities in her lead characters off-putting or tired, I tend to look forward to knowing that the first person perspective of the narrative is going to feel a lot like the voice of a best friend telling another wacky story over the phone for the course of a couple hours all the while being cocooned with the knowledge that even though the plot might get a bit hairy, the stakes feel low and comforting. None of the characters that I'll glom onto are going to die, there's a healthy dose of humour that just gets me into a chuckly mood and there's usually an animal with a name that I want to pet in spite of myself. Especially if they are not of the petting variety.
So with A House With Good Bones, we find Sam and her mother grappling with the spirit of her dead and not departed grandmother alongside Phil the handyman, his conspiracy theorist grandfather Mr. Pressly and her grandmother's rival and neighbouring witch Gail, who has a pet vulture named Hermes. There is lightest dusting of romance in that there is a bit of chemistry between Sam and Phil, but it's not developed because the story takes place over a month at most and with how often they interact it's just not natural for them to fall into any sort of relationship, and I loved that. The relationship dynamic between the Montgomery women is thoroughly explored and I loved seeing the contrast between Sam and her mum vs her mother and Gran Mae. Nothing about the plot is surprising, but the predictability just added to the sense of comfort that T. Kingfisher's writing exudes.
T. Kingfisher is one of auto-buy authors at this point, so if you've liked any of her previous works, this one will be right up your alley.
A House With Good Bones is no exception, and so while some might find the similarities in her lead characters off-putting or tired, I tend to look forward to knowing that the first person perspective of the narrative is going to feel a lot like the voice of a best friend telling another wacky story over the phone for the course of a couple hours all the while being cocooned with the knowledge that even though the plot might get a bit hairy, the stakes feel low and comforting. None of the characters that I'll glom onto are going to die, there's a healthy dose of humour that just gets me into a chuckly mood and there's usually an animal with a name that I want to pet in spite of myself. Especially if they are not of the petting variety.
So with A House With Good Bones, we find Sam and her mother grappling with the spirit of her dead and not departed grandmother alongside Phil the handyman, his conspiracy theorist grandfather Mr. Pressly and her grandmother's rival and neighbouring witch Gail, who has a pet vulture named Hermes. There is lightest dusting of romance in that there is a bit of chemistry between Sam and Phil, but it's not developed because the story takes place over a month at most and with how often they interact it's just not natural for them to fall into any sort of relationship, and I loved that. The relationship dynamic between the Montgomery women is thoroughly explored and I loved seeing the contrast between Sam and her mum vs her mother and Gran Mae. Nothing about the plot is surprising, but the predictability just added to the sense of comfort that T. Kingfisher's writing exudes.
T. Kingfisher is one of auto-buy authors at this point, so if you've liked any of her previous works, this one will be right up your alley.