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A review by seetaylorwrite
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4.5/5 stars. I wish GR had 1/2 star options.
“Every house has a story to tell. Baneberry Hall is no different. Its story—the real one—might still be there. Why we left. Why my father felt compelled to lie about it. What I actually experienced there. All of it might be hiding within its walls, waiting for me to find it.”
It’s very rare that I read a horror book that genuinely spooks me. However, Riley Sager has managed to do just that with this book. And that twist at the ending. Phew. I truly didn't see that coming.
The entire book is spent with Maggie Holt trying to differentiate between the facts in the book her father wrote, The House of Horrors, and what truly happened to her family during the 20 days they lived at Baneberry Hall, named for the lethal baneberries that surround the estate. When strange things that Maggie cannot explain, even though she doesn’t believe in the supernatural or the events of her father’s tell-all, she starts to question what truly happened on the night of July 15th, 25 years ago.
What happens next is shocking and the perfect set up for this horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
“Every house has a story to tell. Baneberry Hall is no different. Its story—the real one—might still be there. Why we left. Why my father felt compelled to lie about it. What I actually experienced there. All of it might be hiding within its walls, waiting for me to find it.”
It’s very rare that I read a horror book that genuinely spooks me. However, Riley Sager has managed to do just that with this book. And that twist at the ending. Phew. I truly didn't see that coming.
The entire book is spent with Maggie Holt trying to differentiate between the facts in the book her father wrote, The House of Horrors, and what truly happened to her family during the 20 days they lived at Baneberry Hall, named for the lethal baneberries that surround the estate. When strange things that Maggie cannot explain, even though she doesn’t believe in the supernatural or the events of her father’s tell-all, she starts to question what truly happened on the night of July 15th, 25 years ago.
What happens next is shocking and the perfect set up for this horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder