A review by rorikae
House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 ‘House of Cotton’ by Monica Brashears is a haunting (both literally and figuratively) story about a young Black woman trying to find her way in life and the strange job she finds herself accepting. 
After her grandmother’s funeral, Magnolia is trying to figure out how to pay the rent on her grandmother’s house when a promising job opportunity drops in her lap. A white man named Cotton, who owns a funeral parlor, proposes Magnolia act as the dead family members of mourning families so they can get closure. The job pays well and so Magnolia accepts. But as the jobs get more and more strange and Magnolia begins to see her grandmother’s ghost, she starts to second guess her decision. 
Brashears’ writing is crisp and evocative. For the main characters in the story including Magnolia, Cotton, and Eden, she quickly conveys such a clear sense of their characters. They feel lived in, in all of the horrific and human ways. The job that Magnolia takes on is both a fascinating look at how people seek closure after a loved one’s death as well as a morbid take on how one funeral parlor makes money. There is a creeping sense of unease that permeates the book, especially as we learn more about Cotton and Eden. Ultimately, I think this is a fascinating character study with ghost elements. If you are looking for something a little bit unsettling but that does an excellent job of diving into the lived experience of the characters, this is a great book to pick up. I highly recommend the audiobook.  
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