The Spite House

September 1, 2022

On the run with his two daughters from some indeterminate terror in his past, Eric Ross lacks references and resources and is hence relieved to secure a job as caretaker of the Masson property in Texas--even if the house is supposedly haunted. The owner wants to prove that ghosts are flitting about and asks Eric to keep records of any mysterious events, but it's no easy task: the job has driven previous caretakers insane. A big-deal debut; with a 125,000-copy first printing.

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Starred review from December 5, 2022
Compton’s chilling debut is horror with heart that puts a refreshingly modern spin on the haunted house story. On the run and in hiding from a mysterious family curse, Eric Ross and his daughters, Dess and Stacy, are desperate to find ways to make ends meet. Eunice Houghton, a wealthy eccentric, is willing to pay a substantial sum for anyone willing to stay in the Masson House, one of Texas’s most haunted buildings, and record their encounters with the supernatural. Eager to provide a better life for his daughters, Eric takes the job and is determined to see it through to the massive payday at the end. But as staying in Masson House becomes increasingly dangerous, Eric realizes that no one is telling him the entire truth about the house and its history. By changing perspectives between Eric, Dess, Stacy, and Eunice, this tense work of gothic horror provides a complex and multidimensional look at how anger, grief, and trauma can strengthen bonds of familial love. The tale’s simmering tension builds to an inevitable but thoroughly satisfying conclusion that, like the ghosts of the spite house, lingers. Even the most jaded horror fans will be wowed.

January 1, 2023
Eric knows that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. But the prospects of a huge payout and rent-free living for his family change his mind, and ""paranormal documentarian, no experience required"" now holds a tempting appeal. So Eric heads to Degener, Texas to live in the spite house--a house so haunted it puts regular haunted houses to shame. His older daughter, Dess, is suspicious of the deal, while younger daughter Stacy isn't sure what to make of this ""skinny"" house. Eric soon meets the enigmatic Eunice, who has agreed to let his family live in her spite house. The reader soon learns that Eunice and her staff are all steeped in secrets, each more dangerous than the next. Some readers may have trouble following the multiple points of view in the novel, but the constant racial tensions, coupled with supernatural conflicts and a shocking twist near the end, make for a suspenseful page-turner. Great for fans of Tananarive Due, LaTanya McQueen, and Eden Royce.

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December 1, 2022

DEBUT This novel by Compton (host of the podcast Healthy Fears) takes the haunted house story's emphasis on setting and amplifies it with questions about one family and a home's wider effects in a community. This book begins with a slow burn as Eric, fleeing Maryland for his Texas hometown with his daughters, becomes familiar with a local haunted house, after some long descriptions of their cryptic flight. Eric appears outwardly prepared and solid, but he harbors insecurities about his own strength and capacity for hard choices. Meanwhile, older daughter Dess storms through hardship with teenage arrogance bordering on confidence, while the much younger Stacy tries to hide supernatural capabilities behind practiced childishness. As the family attempts to live in the haunted home, all the while documenting the experience for their mysterious employer, readers will wonder not if this tight unit will break apart, but when. VERDICT One part road trip, one part family relationships, and one part haunted house, serve this update on genre staples to showcase the voice of a rising new writer to an audience that adores the classics.--Aaron Heil

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.