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Book: “The House of Last Resort” by Christopher Golden
Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, January 2024
Where Did I Get This Book: I received and eARC from NetGalley.
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Book Description: Across Italy there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives. It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize.
But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought. There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.
Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!
I’m always excited when a new Christopher Golden book is coming out, because he is pretty reliable when it comes to telling a nice and scary horror tale. Because of this I was clearly excited about “The House of Last Resort”, his newest horror novel, as it seemed like it was going to be a haunted house story. Which is always a favorite of mine. So I was a LITTLE nervous when I realized that it was also going to be a demonic possession story, as that is a sub genre that I’m NOT as into, just because of tropes that feel overused, and the tendency to sometimes get a little, shall we say, preachy with it. BUT, I do have faith in Golden as an author, and so I went in with an open mind. And I’m happy to report that he can firmly consider his take on the sub genre more than acceptable and VERY enjoyable.
So even though possession and exorcism based stories can be pretty hit or miss for me, Golden has written an effective possession tale that goes beyond the tired tropes of the sub genre and broadens the themes to include societal and religious complacency as well as familial/generational trauma, which I thought really added to the concept as a whole. The idea of the Catholic Church owning a house where they sent supposedly possessed people to either be hidden away until they were ‘exorcised’, or until they had died, is such a deeply upsetting concept, but also feels like something that would absolutely happen in real life. I also liked the growing tension between Tommy and Kate, but also between the two of them and the community as they start to unravel the secrets of this house, and also how much the people around them knew about the disturbing history as a ‘house of last resort’ for the Church when it came to exorcisms. On top of that, there is the scary factor of the idea of demons lurking in the crypts beneath the home, but also the idea that there were very much NOT possessed people there, merely people who were mentally ill or in crisis, and were abused and further traumatized by people who thought they knew better.
And the horror parts of this book are spot on, and I’m saying that as someone who doesn’t usually feel affected by possession stories. There were multiple moments where I found myself setting my kindle down to say ‘oh my god this is scary’, especially early on when the dread it slowly building and we aren’t completely sure as to what is going on in Tommy and Kate’s new house. Golden has a true talent for bubbling up the tension until it reaches a snapping point, only to start again at a higher level and to rebuild once more. There’s also just the all around scares of the secrets that can be kept from people, whether the motivations are well intentioned or because of a shame on the part of those keeping the secrets. There’s just something SO sinister about everyone around Tommy and Kate knowing that there is something deeply wrong with the house they are trying to call home, and not telling them about it as strange and disturbing things start happening. I do think that perhaps one reveal happens a little abruptly and sends a bit of the rest of the suspense off kilter, but overall? Very creepy stuff from Christopher Golden, and I expect no less.
“The House of Last Resort” is another winner from Christopher Golden. It had some really scary moments and a fresh take on possession tales. What a lovely day for an exorcism.
Rating 8: A scary tale about secrets, be they religious, familial, or community based. “The House of Last Resort” is a possession story that sets itself apart from the usual demonic fare.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The House of Last Resort” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.
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