a beautiful & haunting book about trauma, racism, child

sexual

abuse, madness, and many other difficult topics. i can't say i was surprised by the reveal but it was powerful none the less. the plotline with

elijah and lily

felt unnecessary & a bit like an afterthought, but that's my main complaint

this was horrifying in such a deeply human way that i did actually dissociate after finishing the novel. read trigger warnings closely, learn from me !!
the writing voice is exquisite and what i most often lack in contemporary horror

the story is genuinely a sickening indictment of how white americans encroach on the safety of Black americans in such insidious ways. there is so much depth in this story, and it is steeped in both the interpersonal and real politics of the home/the private sphere/belonging, especially as dictated by social custom and systems of oppression
the narrator’s inner world is a bit reminiscent of akwaeke emezi to me, which i love, and i love that sarah gailey blurbed and beta read, because “just like home” was the other great haunted house novel i read this year
i want jordan peele to pick up movie rights, it will be the film of the century

I’m not into slasher horror. I’m more of a mind fuck horror type of reader. And I am deeply DEEPLY disturbed by this book in the best way.

A black family moves into white suburbia. Into a haunted house.

Now, the children are adults and discover their parents the victims of what looks to the police like a murder-suicide. But the siblings know different. They know it was the house that killed their parents. And it’s not letting go of them either.

I knew throughout the book that everything wasn’t as it seemed. It was never supposed to be. The air of mystery and the Easter eggs left throughout the plot were obviously leading somewhere. But definitely not where I expected. It’s so hard to surprise me with a plot twist, my pattern recognition picks it up every time, but I was FLABBERGASTED. 

I’m a big Rivers Solomon fan already, but this one is their best yet!!! The way that they discuss systemic racism and queerness in such an insightful way that fits perfectly into the plot is  unmatched. If you’re a horror fan, be warned that this book has so many triggers, but it is an absolute must read!

Model Home is a terrifying look at trauma and the way it shapes our lives and family dynamics. Ezri's memories from their childhood home are awful and inexplicable. Along with their sisters, Eve & Emmanuelle, Ezri became estranged from their parents for many years. All three siblings had known evils from which their parents didn't protect them. That initial ominous text that reunites the trio and cracks open their trauma forces them to heal together -- even as it simultaneously tries to tear them apart.

This disturbing and heavy book had me riveted from the start. Solomon is definitely one of the best literary horror authors and Model Home only cemented that fact. The only reason this wasn't a five-star read for me was that I felt that the storyline and POV of Ezri's daughter Elijah was disjointed. I understand that Elijah was most likely included in order to demonstrate the cyclical nature of trauma. However, her POV arrived late enough in the story to leave me feeling like it didn't quite fit the rest of the narrative.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @fsgbooks, & @mcdbooks for the advanced reader copy of Model Home in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Model Home is out now, so go get a copy from wherever you source your books!

This is an ARC that I read on NetGalley for free, but this will not sway my opinion.

Definitely read the trigger warnings for this book. There is no explicit gore, but lots of trauma and traumatic events that are described. There is also racism, homophobia and transphobia.

The siblings Ezri, Emmanuelle and Eve have to face their past trauma in this horror story. Will the hauntings return when they visit their childhood home again?

This review will probably be a little all over the place, as I have so much too say! So sorry in advance. 

Model Home had the depth I wanted, and worked great as a horror. It has no gore (which I like), but still leaves you on the edge of your seat. The suspense was killing me! You never knew where the story was going. The trauma the siblings endured (and still endures) is a big part of the story, so beware that this will be a hard read.

I was so uncomfy and creeped out throughout most of this book. The interactions and story is done really well, even though I don't really know what was real or not. There was no way to know what was 'fake', which made this book confusing at times. In my opinion, this was not a bad thing. Since there were no real answers, I could make my own. I had an idea of what the ending would look like, but I was wrong. This was such a good read, but a hard one.

The only negative thing, in my opinion, was that Elijahs POV felt younger than 12-14. That might be just me though.

I really liked the way it was written, and the horror aspect was well-done. This is a great read for October, the month of Halloween, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Model Home releases from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux on October 1st, 2024 in the US.

Rivers Solomon's Model Home is a master class in literary horror, exploring intergenerational trauma, race, queerness, and survival, framed within the confines of a suburban model home that serves as both literal and figurative battleground. This novel invites readers into the haunted life of Ezri Maxwell, a fat, genderqueer protagonist grappling with the horrors of their childhood home after the sudden deaths of both of their parents. Through Ezri’s journey, Solomon weaves a narrative that transcends the conventional boundaries of genre, offering a raw and daring portrayal of queer identity, intergenerational trauma, and the quest for healing.

From the start, Solomon subverts the traditional haunted house trope by transforming the Maxwell family’s suburban mansion into a symbol of inherited trauma and racial violence. The house itself, nestled in a predominantly white, gated community outside Dallas, becomes a suffocating metaphor for the structures of racism, segregation, and abuse that have shaped Ezri’s life. As Ezri returns to this childhood home with their sisters Eve and Emanuelle, they confront not only literal ghosts but the deeper, more insidious hauntings of secrets and unresolved pain. Solomon uses the setting to highlight the false promises of suburban utopia, exposing the violent undercurrents of a society built on racism and white supremacy.

At the heart of the novel lies Ezri’s emotional journey. They are both tender and hardened by the traumas they have endured, making their emotional turmoil palpable throughout the story. Solomon masterfully portrays Ezri’s struggle to navigate their gender identity, their body, and the burden of their family’s expectations. Ezri’s battle with dissociation and their need to unlearn the binary constraints of gender and self-worth are rendered with raw, visceral clarity. As Ezri grapples with the ghosts of their past, they are forced to confront the painful truths that lie at the heart of their own identity—a journey that is as harrowing as it is ultimately liberating.

The prose in Model Home mirrors the themes it tackles—fragmented, lyrical, and deeply unsettling. Solomon’s use of rich metaphor brings the house and its walls to life, anthropomorphizing them into symbols of the oppression that Ezri cannot seem to escape. The novel wrestles with the contradictions of survival—how to carry on in a world that both demands and denies one's existence. Ezri’s story is not one of sweeping salvation but of incremental triumphs, of surviving even when healing feels out of reach.

In Model Home, Solomon offers no easy answers, but instead, a meditation on survival and the small victories won in the face of trauma and oppression. This novel is as much about family bonds as it is about the secrets that erode them. It is a testament to resilience, queerness, and the fight to carve out a space for oneself in a world that seeks to diminish and erase. Solomon’s portrayal of trauma is brutal, but their vision of survival is equally powerful, forcing readers to confront the ghosts that haunt both the book’s characters and our world. Like Solomon’s previous works, Model Home is a book that demands not to be just read, but felt. Thank you, Rivers, for another searingly brilliant book. I can’t wait for the next one.

Content Note: Readers should be aware that while the sexual assault scenes are very mild, not very descriptive, and mostly implied, that childhood sexual assault ultimately serves as a key plot point.

Both Ezri and their daughter are groomed and assaulted by adult white women.

This is a poignant and critical antiracist critique, but it may be triggering for some readers.

📖 Recommended For: Fans of literary horror, readers who appreciate explorations of intergenerational trauma and queer identity, anti-racist advocates, lovers of Carmen Maria Machado and Octavia Butler.

🔑 Key Themes: Intergenerational Trauma, Queerness and Gender Identity, Racial Violence and Suburban Politics, Survival and Resilience, Family Secrets and Healing.