Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Model Home

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

129 reviews

sproutedpages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“How cruel that our parents, unexorcisable, go on inside of us. How cruel that we cannot dis-imbricate their ghosts from our being.”

Model Home feels reminiscent of Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, in that it has a similar and particular focus on the dynamics of the dysfunctional family at the heart of the story— both the family as a whole, and the members individually. The family in Model Home, however, is Black, and their experience as a Black family in a white, ‘affluent’ neighborhood plays a pivotal role in the narrative. Obviously, not an experience that I can resonate with on a personal level, but its exploration throughout the novel amounts to a narrative that is haunting and heartbreaking in equal measure.

Model Home is far more ‘standard’ fiction-forward in genre than speculative (or horror, as I might have assumed before reading this novel), unlike the two other titles I’ve read by Rivers Solomon— The Deep, and An Unkindness of Ghosts— but their authorial ‘voice’ is so distinct that it does seem like a natural extension of the narratives they typically explore.

Thank you so much to Rivers Solomon, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for providing me with an uncorrected digital galley of this novel! All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.

Content Warnings

nightlight_reader's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Incredibly f*cked up, felt like a perfect domino spiral in the end, I am horrified and incredulous.

Rivers Solomon became a must-read author for me.

Content Warnings

narzibenoucdel's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

First of all, this is not a haunted house novel nor a traditional horror story. This is a raw, frank, and challenging literary book that faces horrifying childhood trauma and its consequences into adulthood head-on. There are many sad truths represented here, but they are written with care and compassion despite their stark natures. Solomon's writing is exquisite throughout and bolsters the rawness with keen poetic insight and detail. The ultimate reveal and the ending didn't quite do it for me, but I think the strength of the novel comes through with its protagonist's poetic reflections and the striking themes of intersectionality of pain and living as a justice-seeking person in this oft unfair world. Be mindful of the trigger warnings, as this book does not cut corners nor fade to black.

Content Warnings

arminam's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

Anyone should read Rivers Solomon's work if not for their writing alone. The prose, like in all their works, is simply beautiful.

I was immediately on board when I heard fae was going to publish faer own spin on the haunted house. They use this to explore themes of mental illness, trauma, complex familial relationships, racism and queerness in an outstanding way.

In the end though I don't know how to feel about the ending, I didn't expect an explanation for all that happened in the house - but knowing what I know now, I would love to reread this in the future, catch all the intricacies in this beautiful work.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

grey_jayne's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rivers Solomon never disappoints and Model Home is my favorite of their work so far, with The Deep at a close second, and it's maybe their most personal. The story is a painful read but in the best of ways, an implosion of grief and multi generational curses. The ending is so bittersweet but that's life. Epic and delicate storytelling. Beware of the content warnings tho.

Content Warnings