Scan barcode
A review by beau_reads_books
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
4.0
“Something here has taken part of me and won’t give it back.”
Johnny Compton’s “The Spite House” is a little bit “Us,” a little bit “Insidious,” and a lotta bit fun! A small town in Texas seemingly ran by an eccentric old lady with a family curse/death complex, twin jet streams of generational trauma, and ghosts—oh my! Pick this up if you’re a fan of the aforementioned movies and if you like your spooky books with a forehead kiss of emotion.
I’m always a fan of a big story tucked neatly into 300~ pages or less, and Compton definitely delivered. This is a quick, concise read and it did not feel lacking, story wise: concepts are fleshed out and character dynamics work in a well-oiled machine.
I did wish there were more signifiers to clarify time shifts within the narration but Compton more than made up for it with some clever chapter segues. More consistent and elaborate descriptors of the haunties themselves would have added a sharper edge to this debut novel. I was happy with what I got but I’m a Regular Degular Ghost Glutton.
3.5/5 I’m excited to see what else comes outta this guy’s noggin
Johnny Compton’s “The Spite House” is a little bit “Us,” a little bit “Insidious,” and a lotta bit fun! A small town in Texas seemingly ran by an eccentric old lady with a family curse/death complex, twin jet streams of generational trauma, and ghosts—oh my! Pick this up if you’re a fan of the aforementioned movies and if you like your spooky books with a forehead kiss of emotion.
I’m always a fan of a big story tucked neatly into 300~ pages or less, and Compton definitely delivered. This is a quick, concise read and it did not feel lacking, story wise: concepts are fleshed out and character dynamics work in a well-oiled machine.
I did wish there were more signifiers to clarify time shifts within the narration but Compton more than made up for it with some clever chapter segues. More consistent and elaborate descriptors of the haunties themselves would have added a sharper edge to this debut novel. I was happy with what I got but I’m a Regular Degular Ghost Glutton.
3.5/5 I’m excited to see what else comes outta this guy’s noggin