The format I chose kind of distracted from my overall enjoyment, I consumed We Used to Live Here via its audiobook, which in retrospect might not be ideal for a story sprinkled with subtle clues requiring active participation — wish I had a book where I could easily flip back and forth. In theory this novel is right up my alley in both concept and execution, I think I will truly bond with it with a physical re-read in the near future.

Marketed as a straight forward thriller (I actually think its marketing of 'Get Out meets Parasite' is more of a misdirection), in reality We Used to Live Here is much more surreal, interwoven, and psychological. I really enjoy the supplementary materials accompanying the main story (the objective perspectives complimenting the emotional one), as well as elements to decode to get even more clues (well worth a quick Google search on Reddit after reading). Formally it reminds me a bit of I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, though thematically vastly different.

Take my current rating with a grain of salt, as it is almost no fault to We Used to Live Here itself, and more due to the passive nature of audiobook, which is working against a story that requires reader to be fully engaged rather than multi-tasking. Will have to revisit this one!

**The Book Troop Book Club September 2024 Selection**