A Good and Happy Child

How it reads

A Good and Happy Child is horror (supernatural horror, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a suburban setting, in the present day, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are family, faith and identity. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 336 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.