It Was Her House First

How it reads

It Was Her House First is horror (gothic haunted-house 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 small town setting, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are family, secrets and loss and grief. 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 352 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.