Friday, February 11, 2011

House of Windows

House of Windows by John Langan: Book CoverSynopsis


When a young writer finds himself cornered by a beautiful widow in the waning hours of a late-night cocktail party, he seeks at first to escape, to return to his wife and infant son. But the tale she weaves, of her missing husband, a renowned English professor, and her lost stepson, a soldier killed on a battlefield on the other side of the world, and of phantasmal visions, a family curse, and a house - the Belvedere House, a striking mansion whose features suggest a face hidden just out of view - draws him in, capturing him. What follows is a deeply psychological ghost story of memory and malediction, loss and remorse.

This unnerving tour de force, exploring the literary haunted house, from Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and H. P. Lovecraft to today, incorporates family trauma, abstract art, literary criticism, the occult Dickens, and the war in Afghanistan. From John Langan (Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters) comes House of Windows, a chilling novel in the tradition of Peter Straub, Joe Hill, and Laird Barron.



My Thoughts
 
The first thing I noticed about this book, was the long paragraphs. I am not sure what it was about that, but it irritated me right away. Needless to say that made it a very difficult read.  The subject matter was way out there. Not anything I would want to read again. It was mainly about a woman reciting her life and her husbands misfortunes in a very boring way.
 
I usually enjoy paranormal and such but I found this to be totally unbelievable and just plain stupid.
The worst part is that I have to pay a late fee at the library because this book took so long to read.
I would not suggest anyone take the time to read this but if you do let me know your feelings.

2 comments:

Angie S said...

Okay, as soon as I saw in the synopsis that the writing was in the tradition of Peter Straub I knew I would never check this one out, and your review confirmed this. Cool cover though!

Best Books To Read said...

The long paragraphs are a pain in the ass, agreed.