A psychedelic horror novel reminiscent of Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco, T. Kingfisher’s A House with Good Bones, and Dario Argento’s surreal horror film Suspiria.
Jack and Avery’s new home on Calliope Street is a fixer-upper’s dream. The lurid collage of pornographic clippings on the basement wall seems like a quirky (and campy) feature. But once the house awakens, what seemed harmless becomes as horrifying as the blood seeping from the carpet.
The house is alive. It is intelligent. And it demands homage.
Inspired by the surreal and graphic films of the Italian maestros as well as a meditation on obsession and the relationship between tragedy and art, The House on Blood Street evokes the myth of Orpheus and Euridice, mixing art, love, and death into a modern take on the haunted house.
What did I think?
The House on Blood Street is a twisty and twisted novel that has the feel of a cult horror movie and I certainly couldn't tear my eyes away from it. I freaking loved it!
Told in three parts: The House on Calliope Street, In the Locust Tree and Camera Obscura, this is one heck of a binge-worthy novel as we follow Jack and Avery when they move into their new home. The weird naked women collage with a hole at its centre in the basement would have had me running for the hills but Jack and Avery find it amusing.
It's very tense and suspenseful as the story plays out and the collage becomes more and more sinister. If this had been a movie, I would have definitely been watching it from behind the sofa but my eyes were glued to the page and I couldn't read fast enough.
Josh Hanson's writing is sublime and it lured me into this vivid, surreal and highly imaginative tale. I love that it has echoes of the myth of Orpheus and Euridice as it considers the lengths we are prepared to go to in order to bring our loved one back home.
The House on Blood Street has all of the hallmarks of an instant classic and, much like a favourite film, I wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. What a fantastic book! It grabs the reader from the very first page and refuses to let go - very highly recommended.
I received a gifted hardback copy to read and review for the Black Crow PR review tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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