We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Reviewed by Christy

Eve is home alone when she hears a knock at the door. It's a family of five, and the father claims he used to live here and would it be ok if he showed his family around? It will only take fifteen minutes, tops. Eve is not comfortable with this. But she's even less comfortable with awkward conversations and telling people no. If her girlfriend Charlie were home, she would tell them to scram without hesitation. But it's just Eve, and she reluctantly allows them to come in. The family quickly overstays their welcome.

            This is fundamentally a "haunted house" story with a unique twist that I found refreshing. As soon as Eve lets the family in, strange things start to happen. Eventually Eve starts to question her sanity, and as readers we, too, do not know what is real and what isn't. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about the book for a large portion of it. I didn't really know where it was going or even if I was enjoying it. But when it picks up, it really picks up and becomes quite a page turner. I also appreciate the mixed media aspect. Sprinkled through are transcripts, news articles, and Reddit posts that give the story a little more dimension. There are even some interactive bits like Morse code or Norwegian phrases if you're up for translating via Google. It's fun but not necessary to fully enjoy the story. Because of this, this book has been compared to House of Leaves. I understand the comparison but I found We Used to Live Here much less tedious.

            Though I didn't always love Kliewer's somewhat plain writing style, it's not bad by any means, and there are some genuinely unsettling moments that had me unable to stop reading. The absolute dread that builds throughout this book is awful and wonderful. Nobody wants strangers or unwelcome guests in their home, so it's easy to relate to Eve. Many times, a book ending can ruin the whole book for me but fortunately, I believe that Kliewer really stuck the landing as well. I highly recommend this for fans of haunted house stories, epistolary novels, or just a spooky, wintery read!