How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

 

Reviewed by Christy

            Louise has made a fairly happy life in California with her daughter Poppy. She loves her parents and her extended family, but she’s perfectly content living across the country from her childhood home in South Carolina. However, when her parents unexpectedly pass away, she’s forced to travel home and deal with all the unpleasantness of a sudden death: crushing grief, whether or not there's a will, clearing out the house, and an immature, ne'er-do-well brother who has no interest in making anything easy for Louise.

            I am a huge fan of Grady Hendrix, and one of things he does so well is give rich backstories to his characters that help them feel three-dimensional. Walking through Louise's childhood home with her as she assesses her and her family's past, I felt like I got to know her parents quite well just by that alone. The details really make it: the shag carpet, the attic string they keep tucked behind a picture frame, the pile of wood in the backyard from an unfinished deck project, and the masses upon masses of hand puppets. Yeah. There are puppets. And this brings me to why this is my least-favorite Hendrix book. Puppets do nothing for me. I just don't find them scary. They can definitely be a little creepy in a fun way (like clowns!), but that's about it. The horror in this novel heavily relies on puppets and dolls freaking you out. I know Hendrix is a fan of campy horror movies and pulp books, so I can see where his inspiration came from. But this had me questioning if I even understood what camp is. I really struggled with figuring out what tone he was going for. In his past work, he's always done well with striking the right balance with humor and horror. I don't think he is as successful here.

My reading experience wasn't all negative. I did like the discussion of generational trauma among families, and found it effective and touching. Mark, Louise's brother, starts as an extremely annoying character who develops into someone quite loveable; I loved his story arc. There are unsettling scenes and scenes that filled me with absolute dread. The history of Pupkin, the main puppet, is so heartbreaking I thought I might cry. There are definitely some good moments in here. However, I don't think this is a good representation of Hendrix's work – especially for a new reader. Unless puppets really freak you out!