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!

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

 

Reviewed by Christy 

Grady Hendrix is one of the few authors whose every release I eagerly anticipate (along with Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn, although I fear we’ve lost the latter to screenwriting for a while). In his newest novel, Lynette is a Final Girl. In horror movies, the Final Girl is the last one standing, the sole survivor. 

 

But what happens after she survives? For Lynette, she joins a support group. They’ve been meeting in a church basement for years. They’re all women, they’ve all survived horrible massacres, they’re all Final Girls. Along with their therapist, she meets with the group every week in the hopes of getting some semblance of her life back, though she struggles to do so. But when one of the women misses a meeting, Lynette fears something is very, very wrong. Her fears are confirmed when she realizes someone is hunting the women once again.

 

 While I felt the novel started off a teeny bit slow, the second half really picked up steam and became quite action-packed. It very much had a slasher feel to it but on a grander scale. Slashers are not my favorite subgenre of horror but I did enjoy the deconstruction of the Final Girl trope, as well as matching up the horror movie inspiration with each character’s background. There are some touching moments, too. (Although one such moment was kind of ruined by an obnoxious character’s rudeness. I think said character is supposed to be annoying but I wasn’t 100% sure. At any rate, I don’t think it’s a good idea to undermine what’s supposed to be a deeply emotional scene.) 

 

As much as I liked this novel, it doesn’t top some of the other Hendrix books I’ve read. I felt a little jumbled reading it at times, and I wasn’t sure if it was a convoluted plot or poorly executed explanations or maybe just me? I think this is one of those books a reader could easily pick apart if one was inclined to do so. But at the end of the day, I still had a good time! I’m happy with that. 

 

 ** I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

 

Reviewed by Christy


    In Grady Hendrix’s novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Hendrix tells the story of two teenage best friends fighting off demon possession in the late 80s. Curious as to what kind of parents these girls might’ve had, he wrote The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. In it, a book club full of harried housewives have to face off with a monster when a stranger comes to town and slowly infiltrates every aspect of their life. When a book is described as “Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meets Dracula” how on earth could anyone say no?

    Like his novels We Sold Our Souls and the aforementioned My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Hendrix’s newest work has the retro, fun vibe (it spans the early - mid 90s) but it’s also unexpectedly touching at times. Patricia is excited to welcome James to the neighborhood. He’s sexy and mysterious and adds a small thrill to her other otherwise humdrum life. She’s married to Carter, a psychiatrist who is a neglectful father and a dismissive husband. Her two children are getting older and more scornful by the day. Between car pools, cleaning, cooking, laundry and more, she never has a moment to herself. When she does ask for help, she’s met with disdain and disbelief (“What else do you even do all day?”). A new face in town adds a spark to her day.

    This will probably come as no surprise but James is not who he seems. He’s dangerous, and he’s a threat to everything Patricia knows and loves. She does everything in her power to convince her friends in the book club to battle this unknown entity. Hendrix’s characters are well developed, and the friendships so relatable and strong that you can’t help but root for them. The male characters know their place in society and use it to their advantage ruthlessly. When vaguely told James is shady, they jump at the chance to give the new guy in town the benefit of the doubt, rather than believe their wives of many years. As minor antagonists, they are not cartoonish. They’re familiar.

    Striking a balance with his social commentary, Hendrix also writes some really great gross-out scenes. After a character hides under a decaying, bug-infested quilt, I had to take a break so the itching would stop. Hendrix has quickly become one of my favorite authors. His books are just so fun while still plucking a heartstring now and then. I was a little hesitant to pick up this book just because I knew I would read it fast and then have to start the long wait for his next one. That is exactly what happened.

**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**