Vera returns to her childhood home when her dying mother calls her to come and pack up the house ready to be sold. It is the house they shared with Vera's father, a serial killer, so her memories of the place are pretty mixed. To make matters worse, an artist is also staying there, hoping to use her father's legacy to sell his art, and someone is interfering with Vera's efforts, moving things around and taking things during the night. Vera must confront the ghosts of her past and hopefully make peace with her mother before it's too late.
I chose this book because I really enjoyed Sarah Gailey's
American Hippo books,
River of Teeth and
Taste of Marrow, but apart from the quality of the writing,
Just Like Home has almost nothing in common with that series. While they were alternate history, this is a modern Gothic horror story and is much darker. It's a very strange, creepy book. The subject matter could have easily made it unrelentingly bleak, but it was balanced by Vera's love for her father, and glimpses of hope for a reconciliation with her mother. I really enjoyed Gailey's writing style and was fascinated by the mystery as it unfolded.
For a horror novel, there wasn't a lot of gore, although a few scenes were gross for other reasons. It is quite unpleasant in parts, but overall I couldn't put it down. If you like this book you might also enjoy
Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman.
Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Macmillan/Tor-Forge, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Published: July 19 2022
