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Title details for The September House by Carissa Orlando - Available

The September House

by Carissa Orlando
Kimberly Farr
Audiobook
1 of 6 copies available
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1 of 6 copies available
“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House
A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.
When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 
Margaret is not most people. 
Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 5, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593747308
      • File size: 389701 KB
      • Duration: 13:31:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 3, 2023
      If P.G. Wodehouse had written The Amityville Horror, the result might have approximated Orlando’s equally charming and spooky debut. Middle-aged, matter-of-fact, and stubborn, narrator Margaret Hartman has no intention of abandoning her Victorian dream home, even if her stolid housekeeper was in fact axe-murdered more than 100 years ago and the walls drip blood every September. (“It was going to be a long month. But that’s just the way of things.”) Margaret’s husband, unable to face another autumn of ghastly incursions, has left without word, and her daughter, Katherine, is about to visit for the first time, to search for him. Margaret must hide the haunted truths of her household from Katherine if she wants to avoid being bullied into moving—even if the facade of normalcy requires opening the dreaded basement door. As her neighbor Edie sighs, “Oh, Margaret, you’re in a real pickle.” That direct, practical voice is central to the pleasure of Orlando’s storytelling. While horror tropes abound, there are no screaming teens or action heroes—the ghosts are tactile and verbal, the neighbors know about the problem and pitch in, and, when push comes to shove, it’s a hard-won combination of biological and found family that unites to confront the supernatural threat. This utterly original haunted house tale is a joy. Agent: Katherine Odom-Tomch, Folio Literary.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Kimberly Farr narrates this creepy, mesmerizing story of Margaret and Hal, who purchase their dream home, a beautiful, haunted Victorian. Every September the walls drip blood, and the wailing specters wreak havoc, including admonitions about something in the basement. When Hal abruptly disappears, the couple's daughter, Katherine--oblivious to the house's mysteries--spearheads the manhunt. Farr portrays Margaret as practical; she loves the house and has found ways to make peace with it: One simply has to follow the rules. Listeners will resonate with Katherine's overwrought state of mind as she tries to make sense of her father's disappearance and her mother's lack of concern. Farr masters every unique character, alive or dead, in this one-woman show. L.M.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 10, 2024

      Orlando's masterful debut follows Margaret and her husband, Hal, who discover their dream house is haunted--but only during the month of September. The month is full of gory, ghostly manifestations, but Margaret and Hal soothe themselves by remembering that there will be 11 normal months after that. Margaret approaches life with determined practicality and a quirky inner voice that immediately charms. Kimberly Farr embodies her to perfection. Her depiction of Margaret epitomizes the unflappable American mother found in many a sitcom, perfectly balancing her against the story's gruesome autumnal backdrop. Farr follows Orlando's layered story, believably depicting each new development as the story moves from horror to tragedy to triumph. Although the book lures listeners in with humor, it soon becomes a moving exploration of the hidden costs of resilience and survival. As the novel nears its end, listeners may find themselves poking at the tender parts of their own lives. They will also likely spend that final half hour barricading the door against intrusions as they're caught up in the marvelous finale. VERDICT This perfect synergy of author and narrator will have broad appeal. For fans of Rachel Harrison and Grady Hendrix and anyone seeking a unique haunted-house story.--Matthew Galloway

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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