On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.
Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable.
The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive—alive and hungry.
The Place Where they Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry is haunting and compelling, one of the best horror novels I’ve read. I like the way the story starts with loss, weaving its way into your bones and evolving as Jessie learns more about the house herself. The story builds slowly but does so in a way that drives home the hunger of the house, the darkness that haunts the street where Jessie lives
The story is incredibly gripping and as a reader, I could barely stop to breathe as I devoured the story, much like the house ate the children that encountered it. The narrative is heartbreaking, terrifying but some aspects are quite beautiful even as you hope for Jessie to finally escape the horror of the house.
If you like superb horror, haunting and compelling, I recommend this novel. The loss and pain will haunt you but you will also find yourself rooting for Jessie. It is an incredible story by a master of horror.
Rating: 5 out of 5 disappearances
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