The Forever House

January 6, 2020
The common horror trope of a malignant new arrival upending an otherwise normal town serves as the template for this chilling but uneven supernatural novel. In this case, the new arrival is the Eldreds, a creepy family of five that will put readers in mind of a less approachable Addams family, who move to Brookside Court, Ohio. Waggoner (The Mouth of the Dark) devotes the first half of his tale to profiling the Eldreds’ neighbors, delving into the deep-seated flaws beneath their perfect suburban exteriors—Neal Wilkerson is uneasy with his wife Kandice’s bisexuality; Martin Hawkins has a gambling addiction; Spencer Parsons is a pedophile; and so on. The Eldreds lure this troubled cast of characters to their home to feed on the “negative psychic energy” they give off, subjecting each of the townspeople to terrors personally tailored to their faults and fears. The horrors inside the Eldred house are spectacularly realized, but so over-the-top that the eventual resolution is contrived and unconvincing. Waggoner’s tale delivers some solid scares, but only occasionally rises above the genre conventions it employs.

March 1, 2020
The Eldreds have moved into the quiet cul de sac of Brookside Court in Rockbridge, Ohio, where the neighbors all have dark biases, fears, and desires. Martin is a bigot, and his wife, Cora, is angered by his gambling. Isaac Ruiz is arrogant. Neal struggles with his wife Kandice's bisexuality. Lola fears her son Spencer's latent pedophilia. The Eldreds feed on these dark emotions. After a cookout, they lure their neighbors into their house, which they have turned into terrifying mini-worlds called Domains. Then the horrors begin. Everyone must put aside their differences to confront the ancient evil that is the Eldreds; then those who survive plan their revenge. This fast-paced story features flawed but empathetic neighbor characters, as well as graphic horror, strong language, and several explicit sex scenes that are not for the faint of heart. Waggoner (They Kill, 2019) explores the struggles of families and whether people can put aside their prejudices when confronted by evil. With new twists on vampirism and the haunted house, horror fans will find this Lovecraftian terror tale of interest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)