From the Publisher
[a] stylish debut novel” — Publishers Weekly
“If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.” — Booklist
“Good, scary fun, packed with emotional nuance” — Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully written in luminous prose, Starter House kept me up late at night with its disturbing, tangled tale of childhood and what it means to be a parent. Despite the darkness, Condit’s prose has so much heart and emotion, [...] I couldn’t put it down.” — Yangsze Choo, author of THE GHOST BRIDE
“A creepy creepy book that I am so thankful that I did not start reading until many months after buying my first house! [...] The book definitely takes some risks and thankfully the pacing was superb, so it made the book hard to put down!” — Kritters Ramblings
“Sonja Condit’s debut is a poetic and chilling read! The perfect blend of creepy suspense and lyrical prose, I feel Starter House is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction as well as the darker stuff.” — No More Grumpy Bookseller
“The tone of Starter House was foreboding, and had me wishing I only stuck to reading it during daytime hours. [...] I would definitely add the Starter House to your TBR list for Halloween this year, it would be a perfect creepy read for the month of October!” — BoundbyWords
“I could easily see this book as a movie, and I highly recommend Starter House to anyone who wants a change from the usual haunted house genre.” — Sweet Southern Home blog
“a great creepy and gothic read that will keep you reading with a flashlight under the covers late into the night!” — Book Addict Katie
No More Grumpy Bookseller
Sonja Condit’s debut is a poetic and chilling read! The perfect blend of creepy suspense and lyrical prose, I feel Starter House is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction as well as the darker stuff.
Booklist
If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.
Yangsze Choo
Beautifully written in luminous prose, Starter House kept me up late at night with its disturbing, tangled tale of childhood and what it means to be a parent. Despite the darkness, Condit’s prose has so much heart and emotion, [...] I couldn’t put it down.
BoundbyWords
The tone of Starter House was foreboding, and had me wishing I only stuck to reading it during daytime hours. [...] I would definitely add the Starter House to your TBR list for Halloween this year, it would be a perfect creepy read for the month of October!
Book Addict Katie
a great creepy and gothic read that will keep you reading with a flashlight under the covers late into the night!
Kritters Ramblings
A creepy creepy book that I am so thankful that I did not start reading until many months after buying my first house! [...] The book definitely takes some risks and thankfully the pacing was superb, so it made the book hard to put down!
Sweet Southern Home blog
I could easily see this book as a movie, and I highly recommend Starter House to anyone who wants a change from the usual haunted house genre.
Booklist
If this novel were a movie, you could close your eyes to save yourself from its scariest parts, but it is a book and its haunting elements are inescapable. A promising start by a new author, this will appeal to those looking for a disturbing story.
Kirkus Reviews
2013-10-05
In Condit's creepy debut, a young couple's dream home turns out to be haunted. The cottage at 571 Forrester Lane in the Southern town of Greeneburg is perfect for Lacey and Eric Miszlak. She's pregnant and wants to be near the best schools; he wants a 20-minute commute to his uncle's law firm. Lacey brushes aside the spooked reaction of their broker (who knows more than she's telling) but discovers after they move in that the house harbors a ghost: Drew, a needy little boy who asks her to be his mother. Lacey, a former elementary school teacher, prides herself on being good with difficult children, but she quickly learns to fear Drew's rages and his hostility toward her unborn child. "The thing in the house. It eats babies," blurts out the broker's daughter. The trouble started in 1972, when Andrew Halliday killed his wife, three of his four children and himself. Only Andrew Junior survived the massacre; he's changed his name to Lex Hall and has retained Eric in a custody battle over his young daughter. Yes, it's a lot of coincidences to swallow, and Drew's ability to travel as far afield as Australia seems more convenient than likely even within the parameters of a ghost story, but Condit paints such a convincing portrait of the Miszlaks' tension-riddled marriage and does such a good job of escalating the menace in Lacey's encounters with Drew that readers won't care much about probability. The novel has unusually strong characterizations as well, in particular the depiction of Lacey's New Age–y mother, Ella, who proves to be stronger and more protective than her daughter could understand in childhood. Eric too, controlling and overcautious though he is, comes through with flying colors in the violent denouement at the top of the stairs that have seen so many previous deaths. Good, scary fun, packed with emotional nuance.
