This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are by Stephen Howard

Book Review: This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are by Stephen Howard

Stephen Howard’s This House Isn’t Haunted but We Are is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of grief, memory, and the lingering echoes of the past. Blurring the lines between psychological drama and supernatural fiction, Howard crafts a story that is as much about the ghosts we carry within ourselves as it is about the ones that might inhabit the spaces around us.

This House Isn’t Haunted but We Are follows the story of a fractured family. Simon and Priya are mourning the loss of their young daughter, who has tragically passed away. Desperate to mend their troubled marriage, the couple relocates to the North Yorkshire Moors to restore a run-down countryside cottage. However, their attempts are disrupted by increasingly unsettling occurrences.

Howard’s ability to weave emotional depth into every page. The characters are richly drawn, each carrying their own burdens and secrets. The sibling dynamics feel authentic, fraught with love, resentment, and the unspoken words that often define familial relationships. The house, with its eerie atmosphere, serves as a metaphor for the past, its rooms filled with memories that refuse to stay buried.

What I particularly loved about This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are was the alternating chapters from Simon and Priya’s viewpoints. More importantly, it has chapters from the perspective of the house itself. Howard could have easily told this story from one viewpoint, but grief and coming to terms with it within the boundaries of a family relationship never has a single point of view. This approach gives the narrative an extra layer of humanity; both Simopn and Priya are hurting and carrying different scares from the death of their daughter, and it allows us to not lay blame on either of them for the state of their relationship is now in.

I loved how the house itself was central to the narrative. I’ve read a few stories about a “sentient” house. but This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are is probably the most authentic and heartbreaking one I have read.

Howard’s prose is lyrical and evocative, creating a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the tension to build gradually, and the ambiguity of the supernatural elements keeps readers guessing. Howard feels you are ready to learn the truth. Is the house truly haunted, or are the characters haunted by their own guilt, regret, and unresolved grief? Trust me, when the penny drops, you won’t be disappointed.

This House Isn’t Haunted but We Are is more than just a tale of ghosts; it offers insights into how our history influences our identity and the weight of our past that we carry despite our desires to move on. This poignant and thought-provoking novella by Stephen Howard will connect with anyone who has faced challenges in releasing what has been left behind. It is a profoundly moving read that is both emotionally resonant and eerily atmospheric, making it a must-read for literary fiction enthusiasts infused with supernatural elements.

This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are by Stephen Howard

Simon and Priya’s young daughter has died in a tragic accident. Determined to heal their fracturing marriage, the couple move to the North Yorkshire Moors to renovate a dilapidated rural cottage. However, they just can’t process their grief as increasingly eerie events unfold. A child’s ghostly figure appears on the moors, doors lock themselves, and a mysterious stain grows from the loft. Is it their daughter haunting them or something else? Starve Acre meets Linghun in this story of grief, marriage and haunting.

Further Reading

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