The Good House: A Novel
*From the author of The Reformatory—A New York Times Notable Book of 2023*
Award-winning author Tananarive Due's critically acclaimed story of supernatural suspense, as a woman searches for the inherited power that can save her hometown from evil forces.
The home that belonged to Angela Toussaint's late grandmother is so beloved that the townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington call it the Good House. But that all changes one summer when an unexpected tragedy takes place behind its closed doors, and the Toussaint's family history—and future—is dramatically transformed.
Angela has not returned to the Good House since her son, Corey, died there two years ago. But now, Angela is finally ready to return to her hometown and go beyond the grave to unearth the truth about Corey's death. Could it be related to a terrifying entity Angela's grandmother battled seven decades ago? And what about the other senseless calamities that Sacajawea has seen in recent years? Has Angela's grandmother, an African American woman reputed to have "powers," put a curse on the entire community?
A thrilling exploration of secrets, lies, and divine inspiration, The Good House will haunt readers long after its chilling conclusion.
Award-winning author Tananarive Due's critically acclaimed story of supernatural suspense, as a woman searches for the inherited power that can save her hometown from evil forces.
The home that belonged to Angela Toussaint's late grandmother is so beloved that the townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington call it the Good House. But that all changes one summer when an unexpected tragedy takes place behind its closed doors, and the Toussaint's family history—and future—is dramatically transformed.
Angela has not returned to the Good House since her son, Corey, died there two years ago. But now, Angela is finally ready to return to her hometown and go beyond the grave to unearth the truth about Corey's death. Could it be related to a terrifying entity Angela's grandmother battled seven decades ago? And what about the other senseless calamities that Sacajawea has seen in recent years? Has Angela's grandmother, an African American woman reputed to have "powers," put a curse on the entire community?
A thrilling exploration of secrets, lies, and divine inspiration, The Good House will haunt readers long after its chilling conclusion.
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Community Reviews
A wonderfully deeply immersive read. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this book or even a series. Character references from Ms. Due’s other book My Soul to Keep is even mentioned here. I took my time with this story, making sure I truly understood what each character experienced and understood the creole references. Angela went through it, not only with her family, but with the spirits that haunted them. This book shows how one shouldn’t go around playing with dark magic or spirits, as you never know what you will conjure up.
Welp, this had me scared to read at night.
The themes of anger and ancestry were incredibly woven throughout this tale. And then, initiative and redemption. Asé and Amen.
I have enjoyed all of the other books and stories I've read by Tananarive Due, but this one was a struggle for me to get through. Due spends a lot of time building characters and then not doing much with them. It starts out painfully slowly, with a lot of shallow attention to the protagonist's love life, which bored the hell out of me. A little more than halfway through, the plot really started to pick up and deliver some fun surprises... but the reader figures out what is happening long before the protagonist and is forced to plod along with her long after the resolution has become predictable.
There were some very well written, spooky moments in the book, and many of the themes the novel centered around were incredibly powerful (motherhood, loss, love, racism, ancestry). But I think overall it would have benefited from some heavy editing to tighten it up and cut the dull, filler pages. I don't think I'd recommend this one; I was disappointed with it.
There were some very well written, spooky moments in the book, and many of the themes the novel centered around were incredibly powerful (motherhood, loss, love, racism, ancestry). But I think overall it would have benefited from some heavy editing to tighten it up and cut the dull, filler pages. I don't think I'd recommend this one; I was disappointed with it.
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