Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 2 November 2023.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Weekly website.
Make sure to also check out my extended reviews for The Exchange, The Night House and The Armour of Light.
Tag: The Night House
Quick Review – The Night House by Jo Nesbo
Publisher: Harvill Seeker (Trade Paperback – 26 September 2023)
Series: Standalone
Length: 263 pages
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the intriguing new novel from international bestselling author Jo Nesbo, The Night House. Nesbo is an author whose work I have been interested in checking out for a while as I have heard a lot of about his intriguing crime fiction stories and thrillers. I was really excited to check out something from Nesbo this year, and whilst The Night House is somewhat different from the author’s more typical work, it proved to be a very fascinating and compelling read with a deep story behind it.
Plot Synopsis:
WHEN THE VOICES CALL, DON’T ANSWER…
In the wake of his parents’ tragic deaths fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote town of Ballantyne.
Richard quickly earns a reputation as an outcast, and when a classmate named Tom goes missing, everyone suspects the new, angry boy is responsible. No one believes him when he says the telephone booth out by the edge of the woods sucked Tom into the receiver like something out of a horror movie.
No one, that is, except Karen, a beguiling fellow outsider who encourages Richard to pursue clues the police refuse to investigate. He traces the number that Tom prank called from the phone booth to an abandoned house in the woods. There he catches a glimpse of a terrifying face in the window. And then the voices start . . .
When another classmate disappears, Richard must find a way to prove his innocence as he grapples with the dark magic that is possessing Ballantyne.
Then again, Richard may not be the most reliable narrator of his own story.
The Night House was a very unique read that combines several disparate genre elements and turns them into a personal and moving novel set around a damaged protagonist. The book is broken into three parts with three different, if closely related, stories being told in each section of the book. The first story is a great coming-of-age tale that sees an extremely angry teenager, Richard Elauved, witness a series of extremely graphic and strange deaths around town, seemingly linked to a phone number he called as a prank. Blamed for these apparent murders, Richard tries to prove his innocence and face off against a mysterious and dangerous evil threatening his town. There is something very reminiscent of classic Stephen King in this early part of the book, and Nesbo moves this horror infused storyline at a very quick pace, setting Richard up against terrors and mysterious manipulations, with many of his friends dying all around him. There is an interesting conclusion to this part, which really explores the protagonist’s deeper feelings and desire to be the hero, and it proved to be a great self-contained story.
Things start to take an interesting turn as Nesbo suddenly jumps into a whole new story. The second part of The Night House puts a different tint on the prior events as an older Richard appears and shows that not everything is as it seems. There is a great central story that takes some dark twists and turns, while you also get some intriguing continuation of character elements from the first part of the book, especially towards Richard’s past and the events that formed him. Nesbo introduces some key revelations, hints and intriguing differences between the protagonist’s memories of events and what other characters remember, all of which lead up to the big twist revealed in the third part of the book.
I’m not going to dive too deeply into the third and final section of The Night House, as to do so would reveal too many spoilers, but it really ties everything together in an extremely clever way. The overarching secrets, conflicting stories and differing backgrounds are all worked into this short final part of the book, and you get a complete story as the gaps in Richard’s unreliable narration are filled in. This part of the book really brings the story full circle, and you can fully appreciate how clever Nesbo has been in the prior sections of the book, especially with how he was simultaneously telling unique stories while also setting up this finale. There was some brilliant character work involved in building up this finale, especially when it comes to trauma and how it impacts behaviour, and I really enjoyed how the horror elements for the prior parts of The Night House had some great symbolism for the book’s conclusion.
I ended up having a great time with The Night House, and it proves to be a quick and interesting read to get through. Thanks to its excellent character work and the clever way Nesbo sets up the story, The Night House is one of the more unique reads of 2023, and I really appreciated the compelling and heartfelt story that Nesbo told, especially as he managed to work some memorable horror moments into it. A moving and compelling read that proves to be an excellent introduction to Nesbo’s writing.
WWW Wednesday – 25 October 2023
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading?
The Armour of Light by Ken Follett (Hardcover)
I started reading the new massive historical fiction novel from Ken Follett, The Armour of Light, this week and I am currently about 100 pages in. Another compelling entry in Follett’s most iconic series, The Armour of Light is off to an interesting start as it examines several great characters during a troubled historical period. I am hoping to finish this off in the next week or so and it is so far proving to be one of the better historical fiction novels of 2023.
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)
I honestly did not intend to listen to more of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels this week, but thanks to the major cliffhanger at the end of Changes, I had to dive into the next book, Ghost Story, as well. One of the darker books in the entire series, Ghost Story is a great listen and I am deeply enjoying it’s complex and powerful story.
What did you recently finish reading?
Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham (Trade Paperback)
An intriguing and entertaining fantasy novel that I really enjoyed. I am hoping to get a review up for it soon and I am also planning to dive into the sequel when I get a chance.
Changes by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)
A particularly brilliant and brutal entry in the Dresden Files series that will have you hooked the entire way through.
The Exchange by John Grisham (Trade Paperback)
An intense and clever new novel from the always dependable John Grisham.
The Night House by Jo Nesbo (Trade Paperback)
A gritty horror thriller with some compelling twists behind it.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Saevus Corax Deals With The Dead by K. J. Parker
If I manage to get through the Follett this week I will probably dive into the new K. J. Parker novel, Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead. A fun fantasy novel about a battlefield looter who gets into all manner of trouble, Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead sounds like an exceptional read and it has the potential to be one of the best books of 2023.
That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
Book Haul – 12 August 2023
I have been having an excellent couple of weeks for book, as I have been lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from some of my local publishers and from Netgalley. These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including some books that have the potential to be the top novels of 2023. I am extremely keen to check out all of the books below and they should make for some amazing reads.
Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
An exciting and compelling thriller from one of Australia’s top crime fiction authors. Dark Corners is the fantastic sequel to Goldin’s previous novel, The Night Swim, and I have already started reading it.
Code Red by Kyle Mills
I am always keen to get my hands on the new Mitch Rapp novel, and I just got an early release of the next book by Kyle Mills, Code Red. This book promises to be loaded with action, intrigue, and excitement, and I cannot wait to dive into it.
The Pit by Peter Papathanasiou
A gritty Australian thriller from a talented, rising author.
The Night House by Jo Nesbo
An awesome and freaky sounding horror novel from epic crime fiction author Jo Nesbo, this is going to be good.
Mr Einstein’s Secretary by Matthew Reilly
Acclaimed author Matthrew Reilly takes on the historical fiction genre with this intriguing novel about Einstein’s secretary. This book sounds like it is going to be one of the most interesting and unique reads of 2023 and I cannot wait to dive into it.
Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley
An intense and complex piece of Australian fiction that I am very keen to check out.
Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post. As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in. Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.
The Unseen Library 