I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix Published by Berkley on January 17 2023
Genres: Adult, ghost story, Horror
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Domestic drama, a vengeful puppet and a family mystery come together in Grady Hendrix’s latest, a fun and bloody must-read for all Hendrix fans.
“Your mom’s puppets are watered down copies of copies,” he said. “They’re off-brand Muppets. Put real puppets in a church and they’d burn it down. Puppets unleash anarchy…Puppets are about violence.”
I can always rely on Grady Hendrix to come up with a highly entertaining story that veers into the absurd, and his latest is no exception. How to Sell a Haunted House went in some unexpected directions, but it ended up being a blast to read.
Louise Joyner is surprised one day by a phone call from her estranged brother Mark. He tells her their parents, Nancy and Eric, have just been killed in a freak car accident. Devastated by the news, Louise leaves her five year old daughter Poppy behind to attend to her parents affairs and help plan the funeral. But when she arrives, she’s shocked to find out that Mark has already had Nancy and Eric cremated (against the family’s wishes) and planned a funeral themed around Nancy’s love of puppetry. And when Louise and Mark meet at the house to talk about selling it, they’re confronted with their unconventional past: Nancy’s beloved puppets and dolls are everywhere, spilling off of bookshelves and crowding the sewing room where Nancy created them.
But there’s something else off about the house. Louise hears odd noises coming from the attic, and Nancy’s lifesize “Mark” and “Louise” dolls keep moving around the house. Is Mark playing a trick on her? Or is the house haunted? Louise is also suspicious about the accident. Why was a hammer found on the floor, and who boarded up the attic? And when Louise is attacked by Pupkin, Nancy’s favorite puppet and the source of many of Louise’s childhood nightmares, Louise and Mark decide to team up to cleanse the house of whatever spirits might be living there, because as their real estate agent Mercy tells them, you can’t sell a haunted house. With the help of some quirky friends and relatives, Mark and Louise delve into their past to confront what really happened that long ago day that Mark nearly drowned in the pond, and what it has to do with what’s happening in the present.
There are so many layers to this story. On one level, it’s an emotional look at two estranged siblings and how they must repair their relationship in order to overcome a childhood enemy. When the story opens, Louise is faced with the unpleasant task of going home to deal with her parents’ deaths, which includes interacting with Mark, the brother she hasn’t spoken to in years. I’ll admit I hated Mark in the beginning. Not only does he do awful things, but he’s a serious jerk. He gloats over the fact that Nancy left him everything (except her horrible art collection), and he refuses to share any of his inheritance with Louise, who could really use the financial help. From Louise’s point of view, we learn that Mark got away with all sorts of things as a child, while Louise was the “responsible” one, graduating from college and getting a job.
It isn’t until we get a chapter from Mark’s perspective that my opinion of him began to shift. And wow, what a chapter it was! Hendrix introduces readers to the concept of a “radical puppet collective,” a group of performers he meets while attending Boston University. The performers immerse themselves in the puppets’ personas in order to convey their political beliefs in the form of outrageous puppet shows, and it’s at this time that Mark becomes heavily involved with his mother’s puppet Pupkin. This is also the point where the story really took off for me.
And of course there is the “haunted house” layer of the story, which was very well done. Poor Louise has some horrible experiences in the house, mostly involving Pupkin, and in typical Grady Hendrix style, the calm before the storm doesn’t really prepare you for the unhinged, violent action that seems to come out of nowhere. I’ll admit I wasn’t prepare to read a story about creepy puppets, but Hendrix does some unique things with the trope, including Nancy’s obsession with the Christian Puppet Ministry, something I thought the author had invented until I started Googling it! Apparently there is a whole subculture that revolves around puppets, and I’m sort of glad I didn’t know about it until now.
The author adds in lighter moments with some of the female relatives, like Aunt Honey, Gail and Constance. Hendrix is so good at dialog—I think I mention that in every review I write—and some of the exchanges among the family members were laugh out loud funny. If you like your humor black, then you really can’t get much better than this. And underlying the humor is a somber tone that never completely goes away. There are way too many secrets in this family, harmful secrets that must be kept at all costs. This balance of humor, poignancy, thrilling action and introspective reflection is one of the author’s strengths, and Hendrix once again nails that balance perfectly.
The only thing that didn’t really work for me was Poppy’s role in the story. I feel like the author only needed her for the big finale, but up to that point she’s mostly kept off-page. Also, Louise comes across as a horrible mother (you’ll understand when you read the book) and I don’t think that was necessarily the case.
Hendrix explores different types of “hauntings,” the ones with actual ghosts, and the ones that involve inescapable childhood memories. Certainly the Joyner family has been haunted all these years by Nancy’s puppet obsession and everything that occurred after Pupkin was “born.” I loved that the author used The Velveteen Rabbit as a touchstone for Louise’s childhood, a book that her mother insisted on reading to her, but one Louise hated. Later in the story, the tension surrounding Pupkin and what’s happening in the house ramps up to almost ridiculous levels, and even though the author telegraphs one particularly nasty scene, I was still surprised when he actually went there.
All in all, I had so much fun reading How to Sell a Haunted House, even though my favorite of Hendrix’s books is still The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Grady Hendrix fans will not be disappointed.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
OMG – Pupkin!! What a nightmare. The scene with the will – I was so angry. But then, the author turns things around a little doesn’t he and gives a very fine example of their being two sides to every story.
Lynn 😀
Pupkin though – *shivers*
Pupkin is a “character” I won’t soon forget:-/
Chucky and The Velveteen Rabbit! 🙂
Ha ha exactly!
I was very much looking forward to your review of Hendrix’s book because I feared he might not double his success with the “Southern Guide”, but it seems he managed to create an engrossing story that mixes humor and drama in a very enjoyable blend. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…ECHO PARK (Harry Bosch #12), by Michael Connelly
It was really good! I hope you get the chance to read it at some point:-)
Great review, Tammy! Puppets already freak me out so the premise of the story already scares me but I also can’t wait to read it at the same time. Does that even make any sense? I’m also really glad that there are some light moments because those are definitely needed with Grady Hendrix’s book. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book and I think I will as well!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: The Magi by Eric Vanden Eykel
Yes that makes sense! It’s fun to be freaked out, lol. I hope you love it!
Yesss, so glad you loved this! 😀 I’m reading it soon and I’m so excited. I honestly don’t think I have been THIS excited for one of Grady’s books since WSOS (which is saying something, since you know I’m right there with you in the GH Fanclub lol!). I was going to get to it pre-release, but I’m going to buddy read it with a friend later this month instead and I’m sure it’s going to be a blast. Amazing review!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries recently posted…December Recap & Haul Time!
Thanks Destiny! I hope you love it! Grady is one of a kind:-)
This sounds really good to me and I’m tempted to try it, but, man, it already sounds creepy too because of the puppets. I’ll have to work up some courage for it.
Ha ha right there with you!
Oof, I think the puppet premise of this may be too creepy for me I’ll stick with literal ghosts, thanks, haha
Jenna @ Falling Letters recently posted…Let’s Talk About Stats: Views, Comments, Likes, & Referrers [Discussion]
LOL I agree, they were almost too creepy for me too:-)
I’ve been really looking forward to your review for this one! I think this sounds really fun and perfectly creepy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I agree the puppets sound super creepy, haha, but I honestly don’t know the last time I read about creepy puppets so I guess bring it on and let’s see how it goes? Lol. Great review!
Jordan @ Forever Lost in Literature recently posted…The Friday Face-Off: A favorite!
I was worried about the puppets too, but the story is so good it ended up being fun:-)
I have to admit, the life-sized dolls — moving around no less — scared the crap out of me, but then the rest of it, especially your understanding of Mark though his chapters and his perspective make me want to know more about this fantastic charaterisation!
I was surprised how much my opinion of Mark changed!
His books are always such a wild ride. Glad you enjoyed this one!
They really are!
I had SO MANY emotions reading this book. Like you, I was a little annoyed that Louise is made out as a bad mother (and extremely enraged that other characters treat her as such for a no-win situation that you’ll never know how you’ll handle as a parent until you’re in it . . . and most parents hope to never have to be in that situation . . . especially since the implication is that a good parent will LIE to their child in that situation).
I don’t think I enjoyed this book as much as you did, but I still really enjoyed it and definitely plan on reading more Hendrix, because I loved their writing!
Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den recently posted…Upcoming 2023 Releases I Can’t Wait To Read (Woe To My NetGalley Ratio)
Hendrix really does the best funny dialog:-)
I will have to give this one a try! I have liked a few of his Souther Guide being my favorite, but DNFed his Final Girl Support one so was leary about picking this one up but sounds interesting.
Stormi recently posted…Week in Review #16
I think if you liked Southern Book Club you’ll enjoy this.
This was great, it read like your horror blockbuster movie! Also I hate dolls, they creep me out, but I think puppets might be even worse!
I agree! Pupkin was a literal nightmare:-/
This sounds like a highly original book, that’s for sure!!