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.
We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on June 18 2024
Genres: Adult, ghost story, Psychological horror
Pages: 312
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A weird, mind-bending journey into a very strange house, We Used To Live Here is a terrifying puzzle of a story.
“If you’ve followed directions properly up to this point, RED LAKE will be bone dry. At its deepest point, there will be a steel hatch in the ground that leads to a house of refuge. An elderly woman will be there to provide further instruction. If her eyes are BLUE, leave immediately and backtrack your route to the last house of refuge. Ensure the woman does NOT follow.”
If you’re looking for a really scary book, then look no further. I have to admit it takes a lot to scare me, at least when it comes to reading (movies are another story!) But We Used To Live Here creeped me out more than any other book I’ve read in a long time. It’s also very weird and has been (rightly so) compared to House of Leaves. Not everything about the story made sense, but I didn’t mind the ambiguousness, which is almost more unsettling than having everything spelled out for you. Read this one during the day, preferably with a friend (or dog!) nearby. And I’m going to keep this review on the shorter side so as not to spoil anything.
The premise is this: Eve and Charlie have just purchased an old house in backwoods Oregon with the intention of fixing it up and flipping it. One night when Charlie is out and Eve is home alone, there’s an unexpected knock on the door. On the doorstep is a family of five, and the father claims that he used to live in the house and wants to show it to his family. Eve is reluctant to let strangers into her house, especially when Charlie isn’t there. But Thomas, his wife Paige, and their three children seem harmless, so she agrees, provided they keep their visit short.
But fifteen minutes turns into an hour, and suddenly Eve wonders if she’s made a huge mistake. As she walks through the house with the family, she notices weird nooks and crannies in the attic that (she swears) weren’t there before. Is the house changing? Or is Eve going mad?
Marcus Kliewer does subtle horror really well. This isn’t a story with ax wielding maniacs or otherworldly monsters, rather the terror sneaks up on you slowly. The author takes your typical horror tropes like spooky basements, remote locations, bad weather and shadowy figures that may or may not be real, and uses them to great effect to create tension and dread. And because this is psychological horror, you’re never really sure what’s real and what isn’t. We experience everything from Eve’s point of view, a woman who isn’t used to dealing with things like this. Charlie is her rock, but Charlie is absent for part of the story, so Eve is forced to figure things out on her own. A lot of the tension in the beginning stems from Eve’s fears and uncertainties, so in that respect she’s the perfect character to follow on this strange journey.
This is a story about perception and how people see things in different ways. You also need to pay close attention to the details, because later on things are just slightly different. For example, Eve and Charlie live at 3709 Heritage Lane, but later in the story someone mentions that their address is actually 3710 Heritage Lane. One character has a tattoo, and later that tattoo is gone. I love stories like this where reality shifts and you’re never sure what’s real and what isn’t. Epistolary sections between each chapter give hints about what may be going on, and one of these appears to be a research paper that suggests the Mandela Effect might be responsible for some of the weird things the characters in the story remember—or remember incorrectly.
And speaking of the epistolary sections, I absolutely loved these weird glimpses into the area where Eve’s and Charlie’s house is located. Newspaper clippings, journal entries, message board conversations, reports of missing persons, all of them seem disconnected at first, but gradually they create an off-kilter quilt of sorts, a bunch of weird stitched together parts that evolve into a whole, filling in some of the blanks (but not all) of what Eve and Charlie are going through. If I had time, I’d go back and read this book again, and maybe pay attention more to some of these odd details.
The story gets weirder and weirder until I was questioning my own sanity. The ending is rather ambiguous, so if you’re one of those readers who needs a tidy ending with all the mysteries solved, this might not be the right book for you. The final chapter was simply brilliant and sort of changed everything for me. Even days after finishing We Used To Live Here, I still can’t stop thinking about it. I believe there’s a Netflix movie in the works, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’m brave enough to watch it! Highly recommended if you’re looking for a unique and thoroughly unsettling psychological horror story.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I don’t need a tiny ending…but now I wonder if it’s a totally unresolved/suspended one, if you know what I mean…I’m intrigued, but a little wary. Anyway, I’m always in awe when someone manages to pull it off while reviewing such a difficult book!
Roberta R. recently posted…Brandon Jones: “Whirly World”
The end is sort of up for interpretation. I thought it worked really well:-)
The quote at the top is already freaking me out but as per usual it does intrigue me to read this book. I’m already screaming at Eve to not let that family into the house. I love when a book has epistolary sections so that makes me want to read this book even more after reading your review.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Ha ha I know, I was screaming at Eve for a good part of the book!
This sounds fascinating… but the lack of answers might bother me too much!
It will definitely bother some readers!
wow, if this one creeped YOU out, this is definitely not for me, lol
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Sunday Post #110 – Book addiction
Ha ha you would probably not like it at all:-)
I love the quote that you’ve included. It’s left me needing to know more instantly. And I don’t mind ambiguous endings. I think when done well they can add to the way that they play on your mind. I don’t know how I’d get on with a ‘weird’ book but between the quote and epistolary sections I’m rather intrigued.
The quote gives you a good idea of how weird this is:-)
Sounds great. Sometimes I really like a crazy story you almost can’t make heads or tails of. Reminds me how much I enjoyed the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.
I still need to watch that!
I’m still so curious about this because of how scary and strange it sounds. I’d usually end up watching the movie version first, but if the story is really that scary then I’m starting to wonder about that. Perhaps another case where I should make time to read the book first. 😀
So scary. I loved it. Great review.
Lynn 😀
This sounds so delightfully creepy!!!
Oh, this sounds really good, and just the type of horror I love (the slow/subtle kind that creeps up on you)
Wow, this sounds like super creepy but also super well done as a book! I don’t think it would be a good fit for me but stilll, your words made me curious and I enjoyed reading your review a lot!
This was indeed a braintwister of the highest degree and I admit it got away from me at times. (Like….most of them.) I’m really curious to know if anyone noticed the Morse code or semaphore notations at the end of each of the epistolary sections? I returned my copy to the library before I realized how fully obsessed I was with the book! And that should serve as a review in itself – it’s the kind of novel that will leave you wanting to keep going further down the path.
I did notice the Morse code, and kept pulling up a screenshot of the alphabet to track the communication every time the code came up. I can tell you it definitely hints at a larger supernatural implication regarding the events of the story! (I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone else by posting the exact message word for word here.)
I couldn’t figure out all the codes! I tired to Google it but no luck! What were they please?
does anyone know what the random glyph languages spell out on page 151-153? ive spent hours trying to figure it out and cant for the life of me.