If I’ve read a better book than How to Sell a Haunted House this year, I don’t remember which one it is.
Louise is a single mother who receives a terrible phone call from her estranged, alcoholic, college dropout brother, Mark: their parents both died in a car accident. Louise hops on a plane and arrives in South Carolina where she immediately stops Mark from gutting the house of its occupants: an unbelievable number of custom-made puppets, representing their mother’s career as a shockingly profitable Christian puppeteer. The door to the attic is nailed shut, things are seemingly moving around on their own, and strange noises plague the house. Shit ensues.
I’m not going to say too much more because this is just so scary, so unexpected, has so many twists, and none of them should be spoiled for anyone so I certainly won’t spoil it for you, dear reader. I will say that the puppets, which are already a scary concept in my opinion, are unbelievably horrifying. Hendrix takes things to a place of extreme body horror with tension and excellent payoffs. Mark in particular goes from being an absolute scumbag, to a pretty sympathetic character, and back to being a total asshole. In general, all of the characters are well-realized and very fun. Mark and Louise’s extended family, including the indomitable Aunt Honey, an unsinkable Molly Brown type, and their cousin who is a realtor that immediately nopes out of selling the house because she can tell it’s haunted, are just fantastic. This book will mess with your emotions, terrify you, and keep you at the edge of your seat.
This is my favorite book I read this year. Definite recommend.