Abode
Morgan Sylvia
2017
Bloodshot Books
Reviewed by David T. Wilbanks
Morgan Sylvia’s debut horror novel is about a family living together in a cursed house nestled deep in the haunted woods of Maine.
Through a series of emails addressed to whom he believes to be the reincarnation of his dead sister, our narrator tells the story of the family home in which they grew up during the late Seventies, and of the horrific events that occurred there. Complete with television, music, and other references to the decade, the brother’s emotional reporting takes us from purchase of the home through the terrifying events leading to the catastrophic end. We discover how paranormal activity affects the family’s lives both in the home and, in the brother’s case, at school. In time, it is revealed that the house and its surroundings have a long history of dark doings. The brother’s tale relates a plethora of paranormal activity throughout, including the standard whispers, peripheral shadows, nightmares, cold spots and inanimate objects flying across the room. That the family remains numbed victims, maintaining a state of denial about all this atrocity, and doesn’t just leave the damned place adds to the increasing feeling of dread; and that’s not even to mention the nearby forest which seems warped in time itself.
The author’s voice is fresh and enthusiastic creating much of the drive in this novel about bad things happening to a common family. The text could have done with another good copy edit but it shouldn’t cause any problems for readers while they enjoy this first novel by a promising author.
