When Jack and Sydney move into their new London home, they can't believe their luck. It's everything they've ever dreamed of and more. However, while investigating a noxious smell, Jack makes a disturbing discovery in the attic but decides to try and forget about it. Meanwhile Sydney befriends Elsie, the sad-looking girl who lives in the house opposite with her father. It starts a series of events leading to a catastrophe which changes all their lives forever. What a fantastic psychological thriller! I'm so pleased I was given the opportunity to read The House. It was brooding and creepy. I loved all the twists and turns. Although the first few chapters felt slightly disjointed, once it found its pace it was fantastic; with plenty of those 'I didn't see that one coming!' moments. The book is written in the style of a journal with chapters alternating between the perspectives of Jack and Sydney. It works very well, especially at the end where, without giving anything away, the reader discovers how all the pieces fit together.

At first you can be forgiven for thinking that this is a supernatural tale, a haunted house; the opening pieces certainly give that impression. With the first half of the book told in almost journal like entries by the proud owners of this London terrace Jack and Syd as they struggle to come to terms with the strangeness of their new home. From the thrill of buying the property to the peculiarities of both the neighbourhood and their new home, it soon becomes clear that this is a thriller and a very disturbing one - deliciously so. Simon Lelic's writing does not disappoint, I found myself becoming rapidly absorbed by these, not altogether likeable, characters. There is a certain claustrophobia to becoming encaptured by their personalities as they detail what has led them to this point in time; their upbringings, their partnership, the House and that murder. As things begin to unravel for Jack and Syd it is the little details that become important and just as you think you have a grip of what is happening the tide turns and suddenly nothing is what you thought as you plunge from their carefully crafted explanations of everything that has led to this point into the nightmare that is now and the fall out from the murder. I was genuinely gripped by this story and although the twist at the end was not really that big a surprise it was the reactions to it that were. The sense that no matter what they would go on, they would endure, they would start their lives anew. Masterful story telling that encourages you to switch a few brain cells on and engage with the characters and the scenarios rather than just get dragged along for the ride.

That gorgeously eerie cover set a pretty high standard with regards to my expectations of this book. I was hoping for something creepy, something chilling and I certainly got it. For me, however, a lot of the chill left the story as I began to learn more about the central characters. I was smitten with the first part. Strange events have happened and you’re never really sure what the cause was, who was affected and what exactly is going on. I found myself feeling a little disappointed when the reason for the odd goings on was revealed. However, it was at this point that The House took an about-turn for me. I cast aside my need for a creepy story and instead focused on the book I held in my hands. This was a brilliantly written, intricate and twisty tale of families gone wrong, seriously flipping wrong. Here was one of the most sinister, devious and generally most horrible characters I have ever met (in a literary sense) screaming at me from the pages for my attention. Now I like my characters dark. That’s no secret. Only yesterday, in another review, I confessed to liking the bad guy in the book more than any of the other ‘relatable’ lead characters. But this character….WOAH! If you like your reads dark then The House should be top of your wish list. This book ticked so many boxes for me. I managed to get a good dose of creepiness, I loved the way Jack and Syd, a couple very much in love at the start and our lead characters, began drifting apart as their lives were put under unexplainable pressure. The bad guy was so brilliantly horrible that I’ll remember him for a long time to come. I absolutely loved the twist, so clever! As soon as I start reading a book I attempt to try and work out where the story is heading, what the twist will be…I can’t help it, it’s a compulsion! But this, this I NEVER saw coming and I absolutely loved it. Have I mentioned that it’s very clever…?? lol. Would I recommend this book? I would. It’s deliciously dark, imposing and totally engrossing. Simon Lelic was a new author to me until I picked up my copy of The House. I will be making a point of searching out his future thriller releases. I really enjoyed The House but suggest you don’t just think of it as a creepy read as that is only a fraction of what this book is about. It has a lot more to offer readers. Four and a half stars out of five. I chose to read and review an ARC of The House. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

It's impossible to start this book and not become addicted to it instantly. The way the book is written - Jack and his girlfriend Syd, write their side of the story as a journal in alternating chapters - just intrigues you so much you have to keep reading. What is it about the house that's so troublesome? What's that smell? Who is Elise? Admittedly I would have liked a little more 'goings on' with The House - since that's the title of the book - initially you believe that because there's a grisly find in the loft that the story will take off in that spooky direction but sadly it doesn't. This is much more a character driven novel which still definitely works, and because of the way the book is written you are sent deep inside the heads of Jack and Syd and therefore know exactly how they're feeling and what they want you to see. This book may not be quite as riveting or compelling as some psychological thrillers during the main part of the story but it's still a very intriguing and entertaining read which you want to see to the end nonetheless. And the ending, well I didn't suspect it would go that way and found it very fitting to the main plot. This is the first book I have read by Simon Lelic and I'd happily read his work again, the new slant to the unique way he has written this book was quite daring but it worked and I would recommend this book as a really good physiological thriller. 4 stars

Jack and Sydney can hardly believe their luck when their offer on their dream house is accepted. So they have to take the house as seen, and so it’s full of the previous owner’s possessions. And so what if it isn’t actually Jack’s ideal home. As long as Sydney is happy that’s the main thing. Then Jack discovers something in the attic, something that shouldn’t be there. And things begin to unravel drastically. I have to admit that when I started to read this book it didn’t grab my complete attention. But I continued to read and found that I wanted to find out more. The story is told from the view point of Jack and Sydney, each chapter headed with one the character’s names, a witness statement in a more fluid and unofficial form. This style of narration worked well, I liked gleaning information from different viewpoints to round the story out. It also allowed the reader to get to know the characters more. There were issues with both Sydney and Jack. Products of their upbringings, Sydney was standoffish, and prickly but also passionate about certain situations, including helping Elsie, a young girl she befriends. Sydney sees herself reflected in Elsie and wants to change history by helping her. Jack is more needy, more keen to please, and is devoted to Sydney. As the story progresses more is revealed about Sydney’s past and the physical abuse she suffered as a child. The reader is guided through a series of events from the past and slowly shown how they collide with the present. I had guessed how things would proceed but it was interesting to see them played out. The murder doesn’t happen immediately and indeed is just a small part of the story. I thought this worked well, the death was a necessary part of the tale but doesn’t overshadow the bigger picture. There were some things that seemed obvious, or obvious to me, that lessened the effect. That said this is purely a personal thing. This book has been described as spooky though I didn’t find it as such. I’m not a fan of horror for example, not because I don’t like being scared, but I’m too sensible. I get fed up with characters going down a smoky dark alley instead of towards the town and help for example. So when a scene in the novel depicted Jack investigating a noise downstairs, I just thought ‘why doesn’t he just put the big light on?’ That said, there are many things in here that aren’t as expected, such as what is found in the attic – and I won’t say more for fear of spoiling it. So, in all honesty, I’m glad that I didn’t find the novel spooky. I liked the writing style, sometimes jovial, sometimes serious. This and chapter layout meant for me that I found myself reading the novel quite quickly, the chapters lending themselves to the justification of ‘just one more’. There are clues aplenty in each person’s narrative and also in what each may omit to write down. I also have to say I really liked the ending. It finished exactly as I think it should have. Reading this back it may sound like I didn’t enjoy this novel but I did. I’ve heard this book described as a marmite book; you’ll either love it or loathe it. I like to be different. I didn’t love it but I certainly didn’t loathe it. I liked it. My enjoyment grew the more I read, and towards the end I was eager to get back to it. I found it an interesting and entertaining read. And if you read for entertainment and the book you are reading entertains, then job done.