I stumbled upon a short, haunted treasure of a story called Slade House by David Mitchell of Cloud Atlas fame. It’s a spooky mystery unfolding in an overlooked alley with consequences that ripple through time.
A misunderstood teenager, an overconfident police officer, and a self-conscious college student find themselves at the doorstep of Slade House at different points in time. They all arrive at the same extravagant home, but the occupants are never the same. Their experience is unique and incredible…until it isn’t. No one knows what happens at Slade House, but to anyone paying attention, it doesn’t feel good, and it will take generations for the house’s secrets to come spilling out.
In Slade House, each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective. This makes the chapter length long—when on my Kindle, most chapters predicted a 30-minute read time. However, if you dread long chapters don’t fear because there are plenty of breaks throughout to give you a chance to pause if needed. Each character is unique and so much time passes between the POVs that each chapter feels like a spooky short story. But the best part is that there is a larger arc connecting them together, so the story feels big and robust even with its shorter page count.
All the characters in this story have a unique voice that brings them to life. Mitchell does a great job of making each person feel distinct through the way they talk and think. The start of a new chapter creates a physical delineation between the POVs, but the separation is made more powerful by how clearly defined the character’s voice is. It’s even more horrifying when that voice is silenced and never heard from again. Even with the limited space, I appreciate how developed the characters were thanks to Mitchell’s ability to drop us into their life and provide a great understanding of how that person moves through the world.
This book dishes out false hope like a delectable-looking cake made with salt instead of sugar. I so badly wanted the characters to prevail and went so far as to root for characters I didn’t even like that much. It was both fascinating and cruel to see how the malicious entity would warp the world and trick each character. Each horrible act felt so personal, and it was excruciating to see the victims get played with. And with each long chapter, I could only sit powerlessly as I watched a predator creep in on its prey. This creates a great atmosphere because I felt on edge and shifty throughout the entire story. I knew what was going to happen each time and was forced to watch the horror play out.
The only thing that should stop you from reading Slade House by David Mitchell is if you like to reserve your creepy tales for that special time of year. So pick it up now or delay a few months for a distorted, haunted story that will scratch any spooky itch.
Rating: Slade House – 8.0/10
-Brandee
