Reviews

Great prose. Darnielle utilizes an exciting method of storytelling. Dark and mysterious, but not the book you’d think it is based on the cover. A fascinating exploration of true crime and the reliability of the stories we tell, whether it be intentionally or by virtue of faulty memory. I just wish there were ten or twenty more pages. I’m not exactly sure of what, maybe more of what Darnielle ends with.

justinkhchen's review

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4.0

4 stars

An introspective study on authorship and the ripple effect of true crime narrative on its participants, if you're in the mood for fragmented slowburn and cyclical analysis, Devil House will reward you with thought-provoking commentary on the power of storytelling.

First and foremost, Devil House is not a horror novel, no matter how much its devilish title and the eye-catching cover art suggests otherwise; it is firmly rooted in true crime, with a heavy literary fiction flair — make sure you set your expectation accordingly going in.

I was fully engaged by the shifting perspectives put forth in Devil House: from the role of the author, real-life people who lived through the crime (and the media attention surrounding it), as well as glimpses into what truly happened, before being molded into an expected 'true crime narrative'. Telling story is never a fully objective, unbiased act; we pick side to favor, twist truth to heighten drama, even fabricate fact for countless reasons — all these 'fact vs. fiction' concepts are the foundation explored in the novel. While I admire the obsessively detailed writing style, it does stun the overall flow at times; this is a novel more suited for periodic savoring rather than compulsively turning pages. It also could've used one more round of editing; as some of its lengthy tangents come across like white noise rather than additive substance.

Overall, Devil House brings you deep into the mind of a true crime writer, and the experience is overall a memorable one. It would be a cautious recommendation from me, primarily for its drawn-out pacing and unpindownable tone (at times deeply observational, but also kind of fantastical?); worth a try if you're feeling adventurous.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**

emilyjaco25's review

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3.0

3.5 ⭐️

This was…. interesting? Also not a horror book? I really enjoyed the letter chapter towards the end, and the self aware pieces about how awful true crime actually is. But the jumping around in this was all over the place for me and had too many details. Yet it was written interestingly enough to keep my interest. Just an odd book but I guess I liked it?

drmroberts's review against another edition

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3.5

I adore Darnielle's musical work and this book felt like reading an extended version of a Mountain Goats song with some great characters.

The book had me captured completely at parts and not so much at others, but on the whole it was a good read.

This novel shares what make his lyrics so great and it really delves into the details, sometimes mundane, and finds a beauty in them. The world is built around those little details and it immerses all the senses. The characters are complete and deeply rooted in this world l, even if we only get a slice of them in time.

One part hits harder than the rest and that would be the section about

the aftermath of The White Witch, told through the mother of one victims

.
This section plants that seed of beginning to think about the effects of glorifying true crime, the obsessiveness over it and need to find any new evidence despite the trauma that lives on through those it directly impacted.

The ending goes back to that question and although it was an unexpected ending, I did enjoy it.