Reviews

The Good House by Tananarive Due

Only show reviews with written explanations

omg__gigi's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Great story. It starts tense and quick. The build-up in the story keeps you interested and turning the page.

jadeejf's review

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The Good House is a strikingly written exploration of the consequences of messing with the supernatural, set in one of my favorite places (the Olympic Peninsula) with characters from some of my other fave places (New Orleans, Oakland). I appreciated the attention to the lived experience of Black people in western Washington- especially rural western Washington- and the way the author hewed close to the history of Native Americans in the same area with a lighter touch. It was really easy to imagine the setting and the people, and since it's based partially on a real house in the area, I kinda want to go explore the OP again just because of this book ☺️

It really had me hooked from the jump, and the story kept me going. No joke, I carried the paperback around Silverwood in Idaho just in case I might have a chance to read it *between rollercoaster rides* 😂

Can't wait to recommend it to a few friends in particular. But it's really fun.

Content Warnings

lauraborkpower's review

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1.0

I'm not exactly sure why I finished this. It was not good.

Due's core story is interesting, and the portions focused on Corey are hands-down the best (though I really, really could have done without reading about a fifteen-year-old's erection, and Due writes about it a lot. Like, a lot).

But the writing, especially the dialogue, is so corny, and there are too many sex scenes for me (read: there are sex scenes); and the entire romance with Miles was 100% unnecessary and it would have been much more interesting to focus only on the family drama and Angela's grief and strength to overcome the demons that took her child. But that's not what Due delivers. She delivers an overly complicated but somehow under explained horror-romance that is, confusingly, both an exciting and painfully boring read.

And I did not like Robin Miles's narration. I don't know why. She was too soft? Or superior? Or something, I don't know. But she didn't fit the story and I didn't like her.

blove0312's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read the blurb for this book after it popped up on several friends’ updates and I thought why not without even looking at the genres. So the supernatural aspects were a surprise. Also the fact that it was written in 2013, especially when paired with the many week hold time at my library. But I know why now; it’s a well written story with characters so real you feel like you can see them from the corner of your eye while reading. It’s a horror story, complete with ghosts/spirits and at times the suspense was so thick it was like something was pressing down on my chest.

But. The ending came out of nowhere, in my opinion, and though it fixed many things it’s as though all the hard work, the things learned, never happened. Even if it’s also left pretty open. I can’t go into much more detail than that without spoiling things. I’d still recommend it though.