BENEATH THE STAIRS by Jennifer Fawcett

 

“An enthralling debut by a gifted storyteller!” —Wendy Walker, author of Don’t Look for Me

In this spine-tingling, atmospheric debut for fans of Jennifer McMahon, Simone St. James, and Chris Bohjalian, a woman returns to her hometown after her childhood friend attempts suicide at a local haunted house—the same place where a traumatic incident shattered their lives twenty years ago.

Few in sleepy Sumner’s Mills have stumbled across the Octagon House hidden deep in the woods. Even fewer are brave enough to trespass. A man had killed his wife and two young daughters there, a shocking, gruesome crime that the sleepy upstate New York town tried to bury. One summer night, an emboldened fourteen-year-old Clare and her best friend, Abby, ventured into the Octagon House. Clare came out, but a piece of Abby never did.

Twenty years later, an adult Clare receives word that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House and now lies in a coma. With little to lose and still grieving after a personal tragedy, Clare returns to her roots to uncover the darkness responsible for Abby’s accident.

An eerie page-turner, Beneath the Stairs is about the trauma that follows us from childhood to adulthood and returning to the beginning to reach the end.

MY THOUGHTS

I've never read anything by this author before but sure will now. This book was so good. It was almost Stephen King good. Edge of your seat heart beating hard good. This was more than just a thriller. It was a paranormal in many ways and I usually will not even try those. It's a bit of a horror too. One of those books that is so far out there you wonder if you really just read that. I did and I loved it.

This book is told from two different time frames and by at least four different characters. It's about a house. An Octagon House. It was built by a man for his fiancee. The problem is his fiancee didn't much like the house. It had some strange things going on that made it a bit on the creepy side. 

Over the years many children have gone into the Octagon House. How it affects them is different depending on the child. This story is about Abby, Clare and from the past Natalie and Alice. Another time frame is about Ben and his family. Ben tells parts of his story also. So it's basically three timelines. But easy to keep up with. Ben's family died in the Octagon House. His wife and two daughters. Someone shot the girls and pushed Natalie down the stairs killing her. But was it Ben? Could Ben have done such a horrible thing to the ones he loves more than life? 

When Abby, Monica, Lori and Clare go into the house Abby comes out different. There are changes to her. To her mind. To her heart. To her fears. Time goes by and they all move on except for Abby. Whatever happened in that house, in that basement, on that day, affected Abby in a way that she can't recover from. She makes so many mistakes over the course of her life and several failed suicide attempts. Until that last visit when she overdoses. She's found barely alive. 

This story is Clare's story also. What she did. What she goes through. What happened the night that changed both her and Abby's friendship forever. Changed their lives forever. What could have been so horrible that Abby could never move on. Never have a real life. What will it take for things to be normal and can it ever be normal for either of them again? 

From the late 30s to the mid 60s to now. The Octagon House has caused so much trouble. So much pain. Taken so many. So much. Is it the house or is it what happened there. Or is it what happened to the land. The air. The people. To the innocents. Or is it something so far out there you will never know for sure. Ok you will know. But it's a dark story. A story of much loss. A gruesome story. 

I loved it. I honestly did. From start to finish I loved it. I loved how things were brought together and made believable because of how the house was taken care of. Like you would see in almost any horror movie or read in any horror book. If done right things will take care of themselves. Right?

Thank you to #NetGalley, #JenniferFawcett, #Atria for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and a high recommendation. If you love dark scary edge of your seat stories, this is the one for you.