The September House

By: Carissa Orlando

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this thoroughly enjoyable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

©2023 Carissa Orlando (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Kimberly Farr narrates this creepy, mesmerizing story of Margaret and Hal, who purchase their dream home, a beautiful, haunted Victorian.... Farr masters every unique character, alive or dead, in this one-woman show." (AudioFile)

"Margaret is a delightfully well drawn protagonist, sturdy, unflappable, and often dryly funny, but as the narrative unfurls, we learn that the reasons for her strictly regimented behavior are neither simple nor pleasant...The September House is a surprising, engaging debut." - Vulture.com (Best Books of 2023)

“Every once in a while, a story comes along that fully upends a genre in the most beautiful way, essentially reinventing the notion of what’s possible within that genre. Now, author Carissa Orlando, a horror enthusiast, has written that very story.” - Shondaland.com

“The metaphor is layered and at times heartbreaking, as secrets held by both a house and a family come to light with terrifying poignancy in this wonderfully eerie debut.” - Library Journal (starred review)

Worth the listen

I wasn’t sure at first. It’s a relief especially if you love the paranormal. Twist turns and so much more.

Great

Loved this book, what a fun listen, I highly recommend as I couldn't stop listening waiting for the next craziness to happen

Almost DNF. Meh

It was interesting enough to keep reading, but I feel like I kept waiting for it to get better. Maybe I just never resonated with the main character.

1/2 Haunting, 1/2 Co-dependency

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD
*********

I tried not to give too much away, while wanting to let other readers know what they’re in for.

I feel like readers should know going into this book that the author does an excellent job of portraying co-dependency from the inside out. I struggled with liking the narrative character as much as her daughter did.

For people who have lived through that family dynamic, this book’s power is more in its perfect portrayal of how co-dependency, alcoholism, enabling, and violence are born and perpetuated.

The haunting is just one more thing that’s being enabled.

It’s a brilliant approach, and a really well written book. I recommend it - but only if you have the stomach for it.

Other reviews said it was “funny” and I’m left wondering if we listened to the same book.

Also - the narrator is painfully slow. 1.2-1.5x speed improves the experience.

what a surprise!

I couldn't stop! loved the juxtaposition of horror and humor. I hope the author does more in this genre.

A great surprise

I chose this book on a whim because of the blurb from Grady Hendrix, whose work I like. I’m glad I did. The story was entertaining and quite touching in spots, and I actually laughed out loud several times. The narrator is absolutely fantastic. I usually regret my impulse audiobook selections, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

You must follow the rules

Goddamnit Fredricka! Filled with Humor and horror, a perfect book for spooky season. You won’t be disappointed!

Such a Well Built, Layer Book!

This book is so wonderfully layered! I don't want to give anything away, but if you want to understand what haunts both the living and the dead, this is the book to read! It touches so many important subjects, and the horror of it all was blended beautifully. The narrator is fantastic and was the perfect pick! She brought the characters to life ( no pun intended :) ! I really hope the writer continues creating such well crafted books! Can't wait for the next one!

An unexpected delight

I loved this quirky horror story with some deep meanings hidden behind the ghosts. Excellent!

Fun!

I enjoyed it! It started slow but I found the book to be lighthearted funny. I don’t know if that’s my dark weird side. Loved the little twists and getting to know the characters.