We Used To Live Here

I’m not going to attempt to do this book justice.

It’s a solid 4 stars from me and one day, when I read it again or it becomes a firm favourite, I’ll upgrade it to 5 stars.

On the surface of it, We Used To Live Here reads like any other haunted house mystery.

The writing style is straightforward and the base concept is great, though nothing new, with likeable characters, a modern LGBT relationship and a family that suddenly moves in and won’t take the hint that it’s time to leave.

But there are two major differences to most other horror books in this genre:

1.

The book is littered with hints and clues, alluding to something wider and less immediately understandable, using morse code that can be deciphered if you want more interaction, and a series of chapter-ending excerpts that are taken from historical records and official reports, which add to the mystery.

2.

The ending section of the book stands it on its head. Everything you’ve read up until that point seems irrelevant and you’ll be questioning reality, plausibility and tiny little details that you hadn’t bothered to notice before, for hours afterwards.

This makes the book eminently re-readable and worth owning a physical copy, for the extra immersion and potential visual aids. I read mine on Kindle. Audio isn’t recommended because you can miss some details.

Not having answers to doubts and questions is part of the deal with this book. You’re not supposed to understand it all. There will be sequels and forums and debates across the land, discussing who, what and why, as there is in my reading group, Horror or Heaven.

I recommend this book as something a little bit different and a notch above the pack in terms of inventiveness and originality.