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House Gone Quiet
A genre-bending debut story collection about the bonds and bounds of community and what it means to call a place home, perfect for fans of Friday Black and Her Body and Other Parties.
A group of women contemplate violence after they’re sent into foreign territory to make husbands of the enemy. A support network of traumatized joggers meets to discuss the bodies they’ve found on their runs. And a town replaces its Confederate monument with a rotating cast of local residents. Slippery but muscular, sly but electric, this stunning debut collection moves from horror to magical realism to satire with total authority. In these stories, characters build and remake their sense of home, be it with one another or within themselves.
As in the very best collections, each of these stories is a world all its own, with a novel’s emotional heft and a poem’s laser focus on the most achingly resonant details of its characters’ lives. Captivating from start to finish, House Gone Quiet announces the arrival of a thrilling literary talent.
A group of women contemplate violence after they’re sent into foreign territory to make husbands of the enemy. A support network of traumatized joggers meets to discuss the bodies they’ve found on their runs. And a town replaces its Confederate monument with a rotating cast of local residents. Slippery but muscular, sly but electric, this stunning debut collection moves from horror to magical realism to satire with total authority. In these stories, characters build and remake their sense of home, be it with one another or within themselves.
As in the very best collections, each of these stories is a world all its own, with a novel’s emotional heft and a poem’s laser focus on the most achingly resonant details of its characters’ lives. Captivating from start to finish, House Gone Quiet announces the arrival of a thrilling literary talent.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2023
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8070 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 15, 2023
Wow! I don't often read short story collections, but this is the kind of book that reminds me why I should. Falls right up there with The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and Heads of the Colored People for me, though this is a different kind of collection--in each story Norris weaves a new little world, and reading each one felt like peering through a window into a lived-in house, slowly taking in the details of the drama and the deeply-imagined history of the characters with each sentence. Certainly a collection that invites rereading and discussion. I think my favorite story is "Such Great Height and Consequence" (about the town who takes down a Confederate monument and opens the pedestal up to a rotating cast of residents), but when I tried to pick a second favorite the list was over half of the collection.
Disclaimer--I work for the publisher but I read this for fun!
Disclaimer--I work for the publisher but I read this for fun!
August 2, 2024
On paper, I should have absolutely loved this. It does everything I want and love in a short story collection and it has stellar writing . So, let's try and figure out why this is not a 5* but the dreaded middle of the road, was just fine kind of collection.
It is one of those genre-line dancing collections that I adore so much. We have a lot of speculative, some are weird, there's a bit of mild Horror, some darker contemporary stories, but also darkly humorous ones, lots of social commentary. There are some incredibly interesting ideas and concepts here, both in the speculative and the realistic camps. For sure, stories for and about our times. Like, what happens to a community when we actually remove the racist confederate "hero" statue? How are the finders of a murder victim's bodies dealing with it? What if the conservative government decrees for everyone to go naked in public? We follow conversations of callers and radio show hosts, we go with a young woman to visit her white boyfriend's parents, we see a group of woman being married off to war enemies to secure peace. Yes, this is dark but lightly told and discusses relevant topics in fascinating ways. There's a reason Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenjah is featured with a blurb on the cover, that's the vibes we find in here.
But even better: the way Norris writes these stories is so inventive and should be so my thing. We often read through the POV of a community. Often there isn't a single main character but rather a group, several here are even told in 1st person plural. Perspective is something she plays with, there is also 2nd person singular, omniscient, 3rd person plural. We jump around even within single stories, maybe only spend a short moment with a certain single character to move to the next one. Maybe the abundance of these stylistic choices made this feel a bit detached though. I mean, I don't know, I should be all over this, stories told in anything but the typical 1st or 3rd person are so my jam and yet... It didn't fully click and I am not sure why. All I know is that I more often appreciated than loved what I read here.
I wouldn't even argue that if the ideas and the writing were great than the executions lack because I don't believe that. I do think though that occasionally I wanted them to make a bigger splash, give that bit of a punch. Not all of them but I think a few could have gone a bit further, you know, make me clutch those pearls and release that breath I didn't know I was holding. Additionally, there were a few stories I didn't like that much and that definitely brought the overall feeling down. There was one ("Certain Truths and Miracles") where I repeatedly lost the trail of the story thread, I am still not quite sure what happened there. Then there was one ("Air Shifts") where I didn't understand the point. The middle section wasn't that strong to me and it robbed me off my flow.
Some I did love though (see my list). But it's the overall feeling that is a bit under performing. Maybe I have just read too many collections in these realms that I need absolute fire crackers to blow me out off my socks of comfort at this point. But I will keep an eye on what comes next from Norris. This amount of creativity and that eye for the spirit of current times will more likely than not deliver an outstanding book in the future.
My 4 favorites:
4) Stitch
3) Such Great Height and Consequence
2) Choose Bliss
1) Go Way Back
It is one of those genre-line dancing collections that I adore so much. We have a lot of speculative, some are weird, there's a bit of mild Horror, some darker contemporary stories, but also darkly humorous ones, lots of social commentary. There are some incredibly interesting ideas and concepts here, both in the speculative and the realistic camps. For sure, stories for and about our times. Like, what happens to a community when we actually remove the racist confederate "hero" statue? How are the finders of a murder victim's bodies dealing with it? What if the conservative government decrees for everyone to go naked in public? We follow conversations of callers and radio show hosts, we go with a young woman to visit her white boyfriend's parents, we see a group of woman being married off to war enemies to secure peace. Yes, this is dark but lightly told and discusses relevant topics in fascinating ways. There's a reason Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenjah is featured with a blurb on the cover, that's the vibes we find in here.
But even better: the way Norris writes these stories is so inventive and should be so my thing. We often read through the POV of a community. Often there isn't a single main character but rather a group, several here are even told in 1st person plural. Perspective is something she plays with, there is also 2nd person singular, omniscient, 3rd person plural. We jump around even within single stories, maybe only spend a short moment with a certain single character to move to the next one. Maybe the abundance of these stylistic choices made this feel a bit detached though. I mean, I don't know, I should be all over this, stories told in anything but the typical 1st or 3rd person are so my jam and yet... It didn't fully click and I am not sure why. All I know is that I more often appreciated than loved what I read here.
I wouldn't even argue that if the ideas and the writing were great than the executions lack because I don't believe that. I do think though that occasionally I wanted them to make a bigger splash, give that bit of a punch. Not all of them but I think a few could have gone a bit further, you know, make me clutch those pearls and release that breath I didn't know I was holding. Additionally, there were a few stories I didn't like that much and that definitely brought the overall feeling down. There was one ("Certain Truths and Miracles") where I repeatedly lost the trail of the story thread, I am still not quite sure what happened there. Then there was one ("Air Shifts") where I didn't understand the point. The middle section wasn't that strong to me and it robbed me off my flow.
Some I did love though (see my list). But it's the overall feeling that is a bit under performing. Maybe I have just read too many collections in these realms that I need absolute fire crackers to blow me out off my socks of comfort at this point. But I will keep an eye on what comes next from Norris. This amount of creativity and that eye for the spirit of current times will more likely than not deliver an outstanding book in the future.
My 4 favorites:
4) Stitch
3) Such Great Height and Consequence
2) Choose Bliss
1) Go Way Back
November 1, 2023
Perfect amount of uncanny and wholesomeness.
October 31, 2023
I really love short story collections, and this one is no exception. There were only 2 stories (out of 10) that didn't grab my attention. I just didn't connect with the subject matter. All other stories were fascinating and compelling. Kelsey Norris is a beautiful and talented writer. Her prose was so breathtaking. I found myself reading certain sentences over and over again because she's so good at metaphors. "Decency Rule" and "Such Great Height and Consequence" had this offbeat (satire) feel to them which I enjoyed. "Stich" had this haunting and creepy quality, whereas "Sentries" was quirky and delightful. "Go Way Back" gave me nostalgic vibes. I will definitely read more from this new author in the future. She's the real deal.
Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.
Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.
September 30, 2025
Often, when reading short story collections, you go in assuming that there will be some stronger stories than others, but it’s a great way to really get introduced to a new writer (or writers, if it’s a collection). Kelsey Norris’ House Gone Quiet has no stragglers: these are all well worth reading. Some are light horror or kissing the speculative fiction genre. Others are character pieces or satires. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be “Such Great Heights and Consequences”, about a town taking turns on a former confederate status pedestal.
I strongly recommend this book for those interested in short story collections, Black authors, light horror, speculative fiction/ magical realism, and books to read on vacation.
I strongly recommend this book for those interested in short story collections, Black authors, light horror, speculative fiction/ magical realism, and books to read on vacation.
November 22, 2023
4.25-4.5
October 18, 2023
From the first story to the last story I thought they were all interesting and some were even overwhelmingly funny from the support group to replacing the racist statue with town people There’s even one where the mayor tells the towns people they now can go without clothing and I don’t know if people taking turns on the pedestal or the support group for the body finders was my favorite because they all had a redeeming quality and they were all interesting I love the short stories for those moments when I don’t have a long time to read in this book certainly covered that needs splendidly. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like strange and out of the box type stories because this is certainly that. I want to thank Scrib publishing and NetGalley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
August 17, 2023
I love a good short story collection and this one did not disappoint. It was just as good or better than the stories in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies-and I still remember all of the stories in that collection. The best one to me was "SuchGreat Height and Consequence" (about the town who takes down a Confederate monument and opens the pedestal up to a rotating cast of residents). This is not taking away from the other stories in the collection, because they are all good! There was just so much range and variety in this collection! Read these stories! I can see some of them being adapted into a full blown novel! #netgalley #housegonequiet
October 21, 2023
I found this short story collection "just okay". The concepts and execution are proficient, but I wished the stories were a little more compact.
ps thnx netgalley xoxo
ps thnx netgalley xoxo
November 4, 2024
Overall, I thought this was a very solid collection with more hits than misses. I enjoyed the range of stories and felt that the author set quite a scene with most of these.
I expected this to feel more speculative than it did, based on the Goodreads description.
Great reading experience!
I expected this to feel more speculative than it did, based on the Goodreads description.
Great reading experience!
Read
June 19, 2023HOUSE GONE QUIET |
Thank you @scribnerbooks this comes out 10/17!
"A group of women contemplate violence after their sent into foreign territory to make husbands of the enemy. A support network of traumatized joggers meets to discuss the bodies they found on their runs. And a town replaces its Confederate monument with the rotating cast of local residents. Slippery but muscular, slide but electric, the stunning debut collection moves from horror to magical realism to satire with total authority."
I would completely agree with that assessment above. The range is incredible. They are all believable, without any vast stretch of the imagination. There's a folktale cadence to some of the stories where it feels like it's following its own script, which can take some outlandish premises and ground them in mundanity, like in Decency Rule, where the mayor announces a no clothing rule and gets out on stage to talk about his agenda completely naked. That story is incredible. In fact, all three stories highlighted above were stunners. My favorite though was the last story, Go Way Back.
It was a very strong collection.
Thank you @scribnerbooks this comes out 10/17!
"A group of women contemplate violence after their sent into foreign territory to make husbands of the enemy. A support network of traumatized joggers meets to discuss the bodies they found on their runs. And a town replaces its Confederate monument with the rotating cast of local residents. Slippery but muscular, slide but electric, the stunning debut collection moves from horror to magical realism to satire with total authority."
I would completely agree with that assessment above. The range is incredible. They are all believable, without any vast stretch of the imagination. There's a folktale cadence to some of the stories where it feels like it's following its own script, which can take some outlandish premises and ground them in mundanity, like in Decency Rule, where the mayor announces a no clothing rule and gets out on stage to talk about his agenda completely naked. That story is incredible. In fact, all three stories highlighted above were stunners. My favorite though was the last story, Go Way Back.
It was a very strong collection.
March 28, 2024
Overall average rating 3.5
•"The Sound of Women Waiting" - 3 stars. Has Handmaids Tale vibes and is brimming with feminine unrest - but I also wish something more had happened.
•"Stitch" - 2 stars. Uhhh surprisingly boring? Besides the odd premise nothing stood out in this one to me.
•"Sentries" - 4 stars. I love the premise and set up! Norris paints such a vivid family portrait with just a few words and really immerses the reader in the house. A little mysterious around the edges and very compelling.
•"Certain Truths & Miracles" - 3 stars. Really lovely prose and quite atmospheric, but I felt the ending was too fade to black/drifted off without much resolve.
•"Air Shifts" - 4 stars. A little bit lonely, definitely captures the aesthetic of a radio talk show. Tabitha's portions remind me of listening to a local radio station host as a kid. Very readable and relatable tone.
•"Decency Rule" - 2 stars. Kinda funny, and has a couple little snarky nods, but falls flat? It felt more like a Tumblr post than a short story.
•"Choose Bliss" - 3.5 Charlotte is just trying to do better - but is she succeeding? Is she just appropriating other religions practices? Is he hallucinating? Midlife-crisis-ing? I still don't know but it was entertaining to read.
•"Such Great Height and Consequence" - 5 stars. Major Shirley Jackson vibes, sharp and witty, and the footnotes were just the cherry on top. Loved this one!
•"Salt" - 3 stars. Really unique atmosphere, very full and terse and telling. The ending was unsatisfying though! It left me wanting.
•"Go Way Back" - 5 stars. The format, prose, and voice are just impeccably done!
•"The Sound of Women Waiting" - 3 stars. Has Handmaids Tale vibes and is brimming with feminine unrest - but I also wish something more had happened.
•"Stitch" - 2 stars. Uhhh surprisingly boring? Besides the odd premise nothing stood out in this one to me.
•"Sentries" - 4 stars. I love the premise and set up! Norris paints such a vivid family portrait with just a few words and really immerses the reader in the house. A little mysterious around the edges and very compelling.
•"Certain Truths & Miracles" - 3 stars. Really lovely prose and quite atmospheric, but I felt the ending was too fade to black/drifted off without much resolve.
•"Air Shifts" - 4 stars. A little bit lonely, definitely captures the aesthetic of a radio talk show. Tabitha's portions remind me of listening to a local radio station host as a kid. Very readable and relatable tone.
•"Decency Rule" - 2 stars. Kinda funny, and has a couple little snarky nods, but falls flat? It felt more like a Tumblr post than a short story.
•"Choose Bliss" - 3.5 Charlotte is just trying to do better - but is she succeeding? Is she just appropriating other religions practices? Is he hallucinating? Midlife-crisis-ing? I still don't know but it was entertaining to read.
•"Such Great Height and Consequence" - 5 stars. Major Shirley Jackson vibes, sharp and witty, and the footnotes were just the cherry on top. Loved this one!
•"Salt" - 3 stars. Really unique atmosphere, very full and terse and telling. The ending was unsatisfying though! It left me wanting.
•"Go Way Back" - 5 stars. The format, prose, and voice are just impeccably done!
April 1, 2023
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on October 17th, 2023<.i>
An interesting, dark, and somewhat pulsating collection of stories. Some are folkloric with a kind of magical realism feel, but all are subjective to the point where you are always somewhat aware (as you’re reading) that what you read may or may not be actually happening exactly as written, but is definitely happening as the character perceives it. Very good writing — often without closure so that the end of each story is like a point of time where you can feel the closure shimmering in the future but can’t quite tell what it will be.
An interesting, dark, and somewhat pulsating collection of stories. Some are folkloric with a kind of magical realism feel, but all are subjective to the point where you are always somewhat aware (as you’re reading) that what you read may or may not be actually happening exactly as written, but is definitely happening as the character perceives it. Very good writing — often without closure so that the end of each story is like a point of time where you can feel the closure shimmering in the future but can’t quite tell what it will be.
January 10, 2024
Well written but I think I’m just not a short story person.
December 10, 2023
Mr. Bookish and Cookish and I READ A BOOK TOGETHER! I AM SO HAPPY. We’ve been meaning to do this for awhile now, and I thought House Gone Quiet by Kelsey Norris was the perfect starter book for us – short and sweet, but terribly bizarre and thought provoking as well. Over the last couple of months, Chris and would read a story before bed and discuss it amongst each other – here are some of our thoughts.
Sam’s thoughts: I, for one, really enjoy collections of short stories and shorter-formatted prose. I like to think of each of these stories as an episode of an anthological show or media that is both compelling and short enough for me to commit to, without feeling too bogged down. Each story brought on a sense of unique and subtle horror from a variety of different angles, leaving me hooked and speechless, page after page.
Chris’s thoughts: Kelsey’s ability to convey character depth in these short stories made for a really enjoyable read. This was definitely outside of the kind of book I would typically gravitate toward, but there were several stories that really connected for me. Be it for an almost fantastical setting that questions the assumed reality, or a perspective I would have never felt based in a reality beyond my own, these stories carried a breadth that kept me interested open to close.
Sam’s thoughts: I, for one, really enjoy collections of short stories and shorter-formatted prose. I like to think of each of these stories as an episode of an anthological show or media that is both compelling and short enough for me to commit to, without feeling too bogged down. Each story brought on a sense of unique and subtle horror from a variety of different angles, leaving me hooked and speechless, page after page.
Chris’s thoughts: Kelsey’s ability to convey character depth in these short stories made for a really enjoyable read. This was definitely outside of the kind of book I would typically gravitate toward, but there were several stories that really connected for me. Be it for an almost fantastical setting that questions the assumed reality, or a perspective I would have never felt based in a reality beyond my own, these stories carried a breadth that kept me interested open to close.
March 14, 2024
4.75⭐
Very entertaining & engaging, the short stories included here are both wide ranging yet certainly have a uniting element about them, like a good album's well-curated tracklist. My favorite story was definitely "Such Great Heights and Consquences," which seems to be popular based on other reviews. There were some stories that weren't as interesting to me as the rest, such as the one with the glowing krill or plankton or... something I can't remember right now. The final story as well, which was written in refreshing second-person POV, while the content wasn't as compelling as some other stories, I loved how the author ended the collection with such a vulnerable and sincere work.
I'm looking forward to what Kelsey Norris comes out with next
Very entertaining & engaging, the short stories included here are both wide ranging yet certainly have a uniting element about them, like a good album's well-curated tracklist. My favorite story was definitely "Such Great Heights and Consquences," which seems to be popular based on other reviews. There were some stories that weren't as interesting to me as the rest, such as the one with the glowing krill or plankton or... something I can't remember right now. The final story as well, which was written in refreshing second-person POV, while the content wasn't as compelling as some other stories, I loved how the author ended the collection with such a vulnerable and sincere work.
I'm looking forward to what Kelsey Norris comes out with next
February 7, 2024
A truly fantastic collection of short stories! With excellently developed stories and characters, I found myself wanting more from every story in this. There was a particularly great short story about a monument moved from the pedestal, where the public was then invited to sign up to stand up on the pedestal to do whatever they wanted and boy oh boy, all I could think about was our giant Monument pedestal here in Richmond. So much to digest on, with a lot of attention to race and class. I'm not usually the biggest short story fan, but Kelsey Norris has certainly made me more interested in the genre!
Great, great debut. Really looking forward to more from this author.
Great, great debut. Really looking forward to more from this author.
July 2, 2023
There was so much range and variety in this collection of stories. I like how these stories kept me on my toes and presented so much uniqueness along with questionable plausibility and satire as well. I think my favorite from the collection was The Decency Clause where an extremely boundary pushing, mayor decides to speak sans clothes and it is readily accepted as law. I feel that this piece was very derivative of our experiences in the political arena and about how really anything can get support with the right talking head. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.
October 7, 2023
Thank you Scribner for sending me a free early copy. I have never read a short story collection before. So now I know to give them a shot more often because this book was amazing! There was only one chapter I felt wasn’t as strong as the rest which was Air Shifts. I heard it’s hard to find a short story collection where they are all perfect but this book was pretty close. I am so happy to have the opportunity to read this book I feel out of my love for reading and this book has definitely gotten me back in.
March 29, 2024
Really satisfying collection, each story very complete and different. Standouts include “such great height and consequence,” imaging the aftermath of the removal of a monument in a way that is good-humored and plausible; “certain truths and miracles,” set on an island in a way that feels both magical and realistic; and “sentries,” probably my favorite, about the presence an old woman can have for younger family members.
I can’t find news of a next work by this author, but I’ll be watching for it
I can’t find news of a next work by this author, but I’ll be watching for it
October 1, 2024
I've gone back and forth on this one. Really enjoyed the first story, then felt underwhelmed by many of the ones after that. Stopped before the last two stories and started in on something else, then went back and decided to finish House Gone Quiet anyway -- turns out the last two stories ended up being among my favorites. Ever since finishing I've continued thinking about this book and feeling like I want to go back and re-read the ones that didn't initially move me as much. So maybe this book is just a slow burn for me that I haven't fully digested yet.
December 10, 2023
Special thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I love short stories and this collection did not disappoint. I love short stories especially that are outside the box, and this collection definitely does not disappoint. I really enjoyed this one and their were parts that made me feel different emotions. I even found myself laughing out loud sometimes and that's not an easy thing to do.
Would I recommend this book, absolutely.
I love short stories and this collection did not disappoint. I love short stories especially that are outside the box, and this collection definitely does not disappoint. I really enjoyed this one and their were parts that made me feel different emotions. I even found myself laughing out loud sometimes and that's not an easy thing to do.
Would I recommend this book, absolutely.
February 4, 2024
It is the nature of short story collections to be a little uneven, but overall I really enjoyed this. The Sound of Women Waiting, Sentries, Such Great Height and Consequence, and Salt were all really, really excellent. Decency Rule was my least favorite, just because I am bored with meditations on the Trump presidency and its impacts on our Precious Norms. That said: I am still, days later, thinking about Such Great Height and Consequence, which was funny, original, and insightful.
June 12, 2024
A superb collection of stories - wow! I thoroughly enjoyed how different each story was and how the characters evolved. Although I don't always love short stories, each felt like they had a sense of resolution, similar to the completeness you get in a novel. Some of my faves were - Air Shifts, Stitch, Such Height and Consequence, and Go Way Back. I wanted to savor each story so read over the course of 6 months :)
October 30, 2023
3.5 rounded down. There were some stories in here I really enjoyed but there were some that just went right over my head. I wasn’t picking up what it was putting down. I usually expect one story in every collection to do that but this one had three and I think I just wasn’t the right reader for it. I’m sure this is a brilliantly written book, it just wasn’t for me.
January 21, 2024
I enjoy short stories because they are quick to read and to the point and I like ones that make you think. Unfortunately, this collection of stories are unremarkable and unmemorable. None of the stories intertwined so they are stand alone and though there are some interesting ideas, all was forgotten once I closed the book.
December 28, 2024
This collection was more of a miss for me; I only enjoyed three out of ten of the stories: Air Shifts, Such Great Height And Consequences , and Salt.
August 30, 2023
I was excited to win this one as it was a collection of short stories which is different than what I normally read. I enjoyed it as they were fast to read and all very unique. Ultimately you will like some more than others but a very nice change of pace and entertaining.
September 26, 2023
When you open up House Gone Quiet the veil of “reality” is pierced, the switch thrown, electrifying monsters from the id. Norris masters magical realism, neo-gothic and dark satire in ways that recall Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone. A bold and heady debut. 8/10
October 13, 2023
This is an amazing collection of short stories. Superbly written, each one transported me to a completely different place. They are so good that once I finished one I couldn't wait to read the next. Kelsey Norris is definitely now on my list of authors to follow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews