Bury the Child

by L.C. Marino

A parent should never have to bury a child...

Lydia and Wade Jones live a simple life with their daughter, Adeline, in the rural countryside of Southeastern Virginia. But when Adeline passes in a devastating accident, Lydia’s life falls apart and her perception of reality is altered forever.

Lydia and Wade struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of Adeline’s funeral. They are helplessly cast into a strange new world without their daughter. Wade knows they must learn to live again, but the challenge seems insurmountable to Lydia.

Within days of Adeline’s death, Lydia witnesses unexplainable events in the home, causing her to question her sanity and her ability to keep her marriage alive. With every passing day, the tension builds and Lydia must navigate the paranormal realities of her home without compromising her relationship with Wade.

Is grief driving her insane or is Adeline reaching beyond the grave to reunite with Lydia?

Sweet, gut wrenching, unexpected, and thrilling, Bury the Child is the suspenseful introduction to The Haunting of the Whispering House series from author L.C. Marino.

Genres: Horror, Novella, Grief

105 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2023

About the author

Lucas writes thriller, suspense, and horror fiction. If he’s not writing, he’s selling books at his bookstore (Spineless Reads), reading, playing guitar, or enjoying time with his family. Lucas is also the host of The Suspense is Killing Me podcast. He is the author of The Haunting of The Whispering House series.

A military engineer by experience, he spent twenty-one years in the United States Coast Guard. He earned his Doctor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at The George Washington University.

He now lives in a pile of trees in Virginia.

Reviews

[Carlyn Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

For only being a 12 chapter book it struck a lot of emotions. The grief Lydia was experiencing is absolutely heartbreaking.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella is mainly about grief as Lydia is mired in it after the death of her nine-year old daughter Adeline. As she mopes about the house, she starts seeing a ghostly presence of Adeline. Will her husband be able lift her from her crippling grief or will it consume her?
While I get the main theme of the story, though it wasn't a very long one, the first half felt longer than it needed to be, and repetitive. I felt like the being stuck in a mourning phase was easy enough to figure out without dragging that part out as much.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid four stars for this tragic, grief-stricken novelette. It felt under 19k words anyway. Glad I read this one.
Recommended.

[Catherine McCarthy]

Devoured this little novella in two sittings, which would have been one if I hadn't run out of time.
If you're looking for tender grief horror (yes, this proves that such a thing exists) then look no further. Reminded me a little of King's Pet Sematary but with none of the gore. I think it was both the setting and the depiction of how a mother and father can grieve for a child in different ways that reminded me of King's.
Not your average ghost story, this. It felt complete as a stand alone, though ended in such a way as to make ready for the next in series.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

In terms of fiction, I am a generally a reader of thrillers and my favorite all time novelist is Stephen King. When I saw Bury the Child, two things initially struck me. First was the premise of the story - parents coping with the death of a child. It is the absolute horror of horrors which does not require supernatural characters to make you lose sleep. The second thing was the length - less than 80 pages. As a Stephen King fan who is used to character development that runs chapters at times, I was skeptical as to how invested I could get in the characters in just a few dozen pages. On both these scores, L. C. Marino hit the mark, made it work and in keeping the book at a novella length made me want more - a good thing as this is a prequel for a series. The topic is horrific in both the circumstances that unfolded and absolute pain that you feel through the pages. Without giving away the store here, Marino also shows the very common divergence in mourning styles between parents that can drive a wedge between loving parents who deal with the grief in different ways. My initial concern about not being invested in the characters was misplaced. The development of the main characters is easy and complete by the time you get to the final page and is a great set up for the rest of the series. The plot twist at the end is at first unexpected, but then understandable as the grip of a mother's grief - and this particular mother - reaches it's apex. Its a great read, a compelling story, and good beginning of what looks to be a very entertaining series. Read it.

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a novella this evening, and decided to get stuck into this one.

When Lydia and Wade lose their young daughter, Adeline, the couple struggle to adapt to their life without her. Instead of getting closer, they seem to be drifting apart. Then Lydia starts to see and hear things inside their home that make her hope for the impossible...

Wow. What a sad and creepy little story this turned out to be. As soon as I started, I kept reading until I got to the chilling end. I couldn't stop. Didn't want to stop.

Lydia's story is packed with so much emotion, that at times, I felt dizzy from it. Her loss is deep and infects the reader with so much sorrow, before it takes on a surreal edge that really made this story shine. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next book in this intense series.

[Kev Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this short novella up at a convention in April and ploughed through it pretty quickly after getting home.
The set-up, the loss of a child, lets you in on the grief you're going to experience through the two main characters and, from the title of the series, you're expecting some kind of haunting scenario, but what really kept me invested here was the way it twisted and turned and eschewed many of the more common approaches to a haunting. We get a lot more of the effect on the relationship between the grieving parents. We get hints of something more than a simple ghost story going on here.
The ending leaves the story perfectly (and unpleasantly) poised for the rest of the series and I look forward to finding out what happens next.

[Jennifer Bernardini · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Bury The Child," a parent's most haunting nightmare unfurls before our eyes — the unthinkable act of burying their own flesh and blood. This emotionally charged narrative takes us on a heart-wrenching rollercoaster of feelings, intimately entwining us with Lydia and Wade as they navigate the treacherous terrain of grief following the tragic loss of their beloved daughter only to end in twisted pain.

For those who relish the chilling embrace of grief horror and the raw, unfiltered experience of having one's heart mercilessly torn in two, this a story you should read.

[Mikeal Burgin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisitely written novella about love, loss, grief, and ghosts. Quick read at just around 70 pages that held my attention from start to finish, and truly delivered a terrifically tragic paranormal reunion between mother and daughter.

My only grievance with this one was the abrupt ending which left me quite lamented and wanting more. The saving grace is that this story is a prequel to an upcoming series, which will unequivocally lure the first book to find a place on my TBR bookshelf when released.

Totally worth your time!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 👍🏻

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book straight from the author while on vacation. It was a great fast read. He warned me not to cry and I cried chapter 1! The ending was so good!!! This is a prequel so I’m about to go buy book 1!!

[D.S. LaLonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid read. Written with few pages but great depth. You become deeply invested in the characters in a short amount of time. Tragic and touching.

[Katherine Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastating tale about a woman caught in the haunting grip of her child's memory and the desire to be reunited. Marino delivers a compelling beginning to his Whispering House series that begs for you to know more.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts to write this review but I was a bit speechless.
This was not what I was expecting, it was so heartbreakingly sad. I went in to it thinking it would be more of a haunted house creepy story. It had a bit of creepy for sure, but mostly I just feel sad. Give it a read, it is worth reading.
I truly enjoy when a book leaves me feeling speechless for awhile. I will probably have this book on my mind for days to come.

[Katie Lowther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow, this was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking! His descriptions of grief were incredible and made me hug my kids a little tighter. This womans decent into a grief induced madness felt so real, and I need to know the rest of the story. It was just spooky enough, but I still couldn't read it at night ( I'm a scardy cat).

[Lily_the_Book_Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally bought this book because it was listed under horror and paranormal suspense/thriller. I was very surprised when I began reading it and discovered the depth of emotional development in this short story. This book was an absolutely heartbreaking tale of the pain of losing a child. Even though this was an incredibly short book, the author really did a successful job making you empathize with Lydia’s pain. My biggest disappointment about this book is the fact that it was so short. I would have loved to have more character development for Wade and Adeline. Overall though, very solid book to read if you’re looking for something quick.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a heartbreaking motherfucker of a book.

And I mean that in the best way. Marino takes possibly one of the hardest topics to write about and then offers up a skillful, nuanced, word-perfect set of scenes of a mother's journey through unimaginable grief. And I have to say, as I read it, I could only think, yes, yes, that's exactly right, that's exactly how any parent would feel, or experience.

So, the reader in me was feeling all the pain and heartache, just as I should, while the writer in me was marveling that Marino could write all this so magnificently.

I don't want to spoil anything, but seriously, this one is a must-read.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mother, the emotions I felt from this were heart wrenching. I could feel the divide between Lydia and Wade- not to downplay a father’s grief, but a mother’s grief after losing a child, is astronomical. It’s a gut deep loss that never heals.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be a difficult read for most parents only because of the story. It goes beyond that when the mother mentally crashes. I'm grappling at which direction Book No. 2 is going to go.

[Megan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOD! This is by far the best paranormal/heartbreaking book I’ve ever read! The way it’s written allows a smooth flowing movie to play in your head about what’s going on in the book. It kept me on my toes the entire time and at some points while reading had me saying out loud “oh my god!” Or “holy shit!”. The way it ended had my jaw on the floor! The twists and turns in the book between husband and wife and mother and father were brilliantly written. You could literally feel the emotions they were feeling!
10/10
100% recommend this book!
❤️

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

L.C. Marino's slow-burn paranormal novella explores the grief that accompanies the death of a child. Bury the Child delves into a disintegrating marriage and a mother's mental decline through sparse dialogue and a third-person limited point of view, heightening the sense of dissociation and the struggle to reconnect with what was lost.

[Faycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my. All those relatable emotions that streamed at me right from the pages of this wonderfully creepy short story left me exhausted but wanting more. What happens next? Which road of wonders will you lead us down, dear Lucas? Please write faster. This was a very tasty appetizer.

[Bethany Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dark and creepy, while also heart wrenching and loving. Being a parent, it’s almost understandable the choices made in the story. It warms my heart in a very morbid way to experience a mother’s a daughter reunion. I’m so excited for the series.

[Erica Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good!! Haunting, full of grief & a very fast read!

[Joan Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift. I absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to read the rest of his series. I read it in one day couldn’t put it down.

[Peggy Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is very well written. Having lost a daughter myself, this story affected me deeply and left me in tears.

[Jasmine Edris · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written. This novella surprised me with how quickly I was able to connect with the characters. The grief and pain is conveyed in such a way that allows that. I don’t have children, but the weight of the loss is so profound and well described here that I felt like I got a small glimpse of what that loss could feel like.

[Riley Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um wow…. I have never been so immersed in a book! I could not put it down!

[Jen Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

It kept me on the edge of my seat!

Wowzer! This book was fantastic. It had the perfect amount of creepy, tugged on my heartstrings, and left me begging for more. I can't wait for the next book!

[Stephanie Loomis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many questions

This novella is billed bad a back story to a series yet to come. It sets up intrigue for what is to come. I look forward to it. I wonder whether the tales ahead will address my biggest question: when and how did Lydia...well, no spoilers.

[Karen Hunsanger]

L.C. captured a mother's love beautifully.

This is a story that is so well written. It captures your heart and then your horror. It had me mesmerized.