Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Border House

Rate this book
About the

They are war refugees, persecuted and shaken by fate. They have barely escaped one nightmare when they find themselves in another; and this time, there is no salvation.

Through luck and perseverance, young Daja manages to escape the inhumane conditions in her home country of Syria. After a long and arduous journey through the forests of Belarus, she finally arrives in Germany, her dream country, exhausted but happy. However, she has no idea that the kindness of the men who pick her and the pregnant Tamika from the Congo up from the side of the road is fake.

The true intentions of her supposed rescuers and the unspeakable horror awaiting her in the basement of the border house far exceed anything the traumatized Daja could have imagined in her worst nightmares. As one of the main attractions in the Red Room, a notorious interactive torture and killing livestream on the darknet, nothing less than her life is at stake. Will she survive, or will she end up in an anonymous mass grave like so many before her?

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 4, 2025

14 people are currently reading
73 people want to read

About the author

Simone Trojahn

62 books28 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
26 (56%)
4 stars
15 (32%)
3 stars
5 (10%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for MadameD.
585 reviews56 followers
August 22, 2025
A Brutal Descent Into Pure Horror!

I’ve been waiting for years to read an English book by Simone Trojahn, and The Border House did not disappoint, I absolutely loved it. She’s an author from Germany, but sadly, not all of her books have been translated. So when I discovered that this one was finally available in English, I was beyond thrilled.

Her writing is as raw and unsettling as ever. It feels terrifyingly real. I wasn’t just reading the story I was there, in that house, surrounded by fear, hearing the screams, feeling the hopelessness in those walls. Some chapters were so intense I had to put the book down and walk away, just to breathe. It’s brutal, disturbing, and yet heartbreakingly true to life. You don’t need supernatural monsters to create horror. Humans alone are capable of the most unimaginable cruelty. And this book captures that in a way that lingers long after the last page.

What struck me the most was the characters development, especially Marek and Daja. Their descent into hell and the way that impact them are written so vividly, so convincingly, that it’s impossible not to feel what they experience. What happens inside that house can only be compared to hell itself.

Simone is a master of pushing boundaries while keeping you hooked. I highly recommend this book to anyone who can stomach extreme violence and raw psychological horror. It’s gripping, haunting, and unforgettable.

To the readers who had read Basement Games, I’m not comparing the two stories, because the two are completely different. But I want to congratulate Simone Trojahn for writing another story as powerful as Basement Games (her first novel translated in English that I’ve read).
The Border House is phenomenal! Bravo to you, Simone Trojahn! I’m a huge fan. I genuinely loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who can handle extreme, and intense violence. It’s truly gripping.
Profile Image for Katie Gold.
43 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2025
Finally got around to The Border House by Simone Trojahn – and wow, it was… a lot. And I say that as someone who’s got no triggers and reads a fair bit of extreme horror. This one really goes there. It’s brutal, bleak, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Beneath all the brutality and gore (which, to be fair, is effective and never feels gratuitous), there’s a sharp, uncomfortable reflection of Europe’s current reality - immigration, exploitation, and the cruelty that festers at society’s edges. It’s not an easy read, but it’s definitely a thought-provoking one.

That said… I do have a bone to pick. Simone, if you’re reading this – please, please get a new editor (and maybe a translator while you’re at it). The Kindle version is riddled with typos – “chil” instead of “child,” “Damina” instead of “Damian” - and there are sentences so awkward they pull you right out of the moment (“He wouldn’t have want family like himself” nearly broke me). It’s frustrating because your story deserves better polish.

Still, if you can look past that, The Border House is an intense, disturbing, and thought-provoking read. Not perfect by any means, but it leaves an impression – and honestly, isn’t that what horror’s meant to do?
Profile Image for Ian.
554 reviews83 followers
November 12, 2025
'In 2025 sadly all too realistic and believable.'

Refugees escaping persecution are abducted and sent to a place that turns out to be far worse than Hell its very self. Escape appears impossible and all because of one wrong, basic decision.

Torture, mutilation, death and personal annihilation exists in the Border House - entering is nothing but the beginning of the end. You have been warned.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the devilishly-dark, hard-hitting subject content which will undoubtedly make you shudder.

Highly recommended , especially for lovers of gruesome horror set in a modern-day, contemporary context.

Will be reading more from this highly talented author - fantastic stuff!

Rating: 4.8 bloody starts of total ruination.
39 reviews2 followers
September 3, 2025
I just recently came across this author, and just based on the cover I knew I’d love it. This book was brutal. Half of the time I was just thinking..WOW. WOW! The brutality of what happened to these poor people! I know things like this probably are real, and have no inkling of just how bad it can truly be. But the author was able to put into words, in such a descriptive way, that left NOTHING to the imagination. It is so vivid, the torture and pain that went on! I hurt for them.
I was kinda rooting for Marek. I know he is the bad guy but he had a good heart….sort of. & Daja, such a strong young woman. What she was able to go through is unimaginable.
So if you love hardcore graphic body horror, absolute despair, and horror of knowing this could actually happen…this is a must read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nora.
164 reviews7 followers
Read
October 25, 2025
I’ve been waiting for a book to come out in English for forever! Basement Games is one of my top favorite extreme horror books of all time and I was worried nothing would quite top it… and i was probably right. This story was brutal of course but there was just a spark that was missing. There was a lack of connection for me and that changes a scene from grinding your teeth through a tough part that characters are being put through and between shouting and tossing your book across the room. The later is the kind of horror I got with Basement Games and I’m disappointed I didn’t get that here.
Profile Image for Nicole Rubbo.
97 reviews7 followers
September 1, 2025
This was by far my most favorite read of 2025!

Daja, a young Polish refugee, leaves behind everything she has ever known in search of safety and the promise of a better life in Germany. But the border is only the beginning. Alone, penniless, and desperate, she discovers that every choice she makes carries consequences that could shatter her future—or cost her life.

Marek, a German foster child, has never known real family. When he’s taken under the wing of his manipulative cousin Damien, he’s pulled into a hidden world of crime and cruelty. Marek is forced to face an impossible decision: embrace Damien’s path of violence and power, or become his next victim.

When Daja and Marek’s paths cross, their fates entwine in a collision of survival, betrayal, and the human capacity for both love and destruction. But in a world built on exploitation and fear, choice becomes an illusion. In the end, Daja and Marek are not heroes or villains—they are casualties of the brutal forces that shape their lives, bound together as victims of circumstance.
Profile Image for Milt Theo.
1,807 reviews152 followers
September 7, 2025
"The Border House" is a gem of European extreme horror thrillers, touching on several issues currently plaguing Europe (from the refugee crisis to Putin), though the stars of the tale are not the Europeans (who are, to put it bluntly, the monsters of the story) but a couple of young refugee women on the run, trying to get to Germany and make a better life for themselves. One woman is a heavily pregnant Congolese, the other a Syrian who's already known hell in her own war-torn country. After finally crossing to Germany from the Polish border (a story in itself), and trusting people now they've managed to escape into a refugee-friendly country, they get captured by "procurers," men involved in sex trafficking and snuff films - more specifically, providing victims to be tortured and killed in the legendary Red Rooms, a snuff film marketplace on the Dark Web. That's the titular "Border House" they end up, in a basement along with other men and women of all shapes and ages, fuel for the sick imagination of customers who pay for graphic torture and painful murder.

However, that's just one of the plotlines in the book, since the author also turns the spotlight on the rich gangster/businessman orchestrating the aforementioned Red Room atrocities. Through the eyes of a newly arrived young male cousin, the reader is introduced into the mechanics of a depraved industry and the psychological makeup of its members. Inevitably, the two plotlines collide -rather explosively, in fact- and morally troubling and gruesome mayhem ensues.

The closest I can compare Simone Trojahn's writing style is to Jon Athan's: sober, detailed, clinical, accurate and mostly descriptive, though never cruel or unnecessarily heartless. In fact, in terms of graphic violence, Trojahn may be more restrained, since sometimes the worst kind of scenes are quickly passed over (for example, a scene with a newborn baby strongly reminiscent of a notorious sequence in Serbian Film). On the other hand, Trojahn's characters have more psychological depth, especially the torturers, who are also family men, injecting complexity into figures who'd be totally bland otherwise.

As a veteran extreme horror reader, I didn't find anything too novel or original in the book. I'd expected racism and politics, due to the story's background premises and the setting. Alas, this never materialized. Even the cover goes for the 'blond girl' and refuses to portray the Syrian star of the story. I'm not complaining, however: "The Border House" is a well-crafted tale delivering some really disturbing scenes, integrated into the plot, described with unusual skill and artistry for extreme horror fiction. Of course, all possible kinds of trigger warnings apply, and special care should be taken in matters of pregnancy, babies, and sexual abuse of every conceivable sort! If you can stomach brutal savagery and degrading treatment of defenseless people, this is a tale highly recommended!
Profile Image for Jason Morrison.
146 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2025
"A descent into a hell unlike any other."

That would be the best, and most accurate way to describe this book. If you are a fan of splatterpunk or just graphic and dark stories in general, then this will certainly not disappoint you.

It is difficult to compare this to other extreme horror novels I have read, which I feel is a good thing, as this work stands on its own. There is a level of darkness and violence unlike anything else I have read. In fact, it surprised me as I was not expecting it, at least not to this degree.

Unlike other extreme horror books I have read, there is a plot and character development here. I am glad it was not just guts and gore for the sake of being able to write about it. If I had any complaints here, it is that some of the pacing felt slow at times. It might be needed as a break from some of the violence depicted, though.

For a long time, I have held that no book will top the level of depravity that is Hogg by Samuel R. Delany. This one was close and will for now hold its own in the top 5 most graphic books I have ever read.
Profile Image for Eve L. Fell.
Author 11 books76 followers
November 12, 2025
Twisted

4/5 🍒

Daja escapes Syria and flees to Germany. She follows some coyotes out of the country and of course they expect some sort of payment which they take from her without her consent. But she allows it because she needs a better life and can’t go back to Syria.

She befriends a pregnant woman and they finally make it to Germany and begin trying to find somewhere to stay. They’re approached by two men. One’s name is Marek the other is Amir. They tell the women they can offer them a place to stay. They hesitate getting in but eventually do. They should have listened to their gut.

Marek has lived a hard and rough life. Being abandoned by his parents and left in groups homes and on the street to live and survive alone.

One day his long lost cousin Damien reaches out to him and offers him a place to stay but at a price that may be too great for Marek to pay.

Without anywhere to go Marek begins to work for Damien in a business so dark he questions if he can even do it. But does he have a choice?

Marek and Daja’s stories intertwine and we get to see both sides of the card. Which I liked but didn’t at the same time.

This book is NOT for the weak. This book hits every trigger you can imagine. If you’re sensitive to anything extreme find something else to read.

Within her books Simone opens your eyes to horrors that I personally believe happen. To think these sorts of things don’t is very naive. Monsters exist everywhere in the world and you should always trust your gut or you could end up in Daja’s shoes.
Profile Image for Jessie Raven.
331 reviews19 followers
August 22, 2025
From 2 main characters we have Daja, a young female crossing the border to a new, safer country after a bomb was dropped on her home in Syria. Marek is the cousin of a red room coordinator. He isn’t aware that this is where his cousins fortune and wealth comes from. Will he go to the ends of the earth to do what his cousin desires of him?

Oh wow. This was depravity at its finest! From watching children pass away, to getting kidnapped and then the red rooms? This was none stop carnage. Watching Daja make friends and experience loss was next level. Seeing Marek navigate his feelings when finding out what his cousin does and falling in love for the first time. This is trigger galore for anyone that has them. R*pe, child harm, abuse, kidnapping is just some of the things this book entails. If you want a happy story this is not it 😂 shows what humans are capable of in the rawest form. Highly recommend and the I’ll be reading more from this author asap!
Profile Image for Beatrix Starling.
474 reviews10 followers
September 12, 2025
So.... i just went and bought 3 more books from Simone Trojahn.
The border house is not for the faint hearted: filled with the worst type of humans and the worst type of depravity.
The border house is where the unfortunate end up in when they make the last bad decision of their lives. Mostly refugees, filled with hope for a better life - but that last trusting choice to get into the van with men who say they are going to help them find their feet, that choice will strip them of everything they still own: their humanity, sanity, and ultimately, their lives.
The book is extremely well written, and explores the physical and mental torture of these unfortunates, and also the moral and mental toll for some of those committing these crimes.
It's gory and dark, and its horrifying nature lies in the fact that this exists in the real world.
Highly recommended for a very dark read.
481 reviews12 followers
September 1, 2025
4.5/5

This is definitely a book for our times. From the very start, we are thrust into the European migrant crisis, following a Congolese and a Syrian refugee as they attempt to cross the Polish border to escape their war-torn countries and find better lives.

The story takes an even more twisted and horrific turn with a separate plotline involving snuff films and sex trafficking, which revolves around the family that built this ungodly empire.

"The Border House" is a political, cruel, and vengeful tale that kept me engaged the entire time. Everything about this is vile and evil. Even Putin is mentioned.
Profile Image for Rhian.
56 reviews5 followers
October 27, 2025
Back to the basement.

Good lord.

Another incredible story from Simone. I found her writing with Basement Games, which has lived rent free in my head since.

The sheer depravity, and hopelessness felt in the book was one that was unrelenting. But, it was the fact this stuff happens daily that made it all the more horrific.

Which brings us to The Border House. Another set of real life monsters who we know, are at this moment possibly lining up their next victims.

This book is raw, desperately sad, and relentless in its horror..... but, is there a less harrowing end than that of Basement games....? you'll have to read it and find out.
11 reviews2 followers
Read
August 22, 2025
This is red room extreme horror. But it approaches the topic from a very different angle than I'm used to. There is gore and extremely violent, dehumanizing and graphic situations pictured, but they're not gratuitous, they're there to help you understand the hell the main characters has ended up in, especially Marek, one of the villains. It's an emotional journey, not only for the characters, but for you as a reader too.
Profile Image for Sabrina Lee.
10 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2025
I saw this book being reviewed on social media, and decided to give it a try. I typically think I have no triggers, but this book made me find one.
The story is translated, but nothing gets lost in it!
I love the way it’s written, and how we get flashes of each pov as we go along! It’s brutal, that’s for sure, but the storyline keeps you hooked and guessing what could possibly come next. Overall, good book…just check your triggers!
**And please, never get in the van 😩
Profile Image for Amethyst Maxey.
449 reviews11 followers
September 7, 2025
Thank you for the ARC. This is my first book by this author and I went in blind, not knowing what it’s about or what genre. It didn’t disappoint with the graphic extreme horror angle and I was there for every minute of it. It took about 30% into the book to get going but then it didn’t stop. I definitely felt for the cousin and the position he was put in.

The Border House is a place men, women and children and taken to be tortured and murdered for money to paying viewers.
Profile Image for Breanna.
216 reviews8 followers
September 10, 2025
Sometimes escaping one nightmare only traps you in another—and that’s exactly what happens to Daja and countless other refugees. Drawn in by the promise of safety, they instead find themselves imprisoned, exploited, and abused for the entertainment of faceless strangers online. Border House is violent, unsettling, and deeply disturbing. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that will stay with you long after the last page.
Profile Image for Rachel M.
412 reviews17 followers
September 15, 2025
There’s nothing better to make you happy, sad, angry, disgusted, horrified and screw your face up all the way through than a Simone Trojan book!
This one is horrific, and actually quite fitting for current affairs happening around the world at the moment. Refugees flee to Germany in hopes of a better life, unfortunately for a select few there life will never be the same and they will be left wishing that they took their chances in their own broken country.
279 reviews9 followers
September 22, 2025
A powerful tale about refugees that end up in a different kind of hell. Simone has outdone herself in this story that is raw and captivating. The characters are dynamic and what they are put through--both on the initial descent over the border and later at the house keep you turning the pages. Daja and Merek are so well drawn, it is easy to be there with them as they experience the literal hell in this cruel and unsettling tale. Horror at it's best.
Profile Image for Micki-D.
1,307 reviews37 followers
September 25, 2025

The Boarder house is a well written European extreme horror/thriller. It touches on issues that are happening in Europe, such as refugee crisis & more.

A couple of young refugee women on the run who are trying to get to Germany to make a better life for themselves. Daja, a young female crossing the border to a new, safer country after a bomb was dropped on her home in Syria. Marek is the cousin of a red room coordinator

It’s brutal, disturbing, heartbreaking, depraved, with unimaginable cruelty. It’s
Not always an easy read but it was raw and gripping and so very dark. It was none stop carnage

You need to check the triggers the book is full of sensitive & tragic content.
Profile Image for Brittany Willaert.
36 reviews6 followers
August 25, 2025
Brutal and disturbing yet truly astonishing.. I’ve waited so long for a translated book. I’m happy to have had the chance to read. A mid paced story but the overall emotion and plot was absolutely incredible. I couldn’t stop reading!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.