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Solace House: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 13 Oct 26A brilliant, towering, puzzle-box novel about perfect summers and forbidden knowledge, somewhere in the mad interstice of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and A.S. Byatt’s Possession.
Summer, 1993, and university student Alex Lane finds himself at the end of the summer term, broke and without plans. When offered the chance to join students – including beautiful, mercurial Ella – clearing out Solace House, a Victorian residence left by reclusive hoarder Edwin Flayne, he accepts. Initially the house seems ordinary, if slightly mad. But sorting through junk, they discover Flayne’s journals detailing his obsession with his missing mother, his discovery of strange place Bewise, and his belief in another parallel realm, with coded instructions for reaching it. One of the students becomes increasingly obsessed with the house’s secrets and gaining forbidden knowledge – assuming they’re willing to sacrifice everything and everyone.
Summer, 1993, and university student Alex Lane finds himself at the end of the summer term, broke and without plans. When offered the chance to join students – including beautiful, mercurial Ella – clearing out Solace House, a Victorian residence left by reclusive hoarder Edwin Flayne, he accepts. Initially the house seems ordinary, if slightly mad. But sorting through junk, they discover Flayne’s journals detailing his obsession with his missing mother, his discovery of strange place Bewise, and his belief in another parallel realm, with coded instructions for reaching it. One of the students becomes increasingly obsessed with the house’s secrets and gaining forbidden knowledge – assuming they’re willing to sacrifice everything and everyone.
512 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
"Swift centuries elapse, now time unbound, repeats, inside everlasting summers..."
A kaleidoscopic labyrinthine glorious beast of novel which defies genres, warps time, distorts reality and leaves the reader slightly exhausted but richly rewards, brimming with thoughts, emotions and lingering questions. Utterly brilliant! I've seen it described as a mash-up of "Secret History" and "House of Leaves" and whilst that comparison is understandable, it ultimately sells the book short. This is a work entirely of its own making, singular, unsettling and unforgettable, and needs to be read to be believed.
A kaleidoscopic labyrinthine glorious beast of novel which defies genres, warps time, distorts reality and leaves the reader slightly exhausted but richly rewards, brimming with thoughts, emotions and lingering questions. Utterly brilliant! I've seen it described as a mash-up of "Secret History" and "House of Leaves" and whilst that comparison is understandable, it ultimately sells the book short. This is a work entirely of its own making, singular, unsettling and unforgettable, and needs to be read to be believed.
October 1, 2025
Intrigue géniale pendant la majeure partie du roman mais la fin m'a laissée perplexe et déçue.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Absolutely incredible. A monumental work. One of those novels that reminds me why I read fiction in the first place. If only every book could be this
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews