Home Is Where the Horror Is

by C.V. Hunt

The beautiful thing about life is that it isn’t perfect.

Evan Lansing manages to eke out a living as a photographer, capturing the beauty of severely marred and deformed people. He’s content with his meager existence but his longtime girlfriend, Naomi, is looking for more out of life . . . things that cost money—marriage and children. Evan’s options are limited when he and Naomi resolve to split. He can stay with his brother and his brother’s insufferable wife and daughter or he can move into his deceased mother’s remote cabin and renovate it. The solitude of the cabin is an enticing alternative for Evan to start anew. But disturbing things begin to happen once Evan moves in and it leaves him to question if staying with his brother wasn’t the better option. And then there are the neighbors . . .

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Audiobook, Bizarro Fiction

244 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2017

About the author

C.V. Hunt lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is the owner of Grindhouse Press, and writes unpopular fiction.

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.V. Hunt's newest novel is both a step more into traditional horror and a continuation of her existential examination of the frequently perverse human nature that I expect from this dark but always substantial writer. In Home is Where the Horror is, struggling photographer Evan Lansing has just separated from his cheating girlfriend. He makes an agreement with his brother to move into their deceased mother's isolated cottage and do some renovation work on it in exchange for rent. As soon as he arrived strange events start to happen including his new habit of sleep-walking and a sudden cutting of his skin. Then there are his neighbors, a man and his daughter who he suspects are having perverted and illegal interactions.

The first thing I realized about this novel by Hunt is that the main protagonist was actually close to likeable. it is not unusual for the main character in a Hunt novel to be not so nice and downright repulsive sometimes. This is not to say Evan doesn't have his faults and shortcomings. Those shortcomings and past experiences has much to do with where this story goes. But he is someone you actually root for. But the author makes up in the supporting cast with the two neighbor... and possibly a third? There is a clear darkness of mood developing over what is a fairly ordinary person and situation and this is what makes this novel by C. V a little more conventional. You can see a distinct separation and eventual conflict of good and evil. There are still similarities to her past novels though. There are a lot of scenes of kink and perversion. It is shocking and meant to be shocking. Hunt writes some of the best sexual and body horror in the field although I hesitate to call it erotic. It's horror and it is definitely terrifying.

I always like a CV Hunt novel but this one really thrilled me because the of stronger horror elements standing on their own. I believe the horror fan who want his horror straight-up and scary will enjoy this providing he or she has a strong stomach for both gore and sexual kink. It also has a slower but steady built-up which culminate in pure terror for the last third of the novel. But that unrelenting darkness is still there and it is one of the thing that makes her worth reading, at least for this reader. It's a nice and ultimately essential horror read for the year.

[mrhh714 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read CV Hunt you know that her horror deals as much with the nightmare of a thought as, say, the nightmare of being brutally tortured in a satanic ritual. This still has elements of both, along with just a sprinkle of that old CV Hunt signature black humor that really cuts. And only 1 cat shoved into an orifice.

[Russell Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of some of the more recent slow-burn, indie horror films that are purposely kind of vague and don't explicitly spell everything out, and it utilizes the "life-change" horror trope, which usually involves a major move to an isolated location, to great effect. There's a ton of atmosphere and the gloomy, deep forest setting feels like an active character in the story. It's a slow-burn that gets more and more strange as it moves toward its natural and organic end. There are some genuinely creepy scenes and the sense of doom continues to mount until the story's conclusion. Although I was hoping for more overt scares, reading quiet/weird horror as filtered through C.V. Hunt's sensibilities was a really enjoyable experience. :)

[The Behrg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In order to review a book, it helps to know how you feel about what you’ve read. This being my first CV Hunt novel, I can honestly say—even a few months after reading this one—that I’m not sure what exactly I read, let alone how I feel about it.

What I can tell you is that this is dark. Graphic. Shocking. And that it won’t go where you expect it to, in both good and bad ways. And yet I plowed through this book, needing to know, with a sick fascination, how the story ends.

I’ve never quite read something like this novel, and if you look at this book from a macro level, the entire book would be the first few chapters of what another novelist might begin their story with. Hunt isn’t intimating anyone here, but carving out a place at the dinner table where no one will want to sit beside her.

A truly unique experience, but recommended with a warning that once you go in, you might not like where you end up. A solid 3 1/2 stars.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

C.V. Hunt had big shoes to fill with regard to her follo-up to RITUALISTIC HUMAN SACRIFICE. And you know what? She pulled it off! HOME IS WHERE THE HORROR IS is a darkly satisfying tale with all the viseral gore and u comfortable descriptions that have come to represent Hunt's style.
HOME starts off as the story of a man in flux. Life is changing for him and he is trying to find the words to start the new chapter of his life. The story take awhile to reveal what it truly is but all the while your kept riveted by Evan, the main character's struggles to right his life. The more he corrects his situation the deeper he sinks himself unbeknownst to him.

The ending is darkly satisfying. Its crescendo, a roller coaster that has climbed to long and too high for anyone's comfort. The drop is fast and frightening and your heart pounds in terror long after the ride is over. I need a drink.

[George Billions · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always had this vague fear of beautiful, secluded locales. There could be monsters out there in the woods, and the neighbors might be murderous, backwoods cretins. If either turns out to be the case, there’s nobody to save you out in the sticks. CV Hunt captures that fear perfectly, building up the dread in the setting before things even get nasty. And oh man, do they get nasty.

As with Ritual Human Sacrifice, this book contains a good mix of believable, relatable human drama, looming WTF-is-going-on anxiety, and serious gross-out horror. I have no idea how to feel about her sex scenes, but that’s part of the fun. One way or another, this book will make you feel genuine physical sensations.

[David Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another C.V. Hunt book in my reading repertoire. Home Is Where The Horror Is contains the type of straight forward cynical narrative that I have come to love from Hunt’s work. This particular novel does contain some of her trademark wit and humor yet there seems to be less of it than her previous old man buddy comedy We Did Everything Wrong. This novel is darker and tinkers but doesn’t go as far into the zone of her insane novel Ritualistic Human Sacrifice.

As I said the story starts off pretty straight forward with the main character, Evan Lansing, a photographer of scars and deformities, breaking up with his girlfriend and moving in with his brother. Evan and his brother’s mother owned a cabin outside of the city that needs repairs since her death. Evan decides to start fresh out there rent free in exchange for completing the repairs. Of course, when Evan tries to settle in he begins to discover that he has some creepy neighbors and there is more danger out in the boonies than he expected.

Hunt has a knack for writing books the head straight for madness all the way to the last page, and Home Is Where The Horror Is is no exception. I noted this quote from pg, 220 that I feel sums up the story pretty well: “I was going to die either from her vaginal suffocation or from the impossible situation of a cat crawling around in my stomach.” There you have it. If you are an established C.V. Hunt fan then go ahead and pick this one up. If you are not an established fan but enjoy smart, bloody, transgressive horror then you should also pick this one up.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at around 30%. The very first chapter was a complete slog to get through. The summary of the book is "boy is dumped, boy moves to remote cabin, horror ensues." But it took around 20 pages for boy to get dumped. On the second page of the narrative girlfriend tells boy "We need to talk." The next 5-ish pages are filled with paragraphs of metaphors for how it feels to hear the words "we need to talk" when you're in a relationship. The actual talk, while it only takes up about 10 or less spoken sentences, somehow manages to stretch over 10 unnecessary pages, during which I was so grossed out by the sheer outrage of a human being boy is that I found myself looking forward to him getting his guts ripped out. After the nightmare of a first chapter I forced myself to continue for a little longer to find more of the same. If edited down to its actually interesting parts this book would be a short story about 40 pages long.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanine]

Graphic sex scenes over and over.. I'll pass on the rest of the book.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The build up in this book is brutal. I was itching with anxiety for almost two hundred pages waiting for the tension to finally break and find out what the hell was going on. The final pages did not disappoint. Just as good and nasty as her previous novel, Ritualistic Human Sacrifice, CV Hunt is becoming a favorite.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, skip the audible version though the narration was horrid

[Amanda Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character, Evan, was actually a pretty decent person, especially when compared to Nick from Ritualistic Human Sacrifice—he was horrible!

I enjoyed the book but I thought the end felt a bit rushed. I would’ve liked maybe 50 more pages to flesh out the end and explain a little more of wtf was happening. The incest and cannibalism felt a little gratuitous.

I thought the satanic stuff with the niece was a little odd, was it foreshadowing? It wasn’t bad, I guess I just maybe wanted that to be incorporated or explored more. It didn’t really fit with how his sister in law was explained, it wasn’t believable that she’d allow her daughter to have that stuff so I just wonder what the point was. Again, maybe foreshadowing.

3/5, maybe 3.5/5!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting something quite different from what this novel actually was. I thought it was going to be a super creepy and unsettling story, but it turned into horror erotica, emphasis on the erotica. I thought the writing and style was good and enjoyable, but the story just wasn’t for me. I would have liked a bit more horror and a bit more explanation of at the ending. Points for being disturbingly entertaining though.
(2.5 ⭐️)

[Shadow Girl]

Ain't THAT the truth?!

I know that I R&R'd this once before for my blog, but like many others I'm finding - the reviews are missing from Amazon and Goodreads.
'Home Is Where the Horror Is' is one that I chose to re-read during Coronageddon, and I'm never disappointed with C.V. Hunt. I was just as sucked in this time as I was the first time! I feel so bad for poor Evan. Even his good moments never last long.
What's that neice up to these days?

[Elena Alvarez Dosil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...

Evan Lansing tries to make a living out of a special kind of photography. He likes to take pictures of deformed and scarred bodies. Her wife Naomi has her mind on completely different things. She wants a stable life, children, and commitments. As Evan is not able to give her what she needs, Naomi leaves him for another man. Between living with his brother and his terrible family, and living at her mother’s old house, Evan choses the latter. But he will not be prepared for his new neighbors and the strange things that happen on the area.

I became soon interested in this story. In my youth I studied photography, among other things, and I remember seeing a book or two about photographers with this same obsession. I think it made for an interesting and original character.

The first part of the book is a bit slow but I enjoyed how it was written. There is something off with whole the rhythm of the story though. There is no real terror until almost the end of the book, around forty five minutes towards the end. There are weird events and unpleasant things, but not horror. I enjoyed the build up, but the outcome was so rushed that I did not have time to ‘feel’ it. I was expecting most of the time for something to happen, and then I realized there was just one hour to finish the book; something quick happened, and then The End.

The horror in this book is mostly psychological, similar to the one created by pure anxiety, which is what prevents Evan from taking real measures and leaving the house. There is gore at the end, but as I have said, it feels rushed.

There is also a great amount of explicit sex, porn included. So if this is not your cup of tea, this books is not for you. I have to say that there is a lot more sex than horror in this book. I would say that the whole part between beginning and end is just about sex.

Evan has a brief relationship with a girl, and curiously, they have great sex. I always find it kind of surreal when couples in books have sex for the first time and everything goes like clockwork, and they even have three or four intercourses in one day. Am I from a different planet?

Rick Gregory’s narrations is one of those that give you a seamless experience, not disturbing the story in any way. It is clear, voices are distinct enough but not overdone, and he makes you forget that you are listening to an audibook. The audio production is also spotless. The only issue that I noticed were a couple of unexpected pauses on the narration. It could have been pauses for effect, but anyway they did not feel completely natural to me.

All in all, I enjoyed the story, but I think it would have benefited from a more prolonged horror at the end.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

After his mother dies and he breaks up with his girlfriend Evan tries to move in with his brother and his obnoxious wife and daughter. When that doesn’t work out he moves into their mothers cabin well off the beaten path. That’s when things get weird. Home Is Where the Horror Is is a little tamer than Hunts other work. There isn’t as much disgusting or horrific or weird stuff this time around. At least until the very end. That’s when things get really weird and very violent.

The author never explains what exactly is going on in the cabin near the brother’s mother’s cabin but I don’t think it matters. Just know things are weird and twisted and go very wrong. One small thing about the book though is that the main characters hobby or side job is taking pictures of peoples scars. While it does play a small part in the story it never goes anywhere that I thought it would. He literally just takes pictures of peoples scars. And the story overall is a little dull because the author is keeping things subtle until the end, but never so much I wanted to quit it or anything. This one is probably my least favorite from the author but still well worth reading.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third book I’ve read from this author, so it was a bit easier to stomach, and it was a bit longer than the first two I read and felt a lot more developed.

Thankfully, the main character Evan wasn’t the absolute worst, because in Ritualistic Human Sacrifice, Nick was AWFUL, and in Murder House, Brett was also pretty shitty and I felt no sympathy for either of them. In Evan’s case…. He felt much more real of a character, he was a man who actually felt remorse and had a moral compass, so I wasn’t annoyed being in his head and watching what was happening to him in the cabin.

This book though, was still pretty graphic and horrifying - I felt icky af reading any scene involving Tryphena & Lloyd (Evan’s neighbors) and wish the author hadn’t felt the need to write explicit sex scenes involving a minor. Also, justice for Rachel???? She didn’t not deserve what happened to her.

All in all, it was a book I couldn’t put down, though it could be triggering for others.

Triggers: mentions of suicide, incest/child abuse, necrophilia, rape, dismemberment, and there was a whole thing with the cat crawling into the MC’s body via his mouth??? It was weird

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

MARATÓN HALLOWEENESCO 2022

Parte 7

HOME IS WHERE THE HORROR IS
C.V. Hunt

** 3.0 **

La verdad es que no sé ni que decir de este libro. No me ha parecido del todo malo, pero definitivamente no es del estilo de horror que prefiero. Simplemente la historia no me terminó de convencer; me parece que tarda medio libro en arrancar, y cuando lo hace no se vuelve más interesante, sino bastante monótona --sí, que el personaje principal no pare de hablar de su calentura constante y de cuanto lo excita hasta la caída de una hoja se vuelve tedioso y repetitivo--, que en un tris, en el último quinto del libro, desemboca en una orgía de sangre y sexo.

Supongo que para aquellos que disfrutan del gore sumamente descriptivo y la violencia gratuita, esta novela será de su agrado. A mí en lo personal me fastidió por su falta de trasfondo y porque termina de la manera más obvia: la historia es así porque así es la historia, y termina así porque así termina, y ya.

Aquí van sus calabazas, que son tres porque aunque no me causó Terror, sí fue por instantes repulsivo. Eso sí estuvo bien logrado, supongo.

🎃🎃🎃

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer]

I didn’t like this book at all! Well let me be honest I did like the book and found it very interesting until they threw detailed child pornography in there and I had to stop listening. They say hindsight is 2020 and if I go back and think about things that happened I could see it was leading up to this. It would’ve been OK and they alluded to the fact that happen or set it up and put it go into such detail ciao pornography and I mean it doesn’t get any more detail than it is in this book. I am not comfortable with your pornography but I understand why it was put in there due to the plot, but again there was no reason for it to be so detailed unless the author was looking to titillate people with the sexual details I see no benefit to that being in the book and that is where I stopped reading it. I am so sad that happened because the book was so very good and I’m also sad because we could do with less child pornography in the world.

[William M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 AND 1/2 STARS

This is only my second book I have read from C.V. Hunt, but so far she is batting 1,000. No female writer I have read in this or any genre has written from the male perspective with such accurate insight and authenticity. I am a big fan of the slow build and this was near perfect. I did think the end was a bit off the rails but still enjoyed this one tremendously. A few annoying typos aside, hardcore horror fans should give this a try and as long as they have patience, it will pay off. I usually don't say this about books, but this one could have been even longer and still carried the suspense and intensity. Not quite as satisfying as Ritualistic Human Sacrifice, but still a huge recommendation. I can't wait for her next book!

[Eric Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only my second book I have read from C.V. Hunt, but so far she is batting 1,000. No female writer I have read in this or any genre has written from the male perspective with such accurate insight and authenticity. I am a big fan of the slow build and this was near perfect. I did think the end was a bit off the rails but still enjoyed this one tremendously. A few annoying typos aside, hardcore horror fans should give this a try and as long as they have patience, it will pay off. I usually don't say this about books, but this one could have been even longer and still carried the suspense and intensity. Not quite as satisfying as Ritualistic Human Sacrifice, but still a huge recommendation. I can't wait for her next book!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home is where the horror is - 4/5
By C V Hunt

This book was a brilliantly written extreme horror novel. This whole book should also be a content warning - if you have triggers, I really DO NOT recommend you reading this.

I actually loved this book and thought the story was brilliant - the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars is that I would have loved to know what the creature was and why Evan ended up
in the woods. Definitely a book that managed to make me feel very very uncomfortable.

[Chanelle Gruca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a fun and different take on horror! This creeped me out in the best ways possible. Even though it was a slow burn, it was exceptional.

I just wish there was some clarity on the situations the character was facing. From waking up outside, the sex with the neighbor's daughter, the cat (oh my gosh the cat!), the neighbors themselves, the death of his new love interest, and the creature...

I feel like if some of these things were explained it would for sure be a 5 star book. As much as I loved it, I feel like I was left scratching my head..

[Todd Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a gruesome and perverse horror story! I loved it. I am a photographer myself like the main character, Evan. That made this story even more enjoyable for me, although my taste in subject matter is a bit different. Evan prefers to photograph deformities and scars. The story is very creepy throughout and just gets more gruesome and perverse as the story continues. Excellent narration by Rick Gregory!

[Deedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out pretty good,then it went downhill.I think there was way too many sex scenes and not enough monsters.A photographer of weird things, gets dumped and has to move.He ends up in a cabin next to odd neighbors.Rick Gregory narrated a bit blandly,but I think that was how it was supposd to be.I just didn't care for the book in the end.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

[Sarah Dykes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally really like CV Hunt's work, but this one did not do it for me. I went into it expected a creepy/haunted cabin in the woods type of novel, but it was mostly horror erotica? Hillbilly sex? Home is Where the Horror Is has a slow start and then heads off into weird sex and just keeps going. Normally, I don't mind this, but my expectations were for another type of novel based on its description. The writing is good, but just not enough horror.

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. 69%. Free trial Kindle Unlimited is up today. Did not want to continue to read this, anyway. It's pornographic at the place I stopped. If you like porn then you might enjoy this because the explicit sex scene was lasting for pages and I still didn't finish the sex scene before I stopped (there were four more pages of it). Meh, I'm good. I was interested in a horror story and no horror has happened so far.

[Aaron Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The first 3/4's of this book are a horror lovers dream, but then the extremeness kicks in and it becomes a freaky, extremely disturbing nightmare!
I love extreme horror for the most part, but this one was a bit too extreme for my tastes. Too much graphic sex and gore. For me it was a little unnecessary, but I'm just a reader. C. V. Hunt wrote it that way for a reason and I'm just a bit below that reason-line. But I'm a huge fan of C. V. Hunt. Love her style!

[Karri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of the audiobook for my honest review.

The story was not good. At first I thought it was the fault of another terrible narrator, but I bought the kindle version so I could just read the story. Still a terrible story. I love horror, but this wasn't horror. I was bored and had to stop myself from skipping ahead.

[J. Peter W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow burner with an explosive ending. This is probably the slowest building novel by C.V. Hunt. The narrative is a little dry and the story is told at pace that leaves you wondering when, if anything, is going to happen. However, the payoff is huge. The last few chapters of this book are well worth the wait. One of my favorite endings I've ever read.