What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dead House
This best-selling debut by an award-winning writer is both an eerie contemporary ghost story and a dread-inducing psychological thriller. Maggie is a successful young artist who has had bad luck with men. Her last put her in the hospital and, after she’s healed physically, left her needing to get out of London to heal mentally and find a place of quiet that will restore her creative spirit. On the rugged west coast of Ireland, perched on a wild cliff side, she spies the shell of a cottage that dates back to Great Famine and decides to buy it. When work on the house is done, she invites her dealer to come for the weekend to celebrate along with a couple of women friends, one of whom will become his wife. On the boozy last night, the other friend pulls out an Ouija board. What sinister thing they summon, once invited, will never go.
Ireland is a country haunted by its past. In Billy O'Callaghan's hands, its terrible beauty becomes a force of inescapable horror that reaches far back in time, before the Famine, before Christianity, to a pagan place where nature and superstition are bound in an endless knot.
Ireland is a country haunted by its past. In Billy O'Callaghan's hands, its terrible beauty becomes a force of inescapable horror that reaches far back in time, before the Famine, before Christianity, to a pagan place where nature and superstition are bound in an endless knot.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2017
230 people are currently reading
3133 people want to read
About the author
Billy O'Callaghan
17 books314 followersBilly O'Callaghan was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1974. His books include the short story collections: In Exile (2008, Mercier Press), In Too Deep (2008, Mercier Press), and The Things We Lose, the Things We Leave Behind (2013, New Island Books/2017, CITIC Press, China); and a novel: The Dead House (2017, O'Brien Press/Arcade, USA).
His breakthrough novel, My Coney Island Baby, was published in 2019 by Jonathan Cape (UK, Ireland & the Commonwealth) and Harper (USA), as well as in translation by Grasset (France), Ambo Anthos (the Netherlands), btb Verlag (Germany), Paseka (Czech Republic), Ediciones Salamandra (Spain), L’Altra Editorial (Catalonia), Jelenkor (Hungary), Guanda (Italy) and Othello (Turkey). The novel was also shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award.
A new short story collection, The Boatman, and Other Stories was published in 2020 by Jonathan Cape (UK) and Harper Perennial (USA), and is forthcoming from btb Verlag (Germany) and Sefsafa (Egypt - Arabic).
His novel, Life Sentences, published to critical acclaim by Jonathan Cape in 2021, and reached #3 Irish fiction bestsellers list. 'Life Sentences' was published in the US by David R. Godine as well as on audiobook by Blackstone, as well as in Czech translation by Paseka, in Croatian by Petrine Knjige, in Farsi by Rahetalaei, and in French by Christian Bourgois. The French edition was shortlisted for the Prix Littéraire UIAD and the Littératures Européennes Cognac Prix du Lecteurs. An edition of the book is also forthcoming from btb Verlag (Germany) in April 2025).
His work has been recognised with numerous honours, including Bursary Awards for Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland and the Cork County Council, a Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for Encore Award and Costa Short Story Award shortlistings, and his short stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines and literary journals around the world, including: Agni, the Bellevue Literary Review, the Chattahoochee Review, Fiction Magazine, the Kenyon Review, the London Magazine, the Massachusetts Review, Narrative, Ploughshares, Salamander, the Saturday Evening Post, the Stinging Fly and Winter Papers.
His latest novel, The Paper Man, was published in May 2023 by Jonathan Cape (UK) & Godine (USA), and as an audiobook by Blackstone. It has also been translated into Czech, published by Paseka.
His breakthrough novel, My Coney Island Baby, was published in 2019 by Jonathan Cape (UK, Ireland & the Commonwealth) and Harper (USA), as well as in translation by Grasset (France), Ambo Anthos (the Netherlands), btb Verlag (Germany), Paseka (Czech Republic), Ediciones Salamandra (Spain), L’Altra Editorial (Catalonia), Jelenkor (Hungary), Guanda (Italy) and Othello (Turkey). The novel was also shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award.
A new short story collection, The Boatman, and Other Stories was published in 2020 by Jonathan Cape (UK) and Harper Perennial (USA), and is forthcoming from btb Verlag (Germany) and Sefsafa (Egypt - Arabic).
His novel, Life Sentences, published to critical acclaim by Jonathan Cape in 2021, and reached #3 Irish fiction bestsellers list. 'Life Sentences' was published in the US by David R. Godine as well as on audiobook by Blackstone, as well as in Czech translation by Paseka, in Croatian by Petrine Knjige, in Farsi by Rahetalaei, and in French by Christian Bourgois. The French edition was shortlisted for the Prix Littéraire UIAD and the Littératures Européennes Cognac Prix du Lecteurs. An edition of the book is also forthcoming from btb Verlag (Germany) in April 2025).
His work has been recognised with numerous honours, including Bursary Awards for Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland and the Cork County Council, a Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for Encore Award and Costa Short Story Award shortlistings, and his short stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines and literary journals around the world, including: Agni, the Bellevue Literary Review, the Chattahoochee Review, Fiction Magazine, the Kenyon Review, the London Magazine, the Massachusetts Review, Narrative, Ploughshares, Salamander, the Saturday Evening Post, the Stinging Fly and Winter Papers.
His latest novel, The Paper Man, was published in May 2023 by Jonathan Cape (UK) & Godine (USA), and as an audiobook by Blackstone. It has also been translated into Czech, published by Paseka.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 461 reviews
November 10, 2023
Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award 2019
A remote cottage on the West Coast of Ireland is left to ruin after the Great Famine. Locals know better to go there. The isolated area has known a lot of death. The run down house has a grim and haunting history.
Maggie Turner, an artist from London, has decided to tour the coast of Ireland after a near death experience with her boyfriend. She is looking for isolation and the opportunity to renew her art. The cottage draws her in. She decides to buy and renovate the house with the financial help of her art dealer and close friend Michael Simmons. Michael is uneasy about her decision, but goes along with it. Maggie throws a renovation party and invites Michael and two women friends. Warmed by Irish whiskey, one of the women pulls out a ouija board. Fueled by alcohol the group moves forward, but with foreboding amongst a few of them. They, unexpectedly, and to their horror, open the door to a malevolent and evil presence. Their lives will be changed forever.
This chilling, contemporary ghost story was written by Irish author Billy O’Callaghan. Author to award winning short stories, this is his debut novel. The book is dark and menacing with a beautiful portrayal of Irish history and it’s atmospheric location. His prose is poetic. Throughout the book there is a feeling of unease. I could not put this book down. Not long in length, I read this in a couple of sitting.
This eerie novel will stay with you. It’s a ghost story to read time and again. I will be reading more of O’Callaghan’s work.
I borrowed The Dead House from my library consortium.
One of my top reads in 2019.
5 chilling stars out of 5
A remote cottage on the West Coast of Ireland is left to ruin after the Great Famine. Locals know better to go there. The isolated area has known a lot of death. The run down house has a grim and haunting history.
Maggie Turner, an artist from London, has decided to tour the coast of Ireland after a near death experience with her boyfriend. She is looking for isolation and the opportunity to renew her art. The cottage draws her in. She decides to buy and renovate the house with the financial help of her art dealer and close friend Michael Simmons. Michael is uneasy about her decision, but goes along with it. Maggie throws a renovation party and invites Michael and two women friends. Warmed by Irish whiskey, one of the women pulls out a ouija board. Fueled by alcohol the group moves forward, but with foreboding amongst a few of them. They, unexpectedly, and to their horror, open the door to a malevolent and evil presence. Their lives will be changed forever.
This chilling, contemporary ghost story was written by Irish author Billy O’Callaghan. Author to award winning short stories, this is his debut novel. The book is dark and menacing with a beautiful portrayal of Irish history and it’s atmospheric location. His prose is poetic. Throughout the book there is a feeling of unease. I could not put this book down. Not long in length, I read this in a couple of sitting.
This eerie novel will stay with you. It’s a ghost story to read time and again. I will be reading more of O’Callaghan’s work.
I borrowed The Dead House from my library consortium.
One of my top reads in 2019.
5 chilling stars out of 5
October 30, 2019
“The ground flowed in tumultuous order, a cascade of the wildest washed-out greens torn and split by jutting flashes of slate and limestone… And always, everywhere, sealing the picture, the ocean.”
Billy O’Callaghan sees with an artist's eye, analyses with a philosopher's mind, and writes with a poet's pen. So I said when I first encountered his work, last year. In this novel, the artist’s eye is even stronger, still mediated through the poet’s pen, but the analysis is rather more para-psychological than philosophical.
Mike is a successful art dealer, based in London. Maggie is an artist he discovers and who becomes a friend: “an innocent, if a scarred one. An avowed romantic, the kind who shatters when dropped.” Alison (another dealer) and Liz (a poet) are other friends of hers.
There is a remote coastal cottage, mired in Irish legend, and set in “elemental wildness” at the edge of the world, where the past is “thick as tar”.
“Holy men built monasteries in places like this, trying to capture part of the alchemy that coaxed time into standing still.”
There is running away, coming together, fear, fire, and the unknown and unknowable.
Colours at the Edge
“Everything about the world ahead of me was colour… The water was blue, but not blue, it was grey, or green or a kind of burnt silver that seemed far beyond the scope of something as simplified as paint.”
Featuring an artist and art dealers, this novel is infused with colour and ways of seeing, especially the unseen and the nearly seen, blurring at the edge of perception. Reality blurs, as do art, life, legend, and imagination.
“The light seemed to shift, and the open sky closed in with a kind of shadowy whiteness. A pale thin hide of cloud raised itself in every direction, coating the day.”
The imagery is as beautiful as I expect from O'Callaghan, particularly of water and light, so I submitted to the ebbs and flows of the familiar waters of his lyrical prose, despite the less familiar genre. I relished “The most submissive abandonment... the dissolving of one’s being in a lake whose surface is infinitely tactile” (from Calvino’s If On A Winter’s Night, which I reviewed here).
“Even the air has wildness. I feel as if I’m out here collecting colours.”
The lavish beauty of the landscape contrasts with unsettling supernatural elements, which never veer to the ludicrous, let alone comic (though there are familiar tropes).
Do You Believe in Ghosts?
No. Not even a bit, and I rarely read about them. If this hadn’t been written by my favourite new author of 2016, I doubt I’d have read it. (I don't believe in hobbits, dragons, or various humanoid aliens either. A book about such things has to conjure its world convincingly and enticingly - as this did.)
“We’d gone too far with the game [Ouija board], but already the edges were beginning to fray.”
At the outset, the narrator acknowledges that readers might be disbelieving. He merely asks for an open mind, but aware that “The stains of scepticism are just as hard to scrub away as those of faith”.
My stains remain, but I believe the personal truth of the story Mike tells, and I believe the wider, deeper truths it hints at: the fragility of reality, and of the human mind.
Rather than being haunted by sounds, smells, voices, or visions described, it left me haunted by questions about sanity, the meaning of art, and our obligations to those we care about.
Even if running away is possible, it may not be wise. We are all living near the edge, whether we realise it or not. Instead, imbibe the colours of life, and live with joy and hope before the laden mists of the past catch up, the moisture weighing us down and slowly leaching clarity from the view ahead. The colours fade first from the edges, until all is a damp grey blur. For me, being driven to madness by one's own mind is far scarier than being driven to it by supernatural forces.
"That is why I am afraid."
Quotes about Light, Water, Nature
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
Quotes about Art
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
Other Quotes
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
More from Billy O'Callaghan
This is O'Callaghan's first novel. I’ve read and reviewed two of his three short story collections, which I highly recommend:
• The Things We Lose, the Things We Leave Behind, 5*, my review HERE.
• My Coney Island Baby, 5*, my review HERE. O’Callaghan’s second novel, based on a story in The Things We Lose.
• In Too Deep, 5*, my review HERE.
• You can read a decent-sized chunk of this story, free, courtesy of the Irish Examiner HERE.
He also won second prize in the prestigious Costa Short Story Competition 2016, announced on 31 January 2017.
Review in The New York Times.
Billy O’Callaghan sees with an artist's eye, analyses with a philosopher's mind, and writes with a poet's pen. So I said when I first encountered his work, last year. In this novel, the artist’s eye is even stronger, still mediated through the poet’s pen, but the analysis is rather more para-psychological than philosophical.
Mike is a successful art dealer, based in London. Maggie is an artist he discovers and who becomes a friend: “an innocent, if a scarred one. An avowed romantic, the kind who shatters when dropped.” Alison (another dealer) and Liz (a poet) are other friends of hers.
There is a remote coastal cottage, mired in Irish legend, and set in “elemental wildness” at the edge of the world, where the past is “thick as tar”.
“Holy men built monasteries in places like this, trying to capture part of the alchemy that coaxed time into standing still.”
There is running away, coming together, fear, fire, and the unknown and unknowable.
Colours at the Edge
“Everything about the world ahead of me was colour… The water was blue, but not blue, it was grey, or green or a kind of burnt silver that seemed far beyond the scope of something as simplified as paint.”
Featuring an artist and art dealers, this novel is infused with colour and ways of seeing, especially the unseen and the nearly seen, blurring at the edge of perception. Reality blurs, as do art, life, legend, and imagination.
“The light seemed to shift, and the open sky closed in with a kind of shadowy whiteness. A pale thin hide of cloud raised itself in every direction, coating the day.”
The imagery is as beautiful as I expect from O'Callaghan, particularly of water and light, so I submitted to the ebbs and flows of the familiar waters of his lyrical prose, despite the less familiar genre. I relished “The most submissive abandonment... the dissolving of one’s being in a lake whose surface is infinitely tactile” (from Calvino’s If On A Winter’s Night, which I reviewed here).
“Even the air has wildness. I feel as if I’m out here collecting colours.”
The lavish beauty of the landscape contrasts with unsettling supernatural elements, which never veer to the ludicrous, let alone comic (though there are familiar tropes).
Do You Believe in Ghosts?
No. Not even a bit, and I rarely read about them. If this hadn’t been written by my favourite new author of 2016, I doubt I’d have read it. (I don't believe in hobbits, dragons, or various humanoid aliens either. A book about such things has to conjure its world convincingly and enticingly - as this did.)
“We’d gone too far with the game [Ouija board], but already the edges were beginning to fray.”
At the outset, the narrator acknowledges that readers might be disbelieving. He merely asks for an open mind, but aware that “The stains of scepticism are just as hard to scrub away as those of faith”.
My stains remain, but I believe the personal truth of the story Mike tells, and I believe the wider, deeper truths it hints at: the fragility of reality, and of the human mind.
Rather than being haunted by sounds, smells, voices, or visions described, it left me haunted by questions about sanity, the meaning of art, and our obligations to those we care about.
Even if running away is possible, it may not be wise. We are all living near the edge, whether we realise it or not. Instead, imbibe the colours of life, and live with joy and hope before the laden mists of the past catch up, the moisture weighing us down and slowly leaching clarity from the view ahead. The colours fade first from the edges, until all is a damp grey blur. For me, being driven to madness by one's own mind is far scarier than being driven to it by supernatural forces.
"That is why I am afraid."
Quotes about Light, Water, Nature
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
Quotes about Art
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
Other Quotes
Hidden for brevity; no plot spoilers.
More from Billy O'Callaghan
This is O'Callaghan's first novel. I’ve read and reviewed two of his three short story collections, which I highly recommend:
• The Things We Lose, the Things We Leave Behind, 5*, my review HERE.
• My Coney Island Baby, 5*, my review HERE. O’Callaghan’s second novel, based on a story in The Things We Lose.
• In Too Deep, 5*, my review HERE.
• You can read a decent-sized chunk of this story, free, courtesy of the Irish Examiner HERE.
He also won second prize in the prestigious Costa Short Story Competition 2016, announced on 31 January 2017.
Review in The New York Times.
February 5, 2018
Billy O'Callaghan is a gifted and artistic writer with this stunningly chilling piece of debut fiction. In this lyrical and dripping with atmospheric menace and eeriness novel, he delivers an unforgettable suspenseful ghost story. It is narrated by Michael Simmons, an art dealer, and close friend of Maggie Turner, an artist, whose paintings he sells at his art gallery. In this tale of love, Irish history and folklore, and friendship, Maggie's violent boyfriend's attack puts her close to death's door. Michael is there for her, offering her refuge, to recuperate from her harrowing trauma. Maggie feels she needs something more to heal her spirits and provide inspiration for her art. To this end she finds a remote abandoned pre-famine cottage amidst a wondrous scenic landscape on the west coast of Ireland. Michael is not convinced this is the best move for Maggie, but supports her financially to acquire the place.
Amidst ongoing renovations, Maggie invites Michael and two women friends for a weekend. Amidst a drunken haze of whisky, a ouija board is whisked out with terror inducing fateful consequences and an encounter with The Master. The following day, they all try to put the previous night's events out of their minds, questioning their sanity as to whether it happened at all. Maggie's art changes dramatically from her past work and Michael ends up marrying one of the women friends, and has a child. In this dramatic novel, we are given the sense of the horrors of Irish history remaining ever prevalent in the present. I found this disturbing and markedly unsettling book utterly compelling with its strong sense of location, painted beautifully with detailed descriptions of mists, rains, and heavy gusts of winds. The air of spookiness and creepiness pervades the novel throughout. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is that I felt it was just too short a read, and I wanted more! Highly recommended! Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing for an ARC.
Amidst ongoing renovations, Maggie invites Michael and two women friends for a weekend. Amidst a drunken haze of whisky, a ouija board is whisked out with terror inducing fateful consequences and an encounter with The Master. The following day, they all try to put the previous night's events out of their minds, questioning their sanity as to whether it happened at all. Maggie's art changes dramatically from her past work and Michael ends up marrying one of the women friends, and has a child. In this dramatic novel, we are given the sense of the horrors of Irish history remaining ever prevalent in the present. I found this disturbing and markedly unsettling book utterly compelling with its strong sense of location, painted beautifully with detailed descriptions of mists, rains, and heavy gusts of winds. The air of spookiness and creepiness pervades the novel throughout. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is that I felt it was just too short a read, and I wanted more! Highly recommended! Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing for an ARC.
May 5, 2018
I just love the way this author writes. Though this is my first by him it certainly won't be my last. Maggie is an artist, after a horrifying incident in her personal life, she leaves London to give herself time to mentally heal. She finds a ruin of s cottage on the rugged west coast of Ireland, falls in love with it and the isolation it provides and decides to buy this place in the hope it will get her painting again.
Michael is our narrator but also Maggies art dealer and a very good friend. When she gets settled she invites him and two other women friends to come to the cottage and have a celebratory weekend. Something they do that weekend, obstensibly for fun, opens the door to something sinister.
A literary ghost story, not so much terrifying as unsettling and eerie. The author uses descriptive prose to full effect, establishing an atmosphere that permeates the pages. Gorgeous language, so impressive. Well to me anyway.
"The darkening fog gave Allihies an outwordly feel. The day was not yet gone but the windows of shops and houses were already lit and the few street lamps burned, triggered by an obvious need, their fiery orange glow holding like torches above the sloping street. There was nothing to see of the mountains, fields and ocean, no hint of them even, except in how they held to within the fabric of the place."
A good cautionary tale about not messing with the outworldly, things one doesn't understand. May open the door to more than one expects.
ARC from Netgalley.
Michael is our narrator but also Maggies art dealer and a very good friend. When she gets settled she invites him and two other women friends to come to the cottage and have a celebratory weekend. Something they do that weekend, obstensibly for fun, opens the door to something sinister.
A literary ghost story, not so much terrifying as unsettling and eerie. The author uses descriptive prose to full effect, establishing an atmosphere that permeates the pages. Gorgeous language, so impressive. Well to me anyway.
"The darkening fog gave Allihies an outwordly feel. The day was not yet gone but the windows of shops and houses were already lit and the few street lamps burned, triggered by an obvious need, their fiery orange glow holding like torches above the sloping street. There was nothing to see of the mountains, fields and ocean, no hint of them even, except in how they held to within the fabric of the place."
A good cautionary tale about not messing with the outworldly, things one doesn't understand. May open the door to more than one expects.
ARC from Netgalley.
October 31, 2019
this is a very quiet, atmospheric ghost story more interested in descriptions and layering individual moments to develop an overall mood than it is in delivering any horror-movie payoff.
i can appreciate it, objectively, as a piece of writing that adheres to the conventions and restraint that characterize traditional irish ghost stories, but as a reader/horror fan, i need more obvious scares to get my juices flowing.
it’s a slight book in length (202 pages) and in action - it’s ominous and suggestive and blurred by mist and speculation and aftermath, but not much actually, physically happens. the descriptions are lovely, with an emphasis on the natural beauty of ireland; its grandeur and isolation:
it’s a three for me because it’s enjoyable without being my perfect book-match, however, a well-written story for people who like to peep at the horror from in-between their fingers.
************************************
my pagehabit horror box has arrived!!
and it's gonna be spooooooky!!!
come to my blog!
i can appreciate it, objectively, as a piece of writing that adheres to the conventions and restraint that characterize traditional irish ghost stories, but as a reader/horror fan, i need more obvious scares to get my juices flowing.
it’s a slight book in length (202 pages) and in action - it’s ominous and suggestive and blurred by mist and speculation and aftermath, but not much actually, physically happens. the descriptions are lovely, with an emphasis on the natural beauty of ireland; its grandeur and isolation:
I’ve been many places in my life, but the Healy Pass felt like we’d somehow strayed into another world. Wildness lay in every direction, something equal parts fearful and sublime, the kind of raw that made my blood itch. Layers of rugged granite mountainside, the casual filthy-white scatter of sheep flecking the distance, the tumbling ground a desperation of greenery, thick as pond-scum in parts, stewed to the colour of sand by sun and wind along the higher reaches, clogging the channels between the domin-eering rock.
it’s a three for me because it’s enjoyable without being my perfect book-match, however, a well-written story for people who like to peep at the horror from in-between their fingers.
************************************
my pagehabit horror box has arrived!!
and it's gonna be spooooooky!!!
come to my blog!
October 29, 2018
”Do you believe in ghosts?
“Because that’s really where it begins, with belief. We glimpse or experience something that defies explanation and we either accept the stretch in our reality or we choose to turn our heads away. It’s a question that torments even philosophers: Do you believe?
”Yet when the wind howls, and we find ourselves alone with only the yellow pool of a guttering candle to hold back the darkness, our instinct, perhaps our innate need for something above and beyond, still screams otherwise.”
This story is told through Michael Simmons, as he looks back on a weekend many years before, when he was an art dealer living in London, and a very successful one, and one of the artists he represents, Maggie, has recently purchased a home in Ireland, near Castletownbere, with some financial assistance from Michael. Maggie’s plan had been to explore this peninsula where she has moved to begin a new life living in this remote cottage near the coast, walking each day to begin to feel the story of this land, the legends of Ireland whispering on the winds the stories of the past, the tears shed that fell as persistently as the rain.
”But rain was this world’s natural and permanent condition, a soft, relentless fur that muted distances and clung to the mountainsides like the smoke of fairy fires. To meet the place under better circumstances would mean to see only its lying face.”
Michael, as well as Maggie’s friends Alison and Liz also are invited guests that weekend, Alison is also an art dealer, and Liz is a poet. In a night fueled by Jameson, friendship and stories, they bond in their isolation from the world.
”Here the world had simplified itself down to rocks, ocean, sky, wind and rain; these because everything else was fleeting, and you felt overwhelmed by such a sense of permanence all around, by the realization that what you could see in any one moment and in any direction had always existed and always would. Holy men build monasteries in places like this, trying to capture part of the alchemy that coaxed time into standing still. The immensity of so much wildness brought on a kind of melancholy, it dwarfed you, made you feel small beneath greater things, but it also made you feel oddly and fully alive.”
A makeshift Ouija board, an upturned shot glass, some candles, and the fingertips of these four lead to questions asked, attempting to find out the history of this home, the thoughts based on the ”homes left to ruin after the Famine hit…The past must be as thick as tar in these parts.”
O’Callaghan paints such a vivid portrait of this place and time, these people with his words which flow like a graceful stream of poetry.
I am not even remotely drawn to supernatural stories, ghost stories, paranormal or stories that are scary, and while this has an element of ghostly presences, and there are chilling moments in this story, I loved how hauntingly lovely this was.
Still, all loveliness aside, I might just shiver a bit every time I hear someone say, “Can I come in?”
Recommended
November 15, 2020
3.5 stars
“History haunted the present in places like this, places that existed at a hard remove from the rest of the world, and the incessant closeness of so much storied past tended at times to skew the definition of reality.”
Last February I read My Coney Island Baby by Billy O’Callaghan. I raved about the lush language, the overwhelming sense of melancholy, and the introspective nature of the story. I loved it. I added more of his work to my list, including this one. I decided to save it for a perfectly gray October day. I’m glad that I did. I’m not certain this would have worked as well for me at any other time. Its greatest success lies in its ability to evoke a sense of place and the legends of the past that haunt such settings. I’ll get to the minor weaknesses in a bit.
“I loved the simple, unaffected way in which she signed her name, Maggie, in rose madder, as if the letters themselves, like a jut of off-colour crabgrass or the remaining spindles of some mangled picket fence…”
The story is narrated by Michael, an art dealer and close friend to a younger, talented artist named Maggie. Maggie has been misused, abused and damaged both physically and emotionally by a series of thugs who call themselves men. When she discovers a long abandoned piece of property on the coast of Ireland, she is attracted to the isolation, the sense of peace and healing she believes she will find there. When she settles in, Maggie invites a small group of friends for a housewarming. When the Ouija board is brought out, one instantly divines the remaining course of the story.
“We glimpse or experience something that defies explanation and we either accept the stretch in our reality or we choose to turn our heads away.”
My biggest disappointment with this book was that it was written from Michael’s perspective. He was too far removed from Maggie’s situation. I was surprised that a large part of the story seemed to revolve around his own relationship with Alison, a friend of Maggie’s. I’m not going to lie. I’ve become a bit jaded with stories about middle-aged men, who heft around a few extra pounds (like the rest of the world). It’s not the weight that bothers me; rather it’s the pointing out that said bachelor just happens to get on spectacularly with beautiful women who feel comfortable around him (despite the weight, naturally), because he’s just that kind of loveable guy. You don’t have to knock me over the head with this – I want to figure it out on my own! Same thing happened in O’Callaghan’s Coney Island Baby. I’m noticing a pattern her, folks. I would have preferred this story from Maggie’s perspective, observing the psychological toll and the downward spiral as she mired herself in such remoteness from the rest of the world while the ghostly howls of the violently departed seized her.
Having aired my grievances, I’ll still admit that this book gratified my desire to read about a haunting. When I was given the opportunity to visit the coast along with Michael, it was spectacularly eerie. The somber air, the pervading rain, the whispers of the dead, and the superstitions which permeate places such as this are all a good recipe for a persuasive ghost story. Even the faint of heart can appreciate this without losing too much sleep. I’ll read more O’Callaghan. He’s got some admirable writing chops.
“You should be afraid. We all should. Because none of us ever looks close enough to see. But once you peel back the surface, this is what lies waiting. This is all there is.”
“History haunted the present in places like this, places that existed at a hard remove from the rest of the world, and the incessant closeness of so much storied past tended at times to skew the definition of reality.”
Last February I read My Coney Island Baby by Billy O’Callaghan. I raved about the lush language, the overwhelming sense of melancholy, and the introspective nature of the story. I loved it. I added more of his work to my list, including this one. I decided to save it for a perfectly gray October day. I’m glad that I did. I’m not certain this would have worked as well for me at any other time. Its greatest success lies in its ability to evoke a sense of place and the legends of the past that haunt such settings. I’ll get to the minor weaknesses in a bit.
“I loved the simple, unaffected way in which she signed her name, Maggie, in rose madder, as if the letters themselves, like a jut of off-colour crabgrass or the remaining spindles of some mangled picket fence…”
The story is narrated by Michael, an art dealer and close friend to a younger, talented artist named Maggie. Maggie has been misused, abused and damaged both physically and emotionally by a series of thugs who call themselves men. When she discovers a long abandoned piece of property on the coast of Ireland, she is attracted to the isolation, the sense of peace and healing she believes she will find there. When she settles in, Maggie invites a small group of friends for a housewarming. When the Ouija board is brought out, one instantly divines the remaining course of the story.
“We glimpse or experience something that defies explanation and we either accept the stretch in our reality or we choose to turn our heads away.”
My biggest disappointment with this book was that it was written from Michael’s perspective. He was too far removed from Maggie’s situation. I was surprised that a large part of the story seemed to revolve around his own relationship with Alison, a friend of Maggie’s. I’m not going to lie. I’ve become a bit jaded with stories about middle-aged men, who heft around a few extra pounds (like the rest of the world). It’s not the weight that bothers me; rather it’s the pointing out that said bachelor just happens to get on spectacularly with beautiful women who feel comfortable around him (despite the weight, naturally), because he’s just that kind of loveable guy. You don’t have to knock me over the head with this – I want to figure it out on my own! Same thing happened in O’Callaghan’s Coney Island Baby. I’m noticing a pattern her, folks. I would have preferred this story from Maggie’s perspective, observing the psychological toll and the downward spiral as she mired herself in such remoteness from the rest of the world while the ghostly howls of the violently departed seized her.
Having aired my grievances, I’ll still admit that this book gratified my desire to read about a haunting. When I was given the opportunity to visit the coast along with Michael, it was spectacularly eerie. The somber air, the pervading rain, the whispers of the dead, and the superstitions which permeate places such as this are all a good recipe for a persuasive ghost story. Even the faint of heart can appreciate this without losing too much sleep. I’ll read more O’Callaghan. He’s got some admirable writing chops.
“You should be afraid. We all should. Because none of us ever looks close enough to see. But once you peel back the surface, this is what lies waiting. This is all there is.”
May 11, 2018
EXCERPT: Our foolishness opened a door back then, exposing something of insatiable appetite. Something monstrous.
After nine years, I'd almost forgotten, assuming, I suppose, that, having paid our price, we'd left it all behind us. But escape is never total, and we'd been wrong, Alison and I, to stop running. And now, again, it seems they've found us.
(She) said she heard my name being called, and I believe her, but I think she misunderstood. I think what she heard was actually a warning to me, not a call. And that frightens me more than anything else. Because something is here, and running now is not an option. I've already lost a lot, but there's always more to lose.
That's why I'm afraid.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: This best-selling debut by an award-winning writer is both an eerie contemporary ghost story and a dread-inducing psychological thriller. Maggie is a successful young artist who has had bad luck with men. Her last put her in the hospital and, after she’s healed physically, left her needing to get out of London to heal mentally and find a place of quiet that will restore her creative spirit. On the rugged west coast of Ireland, perched on a wild cliff side, she spies the shell of a cottage that dates back to Great Famine and decides to buy it. When work on the house is done, she invites her dealer to come for the weekend to celebrate along with a couple of women friends, one of whom will become his wife. On the boozy last night, the other friend pulls out an Ouija board. What sinister thing they summon, once invited, will never go.
Ireland is a country haunted by its past. In Billy O'Callaghan's hands, its terrible beauty becomes a force of inescapable horror that reaches far back in time, before the Famine, before Christianity, to a pagan place where nature and superstition are bound in an endless knot.
MY THOUGHTS: 'The past will not remain the past'. It is always a part of you, and wherever you go, it goes with you. It is always there in the shadowy corners of your mind, lurking, waiting for a moment of weakness, to take advantage and burst upon your present life, bringing with it all the things you would rather forget.
Billy O'Callaghan's writing is magical, lyrical, gentle with menace. He is an artist who paints pictures with his words, a voice whispering in my ear as I read. He held me spellbound with The Dead House. This passage from the book describes the effect his writing has on me, beautifully - 'It's just here, in my head. Pictures, words. I can see it. It's difficult to explain. I feel as if it's being whispered to me. I don't hear a voice, not exactly, but I feel it.'
The Dead House is incredibly atmospheric. It's not a scary book, not horror. But it has something, something almost indefinable, a gentle lurking menace. It is the sort of book that is unsettling, more than anything. The sort of book that will have you catching glimpses of movement from the corner of your eye, but then, when you turn, there is nothing there. Nothing that you can see. . .
I was sad to finish this, bereft even. This is O'Callaghan's only novel to date. He has, however, published three collections of short stories which are about to grace my shelves.
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing, Arcade Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
After nine years, I'd almost forgotten, assuming, I suppose, that, having paid our price, we'd left it all behind us. But escape is never total, and we'd been wrong, Alison and I, to stop running. And now, again, it seems they've found us.
(She) said she heard my name being called, and I believe her, but I think she misunderstood. I think what she heard was actually a warning to me, not a call. And that frightens me more than anything else. Because something is here, and running now is not an option. I've already lost a lot, but there's always more to lose.
That's why I'm afraid.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: This best-selling debut by an award-winning writer is both an eerie contemporary ghost story and a dread-inducing psychological thriller. Maggie is a successful young artist who has had bad luck with men. Her last put her in the hospital and, after she’s healed physically, left her needing to get out of London to heal mentally and find a place of quiet that will restore her creative spirit. On the rugged west coast of Ireland, perched on a wild cliff side, she spies the shell of a cottage that dates back to Great Famine and decides to buy it. When work on the house is done, she invites her dealer to come for the weekend to celebrate along with a couple of women friends, one of whom will become his wife. On the boozy last night, the other friend pulls out an Ouija board. What sinister thing they summon, once invited, will never go.
Ireland is a country haunted by its past. In Billy O'Callaghan's hands, its terrible beauty becomes a force of inescapable horror that reaches far back in time, before the Famine, before Christianity, to a pagan place where nature and superstition are bound in an endless knot.
MY THOUGHTS: 'The past will not remain the past'. It is always a part of you, and wherever you go, it goes with you. It is always there in the shadowy corners of your mind, lurking, waiting for a moment of weakness, to take advantage and burst upon your present life, bringing with it all the things you would rather forget.
Billy O'Callaghan's writing is magical, lyrical, gentle with menace. He is an artist who paints pictures with his words, a voice whispering in my ear as I read. He held me spellbound with The Dead House. This passage from the book describes the effect his writing has on me, beautifully - 'It's just here, in my head. Pictures, words. I can see it. It's difficult to explain. I feel as if it's being whispered to me. I don't hear a voice, not exactly, but I feel it.'
The Dead House is incredibly atmospheric. It's not a scary book, not horror. But it has something, something almost indefinable, a gentle lurking menace. It is the sort of book that is unsettling, more than anything. The sort of book that will have you catching glimpses of movement from the corner of your eye, but then, when you turn, there is nothing there. Nothing that you can see. . .
I was sad to finish this, bereft even. This is O'Callaghan's only novel to date. He has, however, published three collections of short stories which are about to grace my shelves.
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing, Arcade Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 6, 2018
Oh... I really liked this book! A really well told atmospheric tale. A female artist looking for a new start, comes across a run down cottage on the coast of Ireland, on a cliff and borrows money from her art dealer/great friend to update it and moves in.., she thinks she will thrive there and paint good artwork there. She decides to have a celebratory weekend with said friend and two other friends. On the first night together they are having drinks and one of the guests brings out a Ouija board. Well, after that... well...you should just read this! Perfect for this time of year... there is also a romance ..
Great writing! I really like this author!
Great writing! I really like this author!
October 16, 2019
I wanted a scary ghost story. I did not get that. This had potential to be great, however, this author likes his words. Holy descriptions, Batman! Pages upon pages of scenery descriptions which takes any type of suspense or tension your trying to build and chucks it right out the window. Also, there aren't any chapters - GASP! - which was truly the scariest part of this book. It's a quick book that I finished in a day but that was with the help of the skimming of several passages. I can see why so many people loved this but I am not one of them. This was a slog! 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me a digital ARC - over a year ago - which I finally just got around to reviewing. My bad!
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me a digital ARC - over a year ago - which I finally just got around to reviewing. My bad!
May 11, 2021
I am not particularly keen on ghost stories, never have been.
I think the last I read was H.James’ “The turn of the screw” more years ago than I dare to remember, so I picked O’Callaghan’s novel with a tad bit of skepticism, anticipating disappointment.
Wasn’t I wrong!
It had been a while since I was this hooked, eagerly awaiting any spare minute to grab a book and read a few pages, even a few lines, to know what happened to a group of friends after playing Ouija in a refurbished cottage in the middle of nowhere in the West Coast of Ireland.
I willingly admit the plot holds no surprises, it goes as classic horror stories go, and I would have liked to hear the story from Maggie’s (the artist) point of view rather than Mike’s (her agent and close friend), but I suspended judgement allowing myself to be spellbound by O’Callaghan’s sense of place, so vividly painted in dark-ish color, ambiance and sound. The house and the surrounding area with its rocky beach and open space become so palpably real that one can smell the menace of the briny sea and feel the weight of its overcast skies, so heavily charged with dread of what is inevitably going to happen.
Even though a better alignment between dialogue and characterization could have significantly improved the narration, and leaving aside certain clichés involving the relationships between Mike and Maggie and Allison (his lover), I confess I enjoyed the easy flow of the story and the abundant descriptions of landscape that mirror Maggie’s art and state of mind.
Poetry suits the uncanny touch of the Irish myths and legends, which is so embedded in O’Callaghan’s style, and that lyrical quality shines through, even in a genre where he might not be at his best.
I think the last I read was H.James’ “The turn of the screw” more years ago than I dare to remember, so I picked O’Callaghan’s novel with a tad bit of skepticism, anticipating disappointment.
Wasn’t I wrong!
It had been a while since I was this hooked, eagerly awaiting any spare minute to grab a book and read a few pages, even a few lines, to know what happened to a group of friends after playing Ouija in a refurbished cottage in the middle of nowhere in the West Coast of Ireland.
I willingly admit the plot holds no surprises, it goes as classic horror stories go, and I would have liked to hear the story from Maggie’s (the artist) point of view rather than Mike’s (her agent and close friend), but I suspended judgement allowing myself to be spellbound by O’Callaghan’s sense of place, so vividly painted in dark-ish color, ambiance and sound. The house and the surrounding area with its rocky beach and open space become so palpably real that one can smell the menace of the briny sea and feel the weight of its overcast skies, so heavily charged with dread of what is inevitably going to happen.
Even though a better alignment between dialogue and characterization could have significantly improved the narration, and leaving aside certain clichés involving the relationships between Mike and Maggie and Allison (his lover), I confess I enjoyed the easy flow of the story and the abundant descriptions of landscape that mirror Maggie’s art and state of mind.
Poetry suits the uncanny touch of the Irish myths and legends, which is so embedded in O’Callaghan’s style, and that lyrical quality shines through, even in a genre where he might not be at his best.
January 27, 2018
Dead House by Billy O' Callaghan caught my eye while browsing a bookstore lately as the cover and artwork is stunning and I am a sucker for a good Irish ghost story.
image:
I did enjoy the novel and O'Callaghan certainly knows how to create a magical sense of time and place. His descriptive writing of Irish landscape and climate is beautiful and real and this was one of the strongest elements of this short novel.
I didn't however connect with any of the characters or was I able to conjure up an image of them as I read the story and this was disappointing. The story was chilling and I loved how little bits of Irish history shined through as the harshness of the famime is brutally described. I really liked the ending as the author left a lot to the readers imagination which is what a good ghost story is all about.
A short novel with lyrical and descriptive prose and I look forward to future works by this author.
image:
I did enjoy the novel and O'Callaghan certainly knows how to create a magical sense of time and place. His descriptive writing of Irish landscape and climate is beautiful and real and this was one of the strongest elements of this short novel.
I didn't however connect with any of the characters or was I able to conjure up an image of them as I read the story and this was disappointing. The story was chilling and I loved how little bits of Irish history shined through as the harshness of the famime is brutally described. I really liked the ending as the author left a lot to the readers imagination which is what a good ghost story is all about.
A short novel with lyrical and descriptive prose and I look forward to future works by this author.
May 12, 2018
4 stars
My reviews can be seen at : https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
Michael is an art dealer. He is moderately successful and had discovered a new talent in a young fragile girl, Maggie. He becomes not only her agent but a friend concerned about Maggie's fragility along with two other friends, Liz and Alison.
As the tale begins Michael is retired and lives with his wife Alison and their daughter on the coast of Cornwall. He weaves the story of Maggie, a friend from the past, who had moved to Ireland and becomes attracted to a cottage that was built around the time of the famine. It is both isolated and in disrepair and yet Maggie wants it desperately. She, with Michael's' help, buys the cottage and sets about it fixing it up. When the friends come to visit Maggie, they become involved in a random game with a Ouija board and seem to tap into some kind of energy, a spirit who asks in Gaelic "can I come in?" Of course initially, they all think that there is some hoax going on, that one of them is pushing the glass around answering questions they ask and the words that are spelt out. It is all fun right until the point that it isn't. They all feel a sense of unease, a sense of awareness, a sense of unreality. It is foolishness they feel and leave the cottage the next day wondering what had really happened. They leave Maggie and each of them tries to come to terms with what happened and maintain contact with Maggie in the distant land she has chosen to live. For a time Maggie keeps up with her friends but then all contact ceases and Michael, worried about Maggie decides to go to Ireland and check on her.
Events take a sinister turn and lives, especially that of Maggie's are affected. The story continues as Michael brings us up to the present day and leaves the reader with a sense of unease and a feeling that the spirit world is definitely a possibility.
I am not really a ghost story reader. However, this story was told so well. Mr O'Callaghan draws you into this tale as he weaves a narrative that might be considered a psychological look at how our minds can be manipulated into believing, and yet, what he has written just might be so. The tale is mesmerizing, eerie, and mysterious enough to make it a novel that is hard to push aside. It leaves the reader with just the right amount of that fear of the unknown, where it is best to leave well enough alone and not dwell upon the what if of the possibility that an evil presence is perhaps in our midst.
Thank you to Billy O'Calaghan in his debut novel who managed to capture me with his writing, Skyhorse Publising, and NetGalley for making this novel available to me.
My reviews can be seen at : https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
Michael is an art dealer. He is moderately successful and had discovered a new talent in a young fragile girl, Maggie. He becomes not only her agent but a friend concerned about Maggie's fragility along with two other friends, Liz and Alison.
As the tale begins Michael is retired and lives with his wife Alison and their daughter on the coast of Cornwall. He weaves the story of Maggie, a friend from the past, who had moved to Ireland and becomes attracted to a cottage that was built around the time of the famine. It is both isolated and in disrepair and yet Maggie wants it desperately. She, with Michael's' help, buys the cottage and sets about it fixing it up. When the friends come to visit Maggie, they become involved in a random game with a Ouija board and seem to tap into some kind of energy, a spirit who asks in Gaelic "can I come in?" Of course initially, they all think that there is some hoax going on, that one of them is pushing the glass around answering questions they ask and the words that are spelt out. It is all fun right until the point that it isn't. They all feel a sense of unease, a sense of awareness, a sense of unreality. It is foolishness they feel and leave the cottage the next day wondering what had really happened. They leave Maggie and each of them tries to come to terms with what happened and maintain contact with Maggie in the distant land she has chosen to live. For a time Maggie keeps up with her friends but then all contact ceases and Michael, worried about Maggie decides to go to Ireland and check on her.
Events take a sinister turn and lives, especially that of Maggie's are affected. The story continues as Michael brings us up to the present day and leaves the reader with a sense of unease and a feeling that the spirit world is definitely a possibility.
I am not really a ghost story reader. However, this story was told so well. Mr O'Callaghan draws you into this tale as he weaves a narrative that might be considered a psychological look at how our minds can be manipulated into believing, and yet, what he has written just might be so. The tale is mesmerizing, eerie, and mysterious enough to make it a novel that is hard to push aside. It leaves the reader with just the right amount of that fear of the unknown, where it is best to leave well enough alone and not dwell upon the what if of the possibility that an evil presence is perhaps in our midst.
Thank you to Billy O'Calaghan in his debut novel who managed to capture me with his writing, Skyhorse Publising, and NetGalley for making this novel available to me.
October 30, 2019
Atmospheric, cold, and dreary, The Dead House lives up to its name. Four friends consult a Ouija board in the refurbished cottage of the painter Maggie. Alison, Liz and Michael all feel the pull of the malignant being that still dwells there, but Maggie is taken over by it. Alison and Michael barely survive, as they attempt to rescue their friend.
Even though this was only a little over 200 pages, for me it tended to drag a bit. When the author did get to the scary part it was tremendously powerful though and I ended up enjoying it.
Even though this was only a little over 200 pages, for me it tended to drag a bit. When the author did get to the scary part it was tremendously powerful though and I ended up enjoying it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2020
What was I thinking when I decided to read a book titled The Dead House? I only knew I very much wanted to read O’Callaghan’s writing again. I had earlier read My Coney Island Baby, which sealed my admiration for his luscious prose. The right author, but the wrong book! O’Callaghan told a great story and I continue to swoon over his writing, but I did not have the nerve for a ghost story. Not since reading David Mitchell’s Slade House two half years ago had I been so terrified.
The protagonist, Michael Simmons, begs to be heard. He has a story to tell just like the Ancient Mariner. I was all ears. Narrated in the first person, Mike tells us in the prologue: ”What I do know is that, for me at least, the past simply will not remain the past. The dead refuse to rest, or even to lie still. And I am not asking you to believe. I ask only that you give yourself time and space to consider the question, and that you listen, with an open mind. Because this is something I need to tell.”
Mike loaned a large sum of money to Maggie Turner, his close friend and fellow artist, to buy a small cottage by the sea in Allihies, ‘a wild, beautiful, isolated ruin that dated to pre-Famine times’ in Ireland. Maggie is recovering from an abusive relationship and believes she will be restored to her art and herself amongst the solitude of the mountains. However, the cottage is practically in ruins, infested by rats, and shows signs of structural collapse. Not good! The agent warns Maggie: “This place has been empty a long time. Too long to be natural, really. And people talk. It’s lonely out here, the kind of place where it’s be too easy to glimpse things.” Not good! O’Callaghan does a skillful job pitting Maggie’s strong attraction to the house against its reputation as a God forsaken place where bodies of the vast populace who perished in the Famine were not even properly buried. You get the picture? Not good!
The house is finally fixed at great costs. Mike, Alison (an art dealer), and Liz (a writer) are invited to Maggie’s house-warming party. They have a glorious time; Mike and Alison fall in love. All good. Then for amusement, one evening, Liz brings out an Ouija board. The alarm bells in my mind start to ring. Mike lets on that “A weight settled in my throat and the high part of my chest.” Not good! The séance opens the door to a restless spirit that has no intention of ever leaving. Very not good! You have to read for yourself what happens to Maggie and her friends.
The saving grace in this story is the delicate unfolding of the romance between Mike and Alison, which was so beautifully written. It is the only thing that is good, that brought me comfort and respite from the madness that ensued in the dead house.
The Dead House is Billy O’Callaghan’s debut novel. The signs of a gifted writer are all evident in this haunting tale. Read it if you dare.
The protagonist, Michael Simmons, begs to be heard. He has a story to tell just like the Ancient Mariner. I was all ears. Narrated in the first person, Mike tells us in the prologue: ”What I do know is that, for me at least, the past simply will not remain the past. The dead refuse to rest, or even to lie still. And I am not asking you to believe. I ask only that you give yourself time and space to consider the question, and that you listen, with an open mind. Because this is something I need to tell.”
Mike loaned a large sum of money to Maggie Turner, his close friend and fellow artist, to buy a small cottage by the sea in Allihies, ‘a wild, beautiful, isolated ruin that dated to pre-Famine times’ in Ireland. Maggie is recovering from an abusive relationship and believes she will be restored to her art and herself amongst the solitude of the mountains. However, the cottage is practically in ruins, infested by rats, and shows signs of structural collapse. Not good! The agent warns Maggie: “This place has been empty a long time. Too long to be natural, really. And people talk. It’s lonely out here, the kind of place where it’s be too easy to glimpse things.” Not good! O’Callaghan does a skillful job pitting Maggie’s strong attraction to the house against its reputation as a God forsaken place where bodies of the vast populace who perished in the Famine were not even properly buried. You get the picture? Not good!
The house is finally fixed at great costs. Mike, Alison (an art dealer), and Liz (a writer) are invited to Maggie’s house-warming party. They have a glorious time; Mike and Alison fall in love. All good. Then for amusement, one evening, Liz brings out an Ouija board. The alarm bells in my mind start to ring. Mike lets on that “A weight settled in my throat and the high part of my chest.” Not good! The séance opens the door to a restless spirit that has no intention of ever leaving. Very not good! You have to read for yourself what happens to Maggie and her friends.
The saving grace in this story is the delicate unfolding of the romance between Mike and Alison, which was so beautifully written. It is the only thing that is good, that brought me comfort and respite from the madness that ensued in the dead house.
The Dead House is Billy O’Callaghan’s debut novel. The signs of a gifted writer are all evident in this haunting tale. Read it if you dare.
November 12, 2020
An atmospheric tale of the supernatural set on the rugged west coast of Ireland. But this is more than a tale of the supernatural. It is a tale of evil, of desperation, of things older than time.
The protagonist of this story is art dealer/agent Michael Simmons. He begins relating his tale from the comfort and contentment of his present home in Cornwall, which he shares with his beloved wife, Allison, and his young daughter, Hannah.
He tells of his life nine years previously when he was still single and working every hour that God sent his way. One of the artists he mentored, a young woman named Maggie, had recently been viciously assaulted by her partner. Still recovering, and wanting to put much space between her and the site of her attack, she drives to Ireland. While touring in Allihies, she spies a derelict coastal cottage and falls in love with its isolation, its presence. Surely this will be the perfect place to take up her art once again. She asks Mike for a loan and proceeds to 'do up' the old cottage. When it is habitable once again she asks Mike and two of her female friends to spend the weekend there as a sort of housewarming party. The weekend is a resounding success - filled with warmth, laughter and companionship, until the final evening there when one of the women guests suggests a séance. Things happen that night that none of the people in attendance want to acknowledge.
Later, back in London, Mike begins to worry that he has not heard much from Maggie. He decides to take a much needed break from work and drive up to County Cork to check on her. What he finds is disturbing to say the least - and what follows is enough to chill the warmest heart.
"History here is a stew of fact and fable."
The setting of this novel is one that positively breeds superstition. With history predating any records, with a ring of standing stones, a menacing spirit, and an "aura of ancient magic", it has all the qualities of the very best ghost stories.
"An bhfuil cead agam teacht isteach."
Some ghost stories are hokey, some are grim. This one, despite it being a debut novel, was the sort that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand to attention. If it was a movie I would surely have held a pillow up before my face whilst watching it - only to have nightmares afterward. WOW!
I would not hesitate to read another novel by this author and cannot wait to see what he has in store for his readers next time...
The protagonist of this story is art dealer/agent Michael Simmons. He begins relating his tale from the comfort and contentment of his present home in Cornwall, which he shares with his beloved wife, Allison, and his young daughter, Hannah.
He tells of his life nine years previously when he was still single and working every hour that God sent his way. One of the artists he mentored, a young woman named Maggie, had recently been viciously assaulted by her partner. Still recovering, and wanting to put much space between her and the site of her attack, she drives to Ireland. While touring in Allihies, she spies a derelict coastal cottage and falls in love with its isolation, its presence. Surely this will be the perfect place to take up her art once again. She asks Mike for a loan and proceeds to 'do up' the old cottage. When it is habitable once again she asks Mike and two of her female friends to spend the weekend there as a sort of housewarming party. The weekend is a resounding success - filled with warmth, laughter and companionship, until the final evening there when one of the women guests suggests a séance. Things happen that night that none of the people in attendance want to acknowledge.
Later, back in London, Mike begins to worry that he has not heard much from Maggie. He decides to take a much needed break from work and drive up to County Cork to check on her. What he finds is disturbing to say the least - and what follows is enough to chill the warmest heart.
"History here is a stew of fact and fable."
The setting of this novel is one that positively breeds superstition. With history predating any records, with a ring of standing stones, a menacing spirit, and an "aura of ancient magic", it has all the qualities of the very best ghost stories.
"An bhfuil cead agam teacht isteach."
Some ghost stories are hokey, some are grim. This one, despite it being a debut novel, was the sort that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand to attention. If it was a movie I would surely have held a pillow up before my face whilst watching it - only to have nightmares afterward. WOW!
I would not hesitate to read another novel by this author and cannot wait to see what he has in store for his readers next time...
April 20, 2018
Thank you to Arcade Publishing and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan in exchange for an honest review. This is the kind of story that captivates you, however, as some points, you are almost afraid to turn the pages. Artist Maggie Turner has fled London to the West coast of Ireland in search of a peaceful life after an abusive relationship. She falls in love with a cottage dating back to the Great Famine. After extensive renovations. Maggie invites three friends from the city for a house-warming weekend. During the visit, a Ouija board is brought out and the four friends attempt to reach spirits in the house. To say that this does not end well would be an understatement. The prose in this short novel is lyrical and beautiful. Billy O'Callaghan has successfully managed to describe the West coast of Ireland so well that you can see it and feel it. This is an Irish ghost story that you will not forget.
January 5, 2020
Michael Simmons, the narrator of Billy O’Callaghan’s abysmally written ghost story, tells us early on that he used to work in the art world, promoting painters and sculptors. His narrative concerns a talented young artist, Maggie Turner, whom he “discovered” and then represented for many years. Although fragile and dreamy, Maggie could be counted on to produce six to eight fine paintings a year, and Michael could always find buyers. All that changed when Maggie got involved with a suave but abusive financier. A final beating by this man landed her in the hospital. After being released, she traveled to Ireland for a change of scene and to continue healing.
Most of O’Callaghan’s novel is focused around the ruined cottage that Maggie purchases in the southwest of Ireland. Boasting a spectacular view of the sea and the sky, the cottage dates back to famine times. There are standing stones nearby, and Maggie believes she can produce some extraordinary work here in this magical place where the past and the present co-exist. Once costly renovations have been completed, Maggie invites Michael and two female friends to stay for a weekend. Alison, the owner of a Dublin art galley, will eventually become Michael’s wife. Liz, a poet who lives in a nearby town, is committed to writing an epic work about ancient Ireland. She is interested in both history and the occult. It’s not surprising, then, that she brings along a homemade Ouija board so that the friends can make contact with any spirits who might be lingering about the place. And make contact they do.
At first, the spirit, who calls himself “The Master”, communicates in Irish, which Liz knows only a smattering of, but he obligingly switches to English. Ultimately, Maggie taps into his energy, becoming a sort of medium. In hushed, hypnotic tones, she channels details about the troubled history of the area and about the man who inhabited the cottage long before her. Some familiar details about the famine are presented, but there are some surprises, too. The Master, it turns out, wasn’t just a school teacher. As the famine worsened, he resurrected dark pagan practices in an effort to appease the gods of old.
As it happens, the séance allows The Master to re-enter the human realm. He takes up residence in the cottage that used to be his. Maggie, not surprisingly, deteriorates.
All this seems like a decent enough premise for a work of fiction. A capable writer might have shaped it into a good short story. O’Callaghan is not a capable writer. First of all, his novel is more padding than plot. Second, he has poor control of his material. Michael is one of the most dimwitted narrators I’ve ever encountered. When he hasn’t heard from Maggie in some time, he flies from London to Ireland, hires a car, and drives to the southwest, only to find that Maggie is not at home. Her cottage is squalid and riddled with vermin. The stench of death and decay is overpowering. There are dark and chaotic canvases lying about that don’t look a bit like Maggie’s work. Soon enough Michael discovers Maggie down by the shore—painting. She’s emaciated, hollow-eyed, disheveled, and rank smelling. She won’t let Michael stay overnight after his long drive because “the Master wouldn’t like it.”
What does Michael do when confronted with this person whom he has long looked upon as a little sister—a person who is now clearly deranged? He drives away quickly, reasoning that if he stayed he might unhinge his friend further. Are you kidding? It turns out Liz has also been to see Maggie several times and is aware of the artist’s physical and psychological deterioration. Liz, too, has done nothing. Again: what is it with these people?
Don’t get me started on O’Callaghan’s writing. The author provides no end of entirely inconsequential details. We get descriptions of the colour of the real estate agent’s hair and her early menopausal flushed face; an account of the number of strips of bacon, sausage links, and eggs on a breakfast plate; and information about the golden lower left cuspid, the heavily lidded eyes, and the restless mouth of a Caribbean taxi driver. I could go on. Don’t worry; I won’t, but I will ask: why include these particulars?
I’ll finish with a few of O’Callaghan’s more priceless passages, which would seem to indicate either complete tone-deafness to the nuance of words or a total inability to use a thesaurus correctly:
“The charred stench [from the ruins of the burned cottage] felt complete in its invasion, its stinging sharpness realigning the shape of her [my wife’s] face, and almost certainly my own, into a domineering rictus.”
“the wound lay open as a treacle blackness hiding pearly yellow secrets inside.” (No, these are not typos)
“My blood pressure was brimming against some dangerous numbers.” (Since when did blood pressure “brim”?)
“She sat perfectly still, her tossed, straw-coloured hair hanging in flumes down her back and around her narrow shoulders. Her voice had a forced calm that quivered along its lowest edges.” (flumes? the lowest edges of a voice?)
And, finally, regarding how police officers deal with missing-persons cases:
“Handling such relentlessly grim statistics demands coldness. The sheer scale and quantity of the reports will crush all but the most hardened of hearts, and embracing cases on a personal level would be tantamount to suicide.” (“embracing” cases?)
Warning: reading this book might be tantamount to the same thing! Do not “embrace” it!
Seldom do I encounterwriting of such poor quality. I don’t really care about the ghost story at this point; what I want to know is how this novel was even published.
Most of O’Callaghan’s novel is focused around the ruined cottage that Maggie purchases in the southwest of Ireland. Boasting a spectacular view of the sea and the sky, the cottage dates back to famine times. There are standing stones nearby, and Maggie believes she can produce some extraordinary work here in this magical place where the past and the present co-exist. Once costly renovations have been completed, Maggie invites Michael and two female friends to stay for a weekend. Alison, the owner of a Dublin art galley, will eventually become Michael’s wife. Liz, a poet who lives in a nearby town, is committed to writing an epic work about ancient Ireland. She is interested in both history and the occult. It’s not surprising, then, that she brings along a homemade Ouija board so that the friends can make contact with any spirits who might be lingering about the place. And make contact they do.
At first, the spirit, who calls himself “The Master”, communicates in Irish, which Liz knows only a smattering of, but he obligingly switches to English. Ultimately, Maggie taps into his energy, becoming a sort of medium. In hushed, hypnotic tones, she channels details about the troubled history of the area and about the man who inhabited the cottage long before her. Some familiar details about the famine are presented, but there are some surprises, too. The Master, it turns out, wasn’t just a school teacher. As the famine worsened, he resurrected dark pagan practices in an effort to appease the gods of old.
As it happens, the séance allows The Master to re-enter the human realm. He takes up residence in the cottage that used to be his. Maggie, not surprisingly, deteriorates.
All this seems like a decent enough premise for a work of fiction. A capable writer might have shaped it into a good short story. O’Callaghan is not a capable writer. First of all, his novel is more padding than plot. Second, he has poor control of his material. Michael is one of the most dimwitted narrators I’ve ever encountered. When he hasn’t heard from Maggie in some time, he flies from London to Ireland, hires a car, and drives to the southwest, only to find that Maggie is not at home. Her cottage is squalid and riddled with vermin. The stench of death and decay is overpowering. There are dark and chaotic canvases lying about that don’t look a bit like Maggie’s work. Soon enough Michael discovers Maggie down by the shore—painting. She’s emaciated, hollow-eyed, disheveled, and rank smelling. She won’t let Michael stay overnight after his long drive because “the Master wouldn’t like it.”
What does Michael do when confronted with this person whom he has long looked upon as a little sister—a person who is now clearly deranged? He drives away quickly, reasoning that if he stayed he might unhinge his friend further. Are you kidding? It turns out Liz has also been to see Maggie several times and is aware of the artist’s physical and psychological deterioration. Liz, too, has done nothing. Again: what is it with these people?
Don’t get me started on O’Callaghan’s writing. The author provides no end of entirely inconsequential details. We get descriptions of the colour of the real estate agent’s hair and her early menopausal flushed face; an account of the number of strips of bacon, sausage links, and eggs on a breakfast plate; and information about the golden lower left cuspid, the heavily lidded eyes, and the restless mouth of a Caribbean taxi driver. I could go on. Don’t worry; I won’t, but I will ask: why include these particulars?
I’ll finish with a few of O’Callaghan’s more priceless passages, which would seem to indicate either complete tone-deafness to the nuance of words or a total inability to use a thesaurus correctly:
“The charred stench [from the ruins of the burned cottage] felt complete in its invasion, its stinging sharpness realigning the shape of her [my wife’s] face, and almost certainly my own, into a domineering rictus.”
“the wound lay open as a treacle blackness hiding pearly yellow secrets inside.” (No, these are not typos)
“My blood pressure was brimming against some dangerous numbers.” (Since when did blood pressure “brim”?)
“She sat perfectly still, her tossed, straw-coloured hair hanging in flumes down her back and around her narrow shoulders. Her voice had a forced calm that quivered along its lowest edges.” (flumes? the lowest edges of a voice?)
And, finally, regarding how police officers deal with missing-persons cases:
“Handling such relentlessly grim statistics demands coldness. The sheer scale and quantity of the reports will crush all but the most hardened of hearts, and embracing cases on a personal level would be tantamount to suicide.” (“embracing” cases?)
Warning: reading this book might be tantamount to the same thing! Do not “embrace” it!
Seldom do I encounterwriting of such poor quality. I don’t really care about the ghost story at this point; what I want to know is how this novel was even published.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2018
This reads more like a romantic book than ghost story.
Started with savage beating that puts Maggie the artist in hospital with half head shave for horseshoe style stickers her agent who sells her pictures comes to her rescue
Later she buys a house near Castletownbere the back of beyond in Ireland a dirty,broken thatched brick house that's got family of rats for company the sort place an artist can paint in because of the landscape & Michael Simmons can fall in love with too with the area & his loving wife Alison is his life.
The descriptions are what make this book worth reading other wise may given it up.As of Yet not much of a creepy book.
It is little things like Smokie & the Bandit or Books on her shelves that help .
And they bring out the Ouija board & up pops 'The Master' but for me that is so funny as I am Doctor Who Fan so keep seeing The Master -get it.
Now it's got interesting.
Now it moves on Maggie is in love but not with Michael & the cottage has gone to pot ,stinks Maggie is like a wild woman & her paintings have change style she has no love in her soul.
Michael is disturbed with her mad behaviour but he has own wife & children to think of he cannot be there all time.
This book would been lot better if the action had been earlier not at page 140 it is OK but it's bit slow.
Started with savage beating that puts Maggie the artist in hospital with half head shave for horseshoe style stickers her agent who sells her pictures comes to her rescue
Later she buys a house near Castletownbere the back of beyond in Ireland a dirty,broken thatched brick house that's got family of rats for company the sort place an artist can paint in because of the landscape & Michael Simmons can fall in love with too with the area & his loving wife Alison is his life.
The descriptions are what make this book worth reading other wise may given it up.As of Yet not much of a creepy book.
It is little things like Smokie & the Bandit or Books on her shelves that help .
And they bring out the Ouija board & up pops 'The Master' but for me that is so funny as I am Doctor Who Fan so keep seeing The Master -get it.
Now it's got interesting.
Now it moves on Maggie is in love but not with Michael & the cottage has gone to pot ,stinks Maggie is like a wild woman & her paintings have change style she has no love in her soul.
Michael is disturbed with her mad behaviour but he has own wife & children to think of he cannot be there all time.
This book would been lot better if the action had been earlier not at page 140 it is OK but it's bit slow.
June 9, 2018
Rating: 4.0/5.0
First I have to say that the first 30% of this book was somehow slow for me. For this kind of genre and a short length book, I have expected to get into the action faster. However, I have to say that the next 70% totally compensates the slow pace of the start. The writing is beautiful and suspenseful. The story might have been said before in different ways but the way the author has presented it makes it unique and chilling. This book has a great horror atmosphere to it.
I don't want to spoil much of the story and I don't want to reveal a lot of details here so I will just say the main important synopsis is that friends meet one night at an isolated cottage owned by their friend Maggie. That night they play Ouija board game for fun. But not knowing that all this changes their lives forever. Maggie never becomes herself and the main protagonist Mike who is telling us the story will live all his life to ask questions that has no answers!
I have chosen to read this book from the Read Now section on NetGalley and this is my honest unbiased review.
First I have to say that the first 30% of this book was somehow slow for me. For this kind of genre and a short length book, I have expected to get into the action faster. However, I have to say that the next 70% totally compensates the slow pace of the start. The writing is beautiful and suspenseful. The story might have been said before in different ways but the way the author has presented it makes it unique and chilling. This book has a great horror atmosphere to it.
I don't want to spoil much of the story and I don't want to reveal a lot of details here so I will just say the main important synopsis is that friends meet one night at an isolated cottage owned by their friend Maggie. That night they play Ouija board game for fun. But not knowing that all this changes their lives forever. Maggie never becomes herself and the main protagonist Mike who is telling us the story will live all his life to ask questions that has no answers!
I have chosen to read this book from the Read Now section on NetGalley and this is my honest unbiased review.
January 29, 2018
4 stars--I really liked it. Warnings for abuse/sexual assault.
This is a classic haunted house story, and one that actually spooked me! The best thing about this book is the setting. The house in question is one of the abandoned famine cottages in rural Ireland, on the coast and isolated from any nearby villages. The house--surrounded by mist and near an ancient stone circle--almost becomes its own character. It's really powerful imagery and I loved it.
Ghosts and Ireland are two of my favorite things in fiction, so naturally I adored this book.
This is a quick read--my only complaint is I wish it were longer and went into more (scary!) detail. I'll definitely be reading O'Callaghan's next book.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
This is a classic haunted house story, and one that actually spooked me! The best thing about this book is the setting. The house in question is one of the abandoned famine cottages in rural Ireland, on the coast and isolated from any nearby villages. The house--surrounded by mist and near an ancient stone circle--almost becomes its own character. It's really powerful imagery and I loved it.
Ghosts and Ireland are two of my favorite things in fiction, so naturally I adored this book.
This is a quick read--my only complaint is I wish it were longer and went into more (scary!) detail. I'll definitely be reading O'Callaghan's next book.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
August 3, 2019
I was liking it ok enough but not loving it. It's told in Mike's POV, which the story isn't about Mike it's about Maggie, his "friend" that treats him like an ATM machine, and the house where he doesn't even spend much time in apparently. Mike's a bit of a jerk too and a good part of the story is useless information on his art dealing business. They end having a seance because Maggie, after using Mike's money to fix up the house she just bought that was in ruins, has a house warming party with him, Ali and Liz. There is a dull romance between Mike and Ali. A ghost of an evil pagan dude gets summoned. I am so done with evil pagan stories. Also TW for domestic abuse, suicide, rape. All of which are personal to me. And I found it all kinds of no. I was thinking i'd make it through but no, I can't. DNF at 44%. I initially got it from Netgalley but never read it so I tricked myself into finally getting around to it by borrowing it on Hoopla. Stupid decision.
November 3, 2019
This novel reminded me why I've been avoiding books by old white guys. It's a slow-paced, treacle-prosed ghost story of the old-fashioned kind, which is all fine enough. The casual sexism did trip me up a few times though, like this:
"A song came on the radio, something vapid, a girl’s voice slurring words only just saved from being as empty as space by an annoying but catchy melody playing out over the same generic drum and bass slam that seems all you need now to make an impact in the charts. Well, that and a willingness to show off nine and a half tenths of your ass and then act outraged when someone brands you a slut or a prostitute."
I get that the protagonist is kind of an arsehole, but is there really a need to slut-shame random pop stars? Also his arseholery is never addressed in the novel, so I'm not even sure it's intentional.
There's also this bit when he gets his first proper look at the ghost, who is "...a young woman, a girl of mid to late teens and almost beautiful." Good to know she's "almost beautiful", as my first question about the ghost of a murdered teenage girl will always be: how hot was she?
Skip this one. There are much better spooky stories out there.
"A song came on the radio, something vapid, a girl’s voice slurring words only just saved from being as empty as space by an annoying but catchy melody playing out over the same generic drum and bass slam that seems all you need now to make an impact in the charts. Well, that and a willingness to show off nine and a half tenths of your ass and then act outraged when someone brands you a slut or a prostitute."
I get that the protagonist is kind of an arsehole, but is there really a need to slut-shame random pop stars? Also his arseholery is never addressed in the novel, so I'm not even sure it's intentional.
There's also this bit when he gets his first proper look at the ghost, who is "...a young woman, a girl of mid to late teens and almost beautiful." Good to know she's "almost beautiful", as my first question about the ghost of a murdered teenage girl will always be: how hot was she?
Skip this one. There are much better spooky stories out there.
August 5, 2018
THE DEAD HOUSE is the first book I have read by author Billy O'Callaghan. This is a difficult one for me to review for several reasons. First of all, I enjoyed the concept of the story, the characterization, and the style it was written in.
". . . I think, looking back, that I knew something would happen."
Unfortunately, there were also aspects that I didn't care for as well. I felt that there was too much "backstory" on the narrator and his business, that seemed to diminish the main incidents which the synopsis implies are the crux of the novel.
". . . Because time, as we all know, can blur things . . ."
The story is meant to center around a fragile, healing woman, who finds herself magnetized by an old cottage in Ireland. Being an artist, Maggie decides that this is the perfect place for her to recuperate and begin a new life. Once settled, she invites three friends for a visit, Mike, Alison, and Liz. On their last evening there, Liz pulls out a Ouija board, and it appears as though a contact with something is made.
"Something came through to us that night . . . "
This part seemed artfully done. The author gives us just enough to go on, combined with the gloomy, somewhat sinister atmosphere all around. The scene was a tremendous success in terms of psychological horror.
". . . the natural abhorrence for such acts had softened, dictated by a deeper ache."
The main issue I had here was that this crucial moment didn't come in until halfway through the book. Everything before seemed to tell of the trivial day-to-day activities of Mike, and the history of how he came to know--and later help out--Maggie.
". . . We tend to smother our lives, collecting all the burdens we can carry, forever sweating the inconsequential . . ."
After the pivotal scene in the cabin, I expected the action to escalate immediately. Unfortunately, we go back to Mike's life, and largely forget about Maggie and the cottage for quite some time. By the time we DO go back to her, things have changed dramatically, and we get a real glimpse of the horrors that have stayed behind.
". . . I've begun to lose the concept of time . . . this is a place that can't age . . . "
Overall, while I loved the core story and the writing, I felt that the book could have been so much better had the author delved deeper into the far past of the location Maggie chose to live in. As it was, this felt like Mike's story, and we only get the slightest of knowledge as to what Maggie is going through.
". . . Sometimes it is better not to look. Better not to see."
While I often love ambiguous tales, this one had just too few answers to keep me guessing. Ultimately, I grew frustrated, wanting to hear more about the nature of what force was invading Maggie's new home. This is only my personal take, and I'm certain others will enjoy the novel much more so, as it is.
". . . Do you believe? . . . "
". . . I think, looking back, that I knew something would happen."
Unfortunately, there were also aspects that I didn't care for as well. I felt that there was too much "backstory" on the narrator and his business, that seemed to diminish the main incidents which the synopsis implies are the crux of the novel.
". . . Because time, as we all know, can blur things . . ."
The story is meant to center around a fragile, healing woman, who finds herself magnetized by an old cottage in Ireland. Being an artist, Maggie decides that this is the perfect place for her to recuperate and begin a new life. Once settled, she invites three friends for a visit, Mike, Alison, and Liz. On their last evening there, Liz pulls out a Ouija board, and it appears as though a contact with something is made.
"Something came through to us that night . . . "
This part seemed artfully done. The author gives us just enough to go on, combined with the gloomy, somewhat sinister atmosphere all around. The scene was a tremendous success in terms of psychological horror.
". . . the natural abhorrence for such acts had softened, dictated by a deeper ache."
The main issue I had here was that this crucial moment didn't come in until halfway through the book. Everything before seemed to tell of the trivial day-to-day activities of Mike, and the history of how he came to know--and later help out--Maggie.
". . . We tend to smother our lives, collecting all the burdens we can carry, forever sweating the inconsequential . . ."
After the pivotal scene in the cabin, I expected the action to escalate immediately. Unfortunately, we go back to Mike's life, and largely forget about Maggie and the cottage for quite some time. By the time we DO go back to her, things have changed dramatically, and we get a real glimpse of the horrors that have stayed behind.
". . . I've begun to lose the concept of time . . . this is a place that can't age . . . "
Overall, while I loved the core story and the writing, I felt that the book could have been so much better had the author delved deeper into the far past of the location Maggie chose to live in. As it was, this felt like Mike's story, and we only get the slightest of knowledge as to what Maggie is going through.
". . . Sometimes it is better not to look. Better not to see."
While I often love ambiguous tales, this one had just too few answers to keep me guessing. Ultimately, I grew frustrated, wanting to hear more about the nature of what force was invading Maggie's new home. This is only my personal take, and I'm certain others will enjoy the novel much more so, as it is.
". . . Do you believe? . . . "
April 2, 2018
There are horror stories that I hear that scare the bejesus out of me:I'm looking at you Black-Eyed Children. Well, actually, I'd rather not look at you. When I listen to these types of stories, I end up pulling an all-nighter and going to bed only after the sun comes out because I just know that those black-eyed urchins are going to be knocking on my door.
I digress... then there are stories that I hear that don't scare me at all when listening to them, but would wreck me if I lived or knew someone close that was living through it. The Dead House falls into this category.
While I find what Maggie experienced to be disturbing, I did not find any horror in the telling of the story. It didn't work for me. Which is a shame since I think, understatement coming, that Billy O'Callaghan has a way with words. The scenes that he paints with his words... it felt at times that I was present. Ireland came alive with the atmosphere the author created. I hope I'm making sense here:I've only had two cups of java this morning :)
The blurb was a bit confusing since it talks about Maggie, an artist, but the story features Mike, friend and art dealer. The ending had me scratching my head, and if that is what the author wanted, kudos.
I will read more of this author's works and I recommend this title.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I digress... then there are stories that I hear that don't scare me at all when listening to them, but would wreck me if I lived or knew someone close that was living through it. The Dead House falls into this category.
While I find what Maggie experienced to be disturbing, I did not find any horror in the telling of the story. It didn't work for me. Which is a shame since I think, understatement coming, that Billy O'Callaghan has a way with words. The scenes that he paints with his words... it felt at times that I was present. Ireland came alive with the atmosphere the author created. I hope I'm making sense here:I've only had two cups of java this morning :)
The blurb was a bit confusing since it talks about Maggie, an artist, but the story features Mike, friend and art dealer. The ending had me scratching my head, and if that is what the author wanted, kudos.
I will read more of this author's works and I recommend this title.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2021
Truly frightening spirits in a remote part of a country with an ancient history that is not a stranger to dealing with an often-frightening past.... welcome to Ireland. It’s a love story as well as a ghost story. Above all it’s an intriguing story that lingers in the mind of the reader long after the book is closed. The backstory tells of the years of famine in Ireland ….an era so horrendous that even the nonfiction accounts are scary. This is Billy O’Callagham’s first novel, but you can tell right away that he is an extremely talented storyteller that can give the reader vivid, chilling, descriptions of inescapable doom. Anyone that loves a good ghost story or as good horror filled story, will very likely like this one as much as I did.
October 16, 2019
"Do you believe in ghosts? . . . There is little about life as we have come to know it that can't be explained away on some basic scientific level. Yet when the wind howls, and we find ourselves alone with only the yellow pool of a guttering candle to hold back the darkness, our instinct, perhaps our innate need for something above and beyond, still screams otherwise." (From Prologue)
"The Dead House" is an atmospheric ghost story set in contemporary times, but seeped with the ancient superstitions of Ireland and tales of the Great Famine. The story is narrated by Michael, the art dealer who sells Maggie's paintings. Maggie is a psychologically frail young woman recovering from a terrible experience with an abusive boyfriend. Although she feels better physically, she decides to leave London to find a quiet, beautiful place to restore herself emotionally, and provide inspiration for her artwork. She finds a crumbling stone cottage on the isolated coast of West Cork and arranges for its renovation. Maggie invites her three closest friends--a gallery owner, a poet, and Michael--to a housewarming weekend. All goes well until one of them pulls out a Ouija board. Her three friends are still feeling fearful in the morning as they are leaving. Maggie is left alone in the remote cottage--or maybe she is not alone.
"The Dead House" is suspenseful, but not terrifying, since the author never gets inside Maggie's mind and the book is told from Michael's point of view. There is a feeling that you're sitting around a fireplace with a group of friends, all lubricated with Irish whiskey, while Michael tells an unsettling story. It has a psychological twist at the end that has him living in fear. Billy O'Callaghan's writing is gorgeous literary fiction with lovely descriptions of the Irish coast, and musings on art, friendship, love, and Irish legends.
"The Dead House" is an atmospheric ghost story set in contemporary times, but seeped with the ancient superstitions of Ireland and tales of the Great Famine. The story is narrated by Michael, the art dealer who sells Maggie's paintings. Maggie is a psychologically frail young woman recovering from a terrible experience with an abusive boyfriend. Although she feels better physically, she decides to leave London to find a quiet, beautiful place to restore herself emotionally, and provide inspiration for her artwork. She finds a crumbling stone cottage on the isolated coast of West Cork and arranges for its renovation. Maggie invites her three closest friends--a gallery owner, a poet, and Michael--to a housewarming weekend. All goes well until one of them pulls out a Ouija board. Her three friends are still feeling fearful in the morning as they are leaving. Maggie is left alone in the remote cottage--or maybe she is not alone.
"The Dead House" is suspenseful, but not terrifying, since the author never gets inside Maggie's mind and the book is told from Michael's point of view. There is a feeling that you're sitting around a fireplace with a group of friends, all lubricated with Irish whiskey, while Michael tells an unsettling story. It has a psychological twist at the end that has him living in fear. Billy O'Callaghan's writing is gorgeous literary fiction with lovely descriptions of the Irish coast, and musings on art, friendship, love, and Irish legends.
February 27, 2018
My Opinion:
Loved this BOOK! LOVED IT!
Ok, why you may ask? It had me captivated the whole way through, just when I thought I would put it down...I couldn't! I just couldn't.
I wanted to know what Michael thought about what was happening to his best friend Maggie. After she basically gets attacked by her boyfriend, Maggie starts to act differently and after Michael and a bunch of friends conjure up a ghost/spirit, things get worse. I immediately fell in love with how the story was written and executed. Concise, exciting, creepy and hauntingly written. I loved it from the first page till the last.
I really enjoyed how the author did not dwell on the love story in the book and how he detailed the scenery. I could totally picture myself on the beach with Michael and almost felt myself choking, fighting not to be drowned in the water with him. I really enjoyed this book and if you are a horror/thriller/ghost story lover you will totally enjoy this. I highly recommend this book. There was only one part that was a little bit graphic, when we find out what the Master did, so it was not ultra gorey or graphic it was more creepy than anything else.
I give the book 5 of 5 stars!
Loved this BOOK! LOVED IT!
Ok, why you may ask? It had me captivated the whole way through, just when I thought I would put it down...I couldn't! I just couldn't.
I wanted to know what Michael thought about what was happening to his best friend Maggie. After she basically gets attacked by her boyfriend, Maggie starts to act differently and after Michael and a bunch of friends conjure up a ghost/spirit, things get worse. I immediately fell in love with how the story was written and executed. Concise, exciting, creepy and hauntingly written. I loved it from the first page till the last.
I really enjoyed how the author did not dwell on the love story in the book and how he detailed the scenery. I could totally picture myself on the beach with Michael and almost felt myself choking, fighting not to be drowned in the water with him. I really enjoyed this book and if you are a horror/thriller/ghost story lover you will totally enjoy this. I highly recommend this book. There was only one part that was a little bit graphic, when we find out what the Master did, so it was not ultra gorey or graphic it was more creepy than anything else.
I give the book 5 of 5 stars!
December 26, 2018
This is quite an effective modern ghost story, which is many layered and interesting. It is primarily set on the west coast of Ireland and is Billy O’Callaghan’s first novel (he has previously written short stories). Michael is an art dealer in London who has looked after Maggie’s art career over many years and helped her when the men in her life have abused her. She finds a ruined cottage on the west coast of Ireland and renovates it. It is a wild spot, quite isolated, in an area where “the past always holds sway”. Maggie invites Michael over for a weekend with two other of her friends: Liz, a poet and Alison a Dublin art dealer (Maggie intends to match make with Michael and Alison). Liz knows the area and its stories:
“History haunted the present in places like this, the incessant closeness of so much storied past tended at times to skew the definition of reality.”
Liz has brought an Ouija board which after some alcohol they try. Contact seems to be made with an occupant of the cottage during the potato famine, someone who starved to death there. He speaks about the time and tells some horrific stories. He calls himself the Master and asks if he can enter. He also points to a pre Christian belief system and way of life which is still just under the surface. Things go a little downhill from that point. There is also a Woman in Black type twist at the end.
The descriptions of the light and landscape around the cottage are well written:
“Dusk suited the ocean. The sun slipped away, having burnt the sky with the colours of heat and turning the water to blood and blackness”
But:
“The dead refuse to rest, or even to lie still,”
This book is also partly about what is at the edges of the mind, the corner of the eye, the frayed boundaries of reality and very much about how the past seeps into the present. If we lose a sense of the past it can take us by surprise. The English re very good at losing a sense of their past, especially in relation to Ireland (and much else besides).
Whether you can accept the supernatural side of the story or not, this is worth reading for the sense of place and history: a history which is still very much alive in ways that are not always comfortable. This is a rather good ghost story, but much more besides.
“History haunted the present in places like this, the incessant closeness of so much storied past tended at times to skew the definition of reality.”
Liz has brought an Ouija board which after some alcohol they try. Contact seems to be made with an occupant of the cottage during the potato famine, someone who starved to death there. He speaks about the time and tells some horrific stories. He calls himself the Master and asks if he can enter. He also points to a pre Christian belief system and way of life which is still just under the surface. Things go a little downhill from that point. There is also a Woman in Black type twist at the end.
The descriptions of the light and landscape around the cottage are well written:
“Dusk suited the ocean. The sun slipped away, having burnt the sky with the colours of heat and turning the water to blood and blackness”
But:
“The dead refuse to rest, or even to lie still,”
This book is also partly about what is at the edges of the mind, the corner of the eye, the frayed boundaries of reality and very much about how the past seeps into the present. If we lose a sense of the past it can take us by surprise. The English re very good at losing a sense of their past, especially in relation to Ireland (and much else besides).
Whether you can accept the supernatural side of the story or not, this is worth reading for the sense of place and history: a history which is still very much alive in ways that are not always comfortable. This is a rather good ghost story, but much more besides.
November 21, 2021
Whew! This packs a punch into a brief but powerful tale/ novella. He relates more in less space of print than some do in the 400 to 600 pagers. That I adore.
It's also highly emotive and sculptured in language with intense creative/ artistic juices at each directional switch of the tale's characterizations, locations, ambiance etc. With the mood going from light, flirting to danger onus on roller coaster scales.
Prose that reads too like poetry in spots. And in others just pure clear flow and ambiance.
Yet, as much as I did enjoy this read far above average, and do want to read more of his- they will be placed in doing so far apart and in sunnier times. Because this book also belongs in my depressive category of "life is shit, and then we die". Quite solidly too. Without use or need of any frivolity manners of mood to oppose that end state or most any side of light to balance the suffering, ominous ever-present darkness of evil intent. Hope drowns daily in this story.
I foresaw, but didn't particularly like the ending. Too pat. But this is the natural progress usually entailed by a worldview of history, nature, real being so bottom rung glum and repressive.
This does belong solidly in the same superior class category as Haunting of Hill House - maybe even better. Horror done with a triple sauce of misery. Some have suggested, not horror but more supernatural. Of that I just do not agree. This is entirely hungry, greed, misery, harm side of the supernatural if it is deemed so. Without any balance for the opposite model or intent.
It's also highly emotive and sculptured in language with intense creative/ artistic juices at each directional switch of the tale's characterizations, locations, ambiance etc. With the mood going from light, flirting to danger onus on roller coaster scales.
Prose that reads too like poetry in spots. And in others just pure clear flow and ambiance.
Yet, as much as I did enjoy this read far above average, and do want to read more of his- they will be placed in doing so far apart and in sunnier times. Because this book also belongs in my depressive category of "life is shit, and then we die". Quite solidly too. Without use or need of any frivolity manners of mood to oppose that end state or most any side of light to balance the suffering, ominous ever-present darkness of evil intent. Hope drowns daily in this story.
I foresaw, but didn't particularly like the ending. Too pat. But this is the natural progress usually entailed by a worldview of history, nature, real being so bottom rung glum and repressive.
This does belong solidly in the same superior class category as Haunting of Hill House - maybe even better. Horror done with a triple sauce of misery. Some have suggested, not horror but more supernatural. Of that I just do not agree. This is entirely hungry, greed, misery, harm side of the supernatural if it is deemed so. Without any balance for the opposite model or intent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 461 reviews