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99 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2020
ALL HAIL THE SUNFLOWER GOD.
Houses are empty shells of wood and brick and plaster, devoid of souls, or intent. It's us, the creatures that are installed within them, that ultimately define their character.
I was home, in the dark, but not alone. The living room was a conspiracy of shadows and among them I could hear a man speaking backwards in a low voice.I love how subtle much of the horror feels. Instead of floating ghosts or monsters chasing characters down the stairs, we get small occurrences, like mysterious disappearances, weird sounds, and creepy figures staring out of windows. It's enough to definitely raise some goosebumps. It's also impressive the way that Burke weaves American history in with the house's legacy, and the horror moves right along with it, giving us different lenses through which to study the house in each era, from the 1960's to present day.
We stepped over the threshold of an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood and over the threshold of modern knowledge. It is not a place steeped in old evil. It's a calamity of physics. There's a fissure, a gaping cosmic wound, a door to places we can't begin to fathom.
"After all, it’s much easier to believe in Hell if you can already feel the flames."