all consuming dread!

Paula Rego (1935–2022), “Him”

from the ‘Pendle Witches’ series

Paula Rego (1935–2022), “Little Miss Muffet III”

from ‘Nursery Rhymes’ series

At the beginning, at the end, where the house stands perpetual.

I enjoyed this so much. Gorgeously written and a pleasure to read at the line level with all the twisty, horrifyingly complex ways a haunted house burrows in one's mind interspersed through the book until it all comes to a head. One of the best contemporary successors to House of Leaves I have read so far, I think, and I don't say that lightly because House of Leaves is my favorite book of all time. Also reminded me of Lost in the Garden in the way it takes the cloying never-ending weight of English summer and winds it around the narrative like a shimmering rope. Just a real delight all around.

If you love haunted houses, you will love Solace House. It is hungry, awake, and ever-lasting.