If you love supernatural tales and enjoy horror stories with a twist, The September House by Carissa Orlando offers a refreshing take on the classic haunted house narrative. Unlike other novels in this genre, where the main idea often revolves around expelling an evil spirit from the premises, this story dares to explore the lives of those who choose to stay. The home itself becomes a character, with its mysterious corners and lingering secrets that refuse to be ignored.
As the pages unfold, you’re drawn into a world where an oddball professor with a specialized field of study might fit right in, and perhaps even a priest armed with holy water sprinkled on the walls would make a brief appearance. But Orlando’s strength lies in showing the human side of the conflict—how the ghost and the person living there negotiate their coexistence. In this tale, it’s not always about who must leave but about finding a fragile balance, even amidst the nefarious whispers and village elder wisdom.
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Haunting That Refuses to End In The September House
In The September House, Carissa Orlando masterfully reinvents the haunted house story, taking readers beyond the typical endings we expect in such books. The tale begins not with the discovery of a ghost or a frightening twist, but with Margaret, who has already spent her first year living in a large, gorgeous Victorian home on the edge of town, surrounded by the grotesque, violent spirits that refuse to leave.
While most might flee, Margaret decides she’s neither leaving nor surrendering, despite the terrifying reality of her situation. This novel echoes the stories of Pliny the Younger and his specter in ancient Rome, and even Horace Walpole’s eerie The Castle of Otranto, yet it flips the traditional formula on its head, offering a fresh perspective on the genre.
Margaret and her husband Hal had bought the grand, historic house at a shockingly reasonable price, which later made more sense as its secrets unraveled. Her determined attempts to rid the space of its unwelcome inhabitants are both chilling and futile. From conducting rituals with unearthed bones and singing children’s lullabies, to enlisting the help of an eccentric local priest for endless blessings, nothing has worked.
The persistence of the spirits, combined with Margaret’s resolve to remain, creates a tense and captivating narrative that refuses to let go. Orlando’s storytelling breathes life into this haunted house, making it feel both otherworldly and disturbingly real.
Secrets of a Haunted Home
In The September House by Carissa Orlando, Maggie finds herself in a chilling predicament, living in a home where ghosts lurk in every shadow and blood drips from the walls each September. Her dream of owning a cozy house has turned into a nightmare, as things worsen with mangled bodies, screaming figures, and a big, dark basement hiding untold horrors. Even a simple cup of tea in the kitchen becomes unnerving, with a maid, her forehead split by an axe, casually moving about. Despite the terrified whispers of the ghosts, Maggie refuses to leave, knowing that abandoning this house in today’s economy is simply nothing she can consider.
Hal’s Departure and Katherine’s Determination
Meanwhile, her husband Hal is done with the eerie shenanigans and abruptly leaves after years of enduring the madness, vanishing just weeks before the dreaded September begins. While Maggie is somewhat distant and resigned to his absence, their daughter, Katherine, is not so easily convinced. Determined to uncover the truth, she books a flight home, unaware of the haunting secrets within the house. Maggie faces the added strain of shielding her daughter while dealing with the usual, often terrifying, happenings. The story masterfully combines darkly funny moments with heartfelt, gripping tension, as Maggie struggles to keep both her sanity and the life she’s built intact.
Haunted Dreams and Harsh Realities
In The September House, Carissa Orlando delivers a masterful story that delves into the eerie dichotomy of dream and reality, centering on Maggie and her twisted relationship with a house. This isn’t just any home—it’s haunted to an extreme. But Maggie, ever determined, finds ways to rationalize the bizarre occurrences as her new baseline for normalcy.
From pranksters lurking in the shadows to spectral ghosts breaking the illusion of a gorgeous home, every corner reveals unsettling truths about what people endure to hold onto their dreams. The book cleverly uses metaphors to explore an abusive relationship, drawing unsettling parallels between Maggie’s struggles and the compromises we make for the elusive American dream.
The Rules of Compromise
Through the layers of this story, Orlando unveils how rules and compromises can force people to live with the deplorable. Maggie’s connection to the house mirrors the tensions in having a daughter or being married—situations that seem idyllic but bring unexpected, difficult challenges. This exploration of life’s hidden costs, whether in love, family, or property, builds a tension that makes every detail feel deeply relatable. And while the book avoids offering a fairytale, it holds a mirror to our own relentless pursuit of perfection, even at a cost.
Unraveling Maggie and Hal’s Story
From the very first moments, this book pulls you in with its layered storytelling. The house becomes more than just a backdrop, shaping Maggie and Hal’s relationship as the mystery unfolds. Each detail feels like bread and crumbs, leading you to the truth at warp speed. I found myself almost frothing at the mouth for answers, eager to understand what happens next. When I finally did, the sheer scope of it left me in awe, though also deeply horrified by the strength of Maggie’s survival.
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Hauntingly Funny and Dark Experience
The premise of The September House walks a delicate tightrope between pitch-black humor and outright terror, which I absolutely adore. The horrors inside this house feel oddly common and routine for the protagonist, Maggie, who navigates her unsettling life with a blend of exhaustion and practicality. The scenes are filled with objectively scary moments, such as a priest levitating in the air while flies shoot from his throat like a grotesque geyser, yet somehow, these moments manage to be oddly funny in the darkest ways.
Discussions about waterfalls of blood appearing annoyingly ahead of schedule or which Tupperware is best for storing and organizing the bones of a long-dead woman are treated as casual asides, blending the macabre with the mundane. It’s almost as though Maggie has become as much a part of the house as the ghosts themselves.
Despite the heightened scenario, the dialogue remains great, lived-in, and utterly real, immersing readers further into this bizarre world. The visuals are gory, disgusting, and visceral, leaving a strong impression—I’ll admit, this book made me swear off basements for good. While the novel opts for a safer ending, wrapping things up with a bloody bow, I still loved it enough to give it five stars. I couldn’t help but hope for a bolder conclusion, something darker and more thought-provoking, but that doesn’t diminish how great the overall experience was.
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