A Guest in the House
Ratings16
Average rating4
In Emily Carroll's haunting adult graphic novel horror story A Guest in the House, a young woman marries a kind dentist only to realize that there’s a dark mystery surrounding his former wife’s death. After many lonely years, Abby’s just gotten married. She met her new husband—a recently widowed dentist—when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it’s strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband’s first wife, the more things don’t add up. And Abby starts to wonder . . . was Sheila’s death really by natural causes? As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila’s memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life. Emily's masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.
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I really liked this one. I think it's great at the balance of mundane, daily life and fantasy. And of course I love Carroll's art and style. She's also great at crafting a mood.
The ending: I finished the book, flipped back, and exclaimed. There had to be more...an explanation, something. But we don't always get clarity and, if done right, it can be fun to wonder. Was the ‘neighbor', who gives her name as Beth, Shelia? Did the ghost of Shelia possess the ‘neighbor' woman? Is the ghost confused — we've seen her be wrong before. I think Shelia is alive, and at the end she stabs Abby, perhaps because she is influenced by the ghost. As for the ghost I wonder if she was David's girlfriend, maybe high school or college (dentists go to college right?) and instead of getting married and having a baby David kills her? I don't think the ghost is Crystal's mother, mostly because we are never shown the ghost interacting with Crystal. Crystal says she's seen her mother and that she looks different, Abby (and likely the reader) assumes Crystal is referring to the spooky ghost, but really it's because Shelia has been posing as ‘Beth the neighbor' and has dyed her hair.
Other curiosity Why was the sliding glass door broken? Was David involved in the fraudulent money? Why was there a lock on the attic if it was empty — how does that even stop animals from ‘dripping down'?
A guest in the house was a fascinating, thrilling graphic novel to read! I felt enveloped by the story and the stunning art. Though I must admit that once or twice I was a bit confused by the events. But was also very impressed by how mysterious and exciting it was. I always wanted to know what hidden mysteries were going to be revealed. The horror atmosphere is done incredibly well, which is very impressive because creating such tension through drawings is very hard to do!
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this if you are a fan of the horror / paranormal genre!
