BOOK REVIEW: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix is a master of quirky horror, and HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE is a true testament to that.

After the sudden tragic deaths of their parents, estranged siblings Louise and Mark must face the ghosts of their childhood home — metaphorically and literally.

The book’s structure moves through the five stages of grief, creating a thoughtful and often humorous exploration of death and loss. Tangled in it are family secrets long-buried, commentary on generational and inherited trauma, and a whole lot of creepy dolls (puppets? weird art? all of the above).

This may just be my new favorite Hendrix novel (though MBFE is hard to dethrone). It is weird and spooky and strangely beautiful, a poignantly human story told against the backdrop of haunted houses and possessed dolls. I can already tell that this will be a book I revisit often.

TW/CW: parental loss, child death.