Going back to one’s childhood home after years away can be a strange experience. It’s not home anymore but you can still remember where everything goes, how long to stand scrunched up against the wall of the shower while the water gets hot, and which threadbare oven mitt to avoid when helping in the kitchen. But when Sam temporarily moves home in T. Kingfisher’s astoundingly good novel, A House with Good Bones, she finds a childhood house transformed. That’s when Kingfisher starts peeling away the onion layers of Sam’s family. Sam is baffled, then unsettled, then horrified—taking us with her into a disturbing family mystery.
When Sam left to pursue school and a career as a paleoentomologist (she studies the remains of insects at archaeological sites), her mother had replaced most of the signs of her mother (Sam’s grandmother) with bright colors and unusual art. Sam and her mother had mostly put the memory of Granny Mae to rest with relief. The old woman was sharp-tongued and fierce about maintaining traditional proprieties. Sam is shocked when she returns to her childhood home to find everything changed back to the way it was. At first, Sam looks forward to spending time with her mother, drinking boxed wine and watching British mysteries, while she waits for word about whether or not the dig she’d been planning on going to is permanently canceled or not. Sam’s hopes of rest and relaxation start to evaporate when she realizes that her mother is behaving as though Granny Mae is just around the corner, ready to swoop in with a scold or a put-down.
The tension tightens quickly as even stranger things start to happen. What’s up with all the vultures? Where are all the insects in the garden and why are there ladybugs in swarming in Sam’s room? Why won’t her mother be honest about what’s clearly going on? I loved how Kingfisher paced this story, with Sam’s scientific mind slowly accepting the definitely illogical and unnatural around her. Events happen quickly—but are never rushed—and build up to an absolutely outstanding climax. Readers, I inhaled this book.
I think even readers who aren’t into the supernatural element will enjoy A House with Good Bones because there is just so much here to love. Sam is such a wonderful character that I wish we could be friends. (I love her habit of wandering around hunting for bugs to identify.) Her relationship with her mother is beautiful to watch. It’s clear that these characters love and worry about each other, even if they don’t entirely understand each other. The hunky (and very helpful) landscaper Phil is just icing on the cake. This book is already one of my favorite reads of the year.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.