It all begins with a prank.
Richard and Tom had been hanging out, first throwing a stolen Star Wars figure in the river to see if it would float, then moving onto a phone box.
Tom didn’t want to do it, but Richard insisted, threating Tom with throwing him in the river if he didn’t. Richard’s carefully controlled persona of menace keeps him slightly above the other kids at his new school who are looked down upon by other students. Named the Pariah’s of the school, Richard secretly dubs himself Piranha instead.
Flicking through the supplied phone book in the phone box, Richard finds a name. It’s a strange name – Imu Jonasson, but it will do. But the prank meant to frighten this random person, turns on the boys instead. Tom turns pale as he listens to a voice on the other end, and then Richard begins to scream…
No one believes Richard’s word on the events of that day, least of all the police. Everyone in Richard’s new town of Ballantyne soon knows his name as they search for Tom who has vanished.
When it happens again, fingers point at Richard. This time when he doesn’t have a reasonable explanation for another missing boy last seen in his company, he is sent to a secure unit for teens. The police hope this will loosen his tongue for the truth. Richard knows that no one can imagine, let alone believe what he has seen.
His mind is spinning. Is Imu Jonasson real? How is he connected to The Night House in Ballantyne with it’s strange oak tree and abandoned rooms? Is he responsible for the missing boys?
Told in three intriguing parts that tip the story on its head each time, The Night House is a brilliantly told and cleverly structured novel that folds in upon itself again and again.
Perfect for Stephen King and Jo Nesbo fans alike, The Night House had my mind spinning long before the final page – in fact, the final sentence sent it spinning again!
It feels a little like King’s IT to begin with, and I wondered if it was a young teen’s tale, but each time the story flips, the sophistication of the writing increases and the desire to read it all over again hit me. I wanted to follow the narrative with the hindsight of a first read, looking for clues and signs of what is to come. Usually not a fan of sub conscious fantasy, The Night House makes everything so real and raw for the reader.
Loved it!
Author – Jo Nesbo
Age – 16+
(2023, Penguin Random House, Horror, Scary, Freaky, Adopted, New Town, New School, Popularity, Bully, Trauma, Fire, Lies, Truth, Fantasy, Monsters, Subconscious, Abandoned house, Police, Crime, Missing boys, Investigation, Crime, Murder, Unexplained, Thriller, Crossover novel, Story structure, Agents, Small town, Revenge, Secure Unit, Locked up, Secrets, Mystery)