Tildes Book Club discussion - June 2025 - A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher
This is the fifteenth of an ongoing series of book discussions here on Tildes. We are discussing A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher. Our next book will be the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride at the end of July.
I don't have a particular format in mind for this discussion, but I will post some prompts and questions as comments to get things started. You're not obligated to respond to them or vote on them though. So feel free to make your own top-level comment for whatever you wish to discuss, questions you have of others, or even just to post a review of the book you have written yourself.
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While haunted houses usually appear in the horror genre, the tone of this story doesn't lean towards fear or dread; in fact, it's quite funny at times. This owes partially to the point-of-view character's casually witty narration style. Even when the characters are in mortal peril, it never feels like we might get an unhappy ending.
That's not to say that the themes are frivolous. The story explores intergenerational trauma and unhealthy family dynamics rather effectively.
Thematic discussion of Nettle and Bone, another novel by this author:
T Kingfisher is remarkably good at balancing tone, and at blending genres. Nettle and Bone (which I highly recommend) has very dark, grounded subject matter and underlying themes, yet is told through the lens of a fun fairytale adventure with wacky characters and wondrous creatures. In both novels, these contrasting elements never undermine each other; rather, they elevate each other.My main criticism of A House with Good Bones is that it takes a bit too long to get to the point. Early on, the main character has enough clues about the haunted house that she could easily take initiative; instead, there is some repetition of 'the next day, yet another inexplicable thing happened' before the plot progresses. When it does get going, the story is pretty good, and the conclusion is satisfying.
Overall, I found this novel pleasant. In particular, the main character is likeable and relatable.
That's my main criticism of it too. It was still quite intriguing so held my interest despite how slow it was, but the repeated "and the next day another weird thing happened" definitely dragged on for far too long before getting to the meat of the story. But once it did get there, it was well worth it. I was absolutely riveted for the last 30% of the book.
Before I begin: @CannibalisticApple, I’m going to mention you later in this post, but I don’t want to spoil A House With Good Bones for you if you’re reading it. So, don’t read further if you are!
I’m conflicted about this one.
I generally like a good slow burn buildup of dread, which, plot-wise, the book made an effort at. It also kept things light though, with constant access to wisecracking Sam’s internal monologue. I genuinely enjoyed the quips at some points and felt they were a tad grating at others, but they ultimately had the effect of deadening any tension for me (in addition to other details: “meeeu” anyone?).
I think I was wanting a straight horror book rather than this book’s horror-comedy blend.
That’s not to say that I disliked it. It was an easy, quick read. I enjoyed some of its more imaginative moments (Gran Mae as rose bushes incarnate). I smirked at the subplot of Sam thirsting after her mother’s gardener (in an almost entirely one-sided way). I cackled at the “Was it the government?” line.
But I also had problems suspending my disbelief a bit. Like: “hmm, this house is being absolutely and repeatedly swarmed by bugs and creepy things keep touching me in my dreams so I’m going to drink myself to sleep there every night?” Or, why didn’t Sam’s mom just talk to her off-site from the beginning?
The novel reminded me of one that CannibalisticApple wrote for one of the short story contests here. I’ll put the rest in a spoiler box for THAT story, because I think everyone should read it without knowing anything about it going in. Seriously, go read it! It’s really good!
Spoilers for Apple’s story
Both stories dealt with someone who was staving off a force without it being known by others. In Kingfisher’s case, it was Sam and her mom not realizing that Gran Mae was holding back the underground children.
In Apple’s case, it was the employee not realizing the importance of their morning ritual.
Both stories also blended dark supernaturalness with absurd/comedic elements, but I felt that Kingfisher’s comedy ended up overshadowing the horror, while Apple’s walked a fine balance that let both of them shine.
If I’m being honest, I liked Apple’s story better than I liked this book! I think she delivered on both of those aspects better and more tightly than Kingfisher did.
It wasn’t until I was most of the way through this book that I learned that T. Kingfisher is a pen name for Ursula Vernon, who wrote the comic Digger, which I absolutely adore. It is very different from this book both in terms of content and tone, but it is utterly excellent. If anyone else wants more of her work, I can’t recommend it enough.
I mean, he did give her his phone number at the end... so I wouldn't say it was all that one-sided. ;)
Yup! I feel like it took him a little bit of time to warm up from their she-threatened-to-shoot-me meet cute. 😆
She-threatened-to-shoot-me meet cute, immediately followed by a she-accused-me-of-sprinkling-rose-peddles-on-her-in-her-sleep second interaction. So yeah, I'm not surprised that until he finally got to meet rosebush Gran Mae and see that she wasn't crazy after all, that he was a bit wary of her. ;)
Thanks for the compliments! Had a feeling when I saw you mentioned me that there'd be comparisons to that story.
I agree on the tone in The House with Good Bones being a bit too light at times. I was cool with it overall since I've seen plenty of stories that veer too hard in the opposite direction to the point of being a slog (or even lose tension since you just expect failure). The humor and quips kept this one enjoyable even when nothing was really happening, it was fun just seeing Sam interact with people. But as far as I can tell the book isn't classified as horror comedy, so the light tone throughout the whole book came as a surprise. I wouldn't say it deadened the tension, but rather, the tension didn't seem to build properly.
I can get why it took Sam so long to suspend her own disbelief since most of the stuff that happened was so minor and could be (mostly) explained. I also get why her mom was so wary of explaining at first, since it does sound crazy and everything Sam saw was minor. Heck, one of the rational explanations (and source of much angst) was Edie developing dementia, so telling Sam right away would probably just reinforce that concern.
I just wish Gran Mae didn't debut so soon after Edie finally told her, and right after Gail got Sam to actually open her mind to the possibility her mom wasn't crazy. Give her time to come to grips with the fact that supernatural forces might exist and witness some more inexplicable events. Everything else Sam saw up to that point did have some potential rational explanations, even when she knew how flimsy that explanation was (like the refrain about how doll hands don't have dirt under their nails).
As it stood, everything escalated so quickly that we didn't really get to feel the full buildup. Especially since no one actually got hurt in the story until then, so there wasn't a real sense of danger.
Also a moment of silence for poor Phil for getting dragged into this with almost zero context. I don't think the interest was too one-sided since they had some fun talks between everything. The fact he still gave Sam his phone number even after being dragged into the worst family dinner ever suggests he either had a very strong interest... Or the suspension bridge effect hit hard and heavy.
Or maybe he just felt obligated to offer the number after going through that together, and hoped being separated by the state Texas meant they'd probably never talk again anyway. Though he might want to flee the state too, just in case.
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Do you read horror or horror adjacent books? If someone enjoyed this book what else would you suggest?
I do read a good bit of horror and horror adjacent books. I feel this was more of a light-hearted horror book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I don't feel that any of the other books I have read will fit in the same category. I do suggest that you read other T. Kingfisher books if you enjoyed this one. I had just finished reading A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking before I started reading this one and I truly love the author's way of writing stories. The internal monologues and humor just add something special to the stories.
I don't generally read horror, at least I don't seek it out. I did enjoy this book enough though that I suppose I would be interested in reading some more.
Interestingly, while I was reading the book, I just kept thinking "This is horror?" I didn't personally find it all that horrifying? I think I had more of a visceral reaction to the description of the monstrosities in 'Elder Race.' Maybe I'm not as much of a horror baby as I thought.
I often shy away from horror*, mostly because I can feel anxious quite easily and it's a feeling I tend not to enjoy. Stories that rely a lot on dread/negative anticipation/fear of unknown are hard for me.
This book was overall prettyeasy on me but I had some moments before the reveal of the rose-body grandmother, like the nightmare, ladybug, and hair brushing scenes. I did find they let up quickly though (a good thing for me).
*in terms of film, at least, I do somewhat enjoy psychological horror for whatever reason.
The hair brushing/fingers in hair scene was the only one in the book that really got me. There's something so, well, horrifying about someone being behind you, touching your scalp, with no recourse. *shudder*
I am a big horror junkie, I have read 30 horror books since I started keeping track in 2024. and I enjoyed the book enough that I went on a bit of a kick and read 4 of their books in a month or two. They are good, quick reads that you don't have to focus on too hard. I actually recommended this book to my mom.
T Kingfisher writes a lot of modern re-tellings of classic horror stories, for example What Moves the Dead is based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. So for suggestions I would recommend that if you have any of their books you like you can see what they where based on and read the classic. They kinda have their own style , but another author I would recommend is John Langan especially his short stories. However this recommendation is for plot, so they don't have the characters or more 'casual' writing style of T Kingfisher, so if that is what you enjoyed I would take a pass on Langan.
I don't read much horror and really only started reading some in the last year or so because of various book clubs. I also refuse to watch any horror, though I suppose some episodes of the dozen seasons of Supernatural I watched probably count... along with finally trying The Last of Us. With that in mind, I don't have much in the way of recommendations for "if you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy..."
However, I do have a couple of horror-adjacent books that are currently popular, which I've read and didn't dislike, but didn't love: Weyward by Emilia Hart and The Book of Witching by CJ Clarke (the latter is being marketed as horror but I certainly didn't find that it felt like horror. It felt like an episode of Supernatural, paranormal mystery-thriller.). They're both witchy and a bit dark. Weyward is probably fairly compatible with readers who liked A House with Good Bones.
For horror that really felt like horror, I've read The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey (the latter being sci fi but definitely creepy). I enjoyed both of these books enough that I have actually started thinking I might be brave enough for horror, and I'm less concerned about books when I see they've been tagged as horror now. Which is huge, because I've felt really out of the loop on why people like horror since like, middle school lol. I've probably read enough fantasy with horror elements that I'd be fine if I actually tried other books.
I don’t normally read horror. I feel like when I sit down to read non work content, it should either be something that makes me feel happy or hopeful. That’s probably semi I disliked Tess of the d'Urbervilles so much despite the excellent audiobook reader, she spent most of her time in misery and therefore so did I. This was an oddly happy follow-up to Tess.
My partner writes horror screenplays, so I can at least push through and read horror even if I don’t find it enjoyable. That also means needing to dig down and critique plot, flow, and connection throughout the work.
What do you think about how suspense and misdirection were used in the book? Did you predict any of the twists?
I wasn't expecting the grandma to just show up for dinner. I was expecting a much more gradual build up with a full physical manifestation happening at the very end.
It seemed pretty clear as soon as he/they were first mentioned that the Rasputin grandad and his creations were the real big bad.
And with how much she was villainized the whole book, it seemed inevitable that grandma would help save the day in the end. Though how direct a role she played and how much she was redeemed was less than I was expecting.
I think it's one of the smarter choices narratively that Grand Mae isn't redeemed in the end. She died angry and bitter, she remained angry and bitter and there is no redemption in death. I mostly interpreted that the roses were magically obligated to protect the family, less so than Grand Mae directly performed the spell at the climax. There's a good chance I am wrong on that interpretation as I was doing other things at the same time as listening to the audiobook.
I expected Gran Mae showing up when in the house when Gail mentioned that the vultures notice when the dead are doing things they shouldn't be, but I didn't expect her to be a possessed flowery rose, though I guess that was on theme.
The Rose Gran Mae was a surprise to me too. You knew she was going to show up, but the surprise was in how she revealed herself. I really loved the thorny vines. My Great Grandfather and Great Aunt both had beautiful rose gardens, and it always felt like the stems were reaching out to try and prick you. It definitely gave me fond memories of my childhood.
While he was the obvious big bad, I did hold out a verrry small possibility that the vulture-witch neighbour could end up being a double-fake-out big bad. Obviously not the case!
So I finally finished it last night! Got sidetracked halfway through because my aunt came to town, but also because like a few others have noted, the build-up is slow. It was enjoyable and I liked the humorous bits, but it didn't suck me in. I'd actually planned to split the final half and finish today, but then Gran Mae made her debut and I knew the action had finally hit.
That said, it felt like it was sudden how everything happened all at once. All the buildup moments were so small and almost mundane. Sleep paralysis and dreams, vultures staring at the house, the photo with the hand (on that note, I now want to put doll hands under our bushes this Halloween), the ladybug swarms (which got me cringing as someone who loathes bugs) and finally the jar of teeth...
There were all so minor, and then suddenly Gran Mae manifests, and then they were sentenced to the Shadow Realm. I knew the underground children would appear, but I'd expected them to show up more... organically, I suppose? Like they would gradually appear more and more around the house before swarming in the climax. Which, they did to an extent, but not enough for Sam to register their existence as an actual possibility even when faced with Gran Mae herself.
As much as I enjoyed the book and humorous narration from Sam, I feel like the atmosphere didn't really get to build effectively, which I think is the source of all the mixed feelings people mention. Some of the biggest events didn't even happen in the story proper, namely the backstory exposition about Marie and real estate agents once Sam finally talks to her mom. Seeing someone actually hurt by the hantings would have added so much to the suspense and sense of danger, but we only get told about it long after the fact, and right before Gran Mae debuts. (Classic case of show vs. tell.) I don't think we got an explanation for why this only started in the last year, either.
It reminds me of Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. It's a horror comedy about a haunted IKEA and that one started similarly light, with some genuinely freaky moments, before it also went all-in on horror all at once. And it went for the gorey, torture kind, which disappointed me. Compared to that, I enjoyed this book more since the horror didn't just rely on torture. This one felt more creative, and also had some pretty major emotional themes to explore beyond surviving.
One more detail I want to mention is the teeth. Namely when Edie talked about seeing Gran Mae sorting through her husband's ashes for his teeth, and mentioned her telling the undertakers how she didn't want him "ground up like meat". That got me to pause because... Well, my dad died and was cremated. So I had to reread that section a few times because that phrasing made me think it referred to before the cremation. So uh. That part stuck with me for reasons the author (probably) didn't intend.
Overall I think I'd rate this an 8 out of 10. I didn't mind the light tone (yes, even with the mewling underground children), but the horror aspect felt a bit too lacking until the final act. Balancing tone is one of the trickiest parts of writing, and I think this one was just a bit too light for too long (especially since as far as I can tell, this one isn't classed as horror comedy). It didn't feel "haunting" to me like the back cover describes it. Maybe it would if I had experience with intergenerational trauma, since that's a big theme in the book? The horror might hit harder for readers who have experience with that or just messed up relatives of any sort.
Meta
I’m necroing this topic since I didn’t actually read much last year, and I decided to catch up on some of the books I didn’t read. Hope nobody minds too much. I just want to write something for my own sake.I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. The characters were endearing. The small Southern town really came to life even within the first few pages. I felt like I could visualize the house every step of the way.
The setup of the mystery was weird. The ghost stuff was really obvious, really fast. The contrast between everyone else knowing what’s going on, including the reader, yet also refusing to tell Sam broke my immersion in the universe. Obviously, the protagonist discovering for themselves is the fun part of a haunted house novel, but it was at odds with the family dynamic stuff, since the mother and the daughter are meant to be allies. I wonder if I would have preferred it if the mother spoke to the daughter and the daughter didn’t believe her. It would have added some conflict and belief to the dynamic, but that would have also made the tone of the book much more serious.
Still, the setup was enjoyable to read, and you got to fall for the characters before everything comes to a climax. And boy, this book feels like it was written for the climax. The Gran Mae dinner scene was incredible! Phil instinctively reaches out for the hand of the petal-covered ghost, and it beautifully captures the unspoken power this woman holds over everyone, alluding to how tradition and reverence in a small town can hold people hostage. The history of these characters gives them strength, but keeps the place stuck in the past (literally!). There’s reality in the metaphors about Confederacy and religion.
Still, the whole underground children scene felt a little out-of place, and the conclusion didn’t bring the overarching themes home for me. Weird cannibalistic babies are weird, I guess. I didn’t pick up what the author was putting down, I think. I would have preferred a simple sinkhole that the characters needed to get out of (to escape their own history). Still, the action sequence remained creepy but fun, and the unique tone of the book still shone in the writing. In sum, probably not a book I’ll be rereading, but certainly a book worth my time.
Did this book match your expectations? What if anything surprised you?
One thing that surprised me after the fact, was how accurate the book described the feelings of sleep paralysis. I never had experienced it before until last night, and it was extremely jarring. It was a weird fading from being in a dream to slowly waking up, not being able to move and sort of being in a "I know this is all not real, but it sure as hell feels real" type of state while I slowly regained limb function and had to calm down my body/mind from the dream state. If I hadn't read this book, I probably would have no idea what the hell was happening because I'd never experienced that before.
For the book as a whole I think it met expectations. I didn't have too many, but it was described to me as "horror but not classic creepy/scary horror" and I think it met that pretty well. My partner generally hates horror and she was able to get through it without issue.
It exceeded my expectations. I love horror books, but so many newer ones are completely predictable. While there were some twists that happened the way I expected, there were far more that surprised me.
It matched my expectations, though I was a bit surprised by what felt like a slow progression in the main character figuring things out and coming to terms with the fact that weird stuff was going on. However, that definitely drove some of the suspense, since it fit her character - science-driven, requiring evidence. It makes me curious if other horror books are formatted in a similar matter, really only ramping up at the very end. (I suspect they probably are but I have only read one book that really seems to fit a horror mold.)
I honestly don't know what I expected of this book... but a dead grandma rose bush demon stopping by for dinner was not it. :P I did really enjoy it though, at least once it finally got going, and especially the HP Lovecraft-esque qualities of the finale.
What do you think about how the author handled magic/supernatural elements?
I really liked the contrast between the different kinds of magic, but I think they could have been developed or explained a bit more. On the other hand, it seems the extant magic practitioners were all self-taught and probably couldn't explain if they wanted to, so...
I was left with questions about Gail's magic overall. I'd love to know a bit more about it and what it might be based on, if it's not straight out of the author's head (which, of course, it could be, and there might not be any further explanation to be had). Getting the little vulture involved in the rescue was a nice touch.
Agreed. I found Gail to be an interesting character (in another reply, I mentioned I lightly entertained the possibility that the story might have double-twisted her as the baddie), along with the vultures. I'd gave liked more to happen there. Aside from the symbolism and the save by the one vulture, I thought more might have happened with the flocks of watching vultures.
Who was your favorite/ or least favorite character? What do you want to say about any of the characters and how you reacted to them?
I really liked the main character, Sam. Making her an archaeoentomologist was an interesting choice that I didn’t think was strictly necessary for the plot, but made her inner musings fun to read. She spent a lot of time thinking about her body size despite saying she was fine with it, which I found realistic - especially given that it seemed to be a central theme from her relationship with her grandma. The implication was that she’d spent a lot of time working on her view of herself.
I also enjoyed her commentary on British detective shows. She’s right, the only time I’ve ever heard of a vicar he was solving crimes. I’m ignoring the Wikipedia definition.
I'm still only partway through, so maybe it's a plot point, but what's with the copious amounts of alcohol in this story? I am not a drinker and never have been, so please forgive my ignorance, but the story makes it seem like Samantha practically lives on box wine. Is it just me, or is there some reveal later?
What do you think about the climactic battle?
I lost any ability I had to take it seriously when the "children" started meowing like cats. It just totally killed the tension and brought me out of the book.
I listened on audiobook, and I felt thr narrator did a pretty good job at making the mewing sound creepy, in a kind of innocent-evil way. Not that it really built tension but at least didn't totally pull me out of the story.
Ahahaha, I, too, lost it at that point. I listened to the audiobook and hearing the narrator have to "mew" every few moments was hilarious, jarring, and maybe landed better than it would have on the page. It did feel very much like the author felt things were getting too intense and needed comedic relief, which is a decision I don't agree with personally.
It's a pretty silly one, but something worth noting is that T Kingfisher is a pseudonym for writing horror and fan fic while they mainly write kids stories.
She has written plenty of children's stories, but mostly writes adult fantasy with some horror in the past decade. (Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking being a standout exception in the YA category)
She's been nominated for and won a Dragon and Locus and was nominated for a British Fantasy award, and that's not counting her Hugos for other stories. Her retold fairy tales in particular often have a lot of horror within them too.
I say that because your comment felt a bit dismissive and I don't think it's fair to say she mostly or primarily writes children's literature
What question would you like to ask other readers about this book?