When I was younger, we had a vacant, “haunted house” in our neighborhood (didn’t we all?), that we would constantly dare each other to go into. I can remember the sweaty hands, the heart palpitations and the plain old sense of terror every time we went into that house. Jennifer Fawcett has taken those feelings and multiplied them exponentially in her debut novel Beneath the Stairs.
The focal point of the story is a dilapidated, secluded structure that is known as the Octagon House. A house where a man killed his wife, and two daughters, and it has been vacant ever since. When Clare, Abby and two of their friends hear about this haunted house, they decide to go into the woods and see this house for themselves. During their exploration, Abby mysteriously gets trapped in the basement, and in the process of helping her get out, Clare sees something down there that she has a hard time comprehending. Chance would find Abby and Clare back at the house later that night, and something happens to Abby that changes her life forever.
Fast forward 20 years, and Clare hears news that Abby has gone back into the house and has suffered dire consequences. Clare, whose life has been touched by this house as well, decides to go back to her hometown and try unravel the mysteries of why the Octagon House has had such a pull on Abby’s life, and why it has affected hers as well; and what did she really see in that basement all those years ago.
Beneath the Stairs is a book that will have you jumping at every creak, pop or strange sound in your house. It is a good old-fashioned ghost story that will keep you reading long into the night…..with all the lights on.
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