My Mother's House by Francesca Momplaisir is described as a "literary thriller about the complex underbelly of the immigrant American dream and the dangerous ripple effect one person's damages can have on the lives of others - told unexpectedly by a house that has held unspeakable horrors."

Wow - When I saw that description I knew I wanted to request a copy.

I'll admit, the first 20% or so of this book, I wasn't sure what I was getting into (a book where the house acts as one of the narrators? Interesting...), and I debated putting it down. BUT, I implore you - if you start this book, you have to make it to 25% for things to take a DARK turn that'll hook you til the end. I'm not going to give anything about the plot away other than, stick with it til at least up to this point.

This one ultimately was a little too disturbing for me to say I "enjoyed" it, but it's a story that will stick with me for a long time. If you like character-drive, slow burn, psychological thrillers, check this one out.

TW: Graphic depictions of abuse of all sorts. Message me if you'd like more details.

Thank you AA Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to review this early.

This is one of the most vile and depressing books that I have ever read. It revolves around a Haitian family that immigrates to South Ozone Park, Queens New York in search of a better life for themselves. However the patriarch of this family, Lucien, is a monster of a man. The horrors that happen within the walls of this home is not for the faint of heart. The spin here is that one of the narrators is the home, La Kay, and the house is not happy and wants to destroy Lucien before he hurts anyone again.

My fellow animal lovers: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. There is sadistic abuse made to a cat and her kittens as well as a German Shepherd dog that left me completely nauseated. I understand why the author chose to do this as we see just how depraved Lucien is but my goodness it was imagery that I didn't want or need.

I can't deny the authors talent as her writing is impeccable but this book is just too depressing for me to recommend. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very slow, dark and depressing. The writing style bounced between overly intense to somewhat disjointed making the reader fill in the gaps at times. Lucien was a horribly evil character. So terrible that his own house had to burn itself down to escape his wicked ways. All books aren’t for everyone and this book wasn’t for me. I was unable to finish it and therefore cannot recommend it to others.

It's a little hard to describe this particular novel.. but that certainly doesn't mean it was bad. It was a surprise.. in the best of ways. Netgalley is wonderful because it opens our minds and our hearts to books and authors that may have otherwise gone unchecked. This unique and shocking book rocked me to my core. It's hard to put in a box and it's hard to put into words.. but that doesn't mean it's not worthy and it certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. Just the opposite in fact. Books that one can't quantify or categorize are often the best. Try it out for yourself. You'll see.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Haitian immigrant with psychological problems abuses his wife, daughters, and other immigrants who come into his world. When his house burns to the ground, evidence of the depths of his evil nature is revealed in a hidden basement.

Immensely depressing with moments of really beautiful writing. Momplaisir writes dense, beautiful prose about horror (physical, sexual, and psychological), though at times I found it difficult to follow... and at times I just didn't WANT to follow it. I don't mind a book centered around a really unlikeable person-- and hoo boy, this guy's a doozy!-- but there was a weird balance here between the intimacy of how Lucien is described and how little we actually come to know Sol. By far, my favorite chapters were the La Kay chapters. Brilliant concept and great execution there. Would have to be a very specific recommend, though.

"The House floated in and out of consciousness, waiting to die. It would no longer have to stomach wickedness, deviance, and injustice. It looked forward to Its demolition that would level and free It at long last."

My friends, this is a dark, unsettling, slow burning read. One of the more intriguing stories pitched as literary horror that I've read, My Mother's House is a powerful look at gentrification, racial/class injustice, and is at heart, a story about how the great American dream is only that to certain groups provided that level of privilege. Please do yourself a favor and go in as blind as possible, because the less you know the better, but it is fair to say that this book won't be for the faint of heart. CW for animal abuse and torture, violence, and all sorts of unsettling content in general. If you can read the dark and disturbing stuff, this is an important novel that will stay with me for quite some time.

A remarkable novel, one that can be read as a psychological thriller, an essay on systemic violence, the story of marginalized humans, a feminist novel, and a literary classic. Completely unconventional writing - the view from the house has a real voice here - a wonderful discovery and reading pleasure although it’s very, very, dark, as it should be. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir. This story reminded me a little of Behold The Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, which I really loved. A Haitian couple, Lucien and Marie-Ange along with their three children move to NY with hopes of a better life. They buy a rundown home in an area that has many immigrants and it becomes kind of a haven for their newfound friends. They often serve meals and provide a sense of peace and belonging. But just because they’ve made this new place home doesn’t mean they understand all of the “rules” in this new land. Struggles persist almost daily as they continue to live in this new world and truly make it their own. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in familial drama stories.

I'm sorry I just couldn't finish this book. While, I appreciate what it's trying to convey, I just simply didn't like it.

I'm not sure if it's the evil main character, Lucien, or the jumbled writing that was hard to follow. I'm all for horror, but I just didn't enjoy reading this book.

It was really quite a wild ride. It was a bit darker than I expected in telling what happened with the girls in the house. The many different viewpoints--including that of the house(!) really added to the story and bizarreness of what happened there.

Very strange book but in the best of ways. Thought I figured things out only to be surprised, which is the best for a reader. Dare I say kind of Stephen Kingish?

I found the telling of this book, partially in the voice of the house, very original and intriguing. It is an interesting theory to think of the house as watching the people who occupy the house through the years. Momplasir dug deep into the psyche of immigrants coming to America looking for a better or safer life. I enjoy being able to climb into a book and the characters and I was definitely able to do that with this book. That being said, the main character, Lucien, is a man you don't want to delve too deeply into. He is a very damaged human being, you learn about his past as the book progresses but I still couldn't feel any sympathy for him. What he does to the women in his life made me very uncomfortable, I assume that's the point.

Wow, Wow, Wow....This one started slowly for me. I didn't see where it was headed. But once I did, it was a page turner.
Told from alternating POV of the house, the girls, and the antagonist - yes, I said the house! - this is a riveting survival story with lots of thought provoking incidents.
Without giving too much away, the house essentially destroys itself and tells the story of why it has to do that. Then we meet the "bad guy" who at times in the novel, we still feel empathy for, that's how good the character development is here. Then we meet "the girls" and I won't say much on that to not give it away.
There are graphic portions, especially when going back in the antagonists history and with the girls. However, it was very well done overall and I would definitely recommend. Not a light read, by any means, but it will stay with you.

This book is so good, it could have been written by Stephen King!!! The story builds as the humans in the house cause so much pain and turmoil that the house....yes, the house....steps in to save the day and clear the evil. Francesca Momplaisir writes of the evil men commit when they feel invincible and how consequences must be paid in the end. An absolutely great book!

This was a very strange book - a house that can comment on the people living within, ignore the evil in its basement, can change the course of events of their lives and then decide to burn itself down? Weird, but I was intrigued to read it and see what I would think about it.

Is there such a thing as literary horror? This was a literary style read but the subject mater was fimrly horror. Disturbing horror at that. It wasn't a thriller but I was disturbed throughout when reading and not in a good way I'm afraid. Lucien in the book talks of his immigrant experience and immigration in general which I enjoued learning about but then he seemed to be the way in which evil entered the house. Some imagery or meanings weren't clear to me and it all felt a bit strange to be honest.

I just couldn't get a handle on the house being one of the POVs and then Lucien talking andit not being clear who was talking. I may be underappreciating this literary experiment but at the time I read it, I didn't feel as if I could connect.

Gives a new meaning to ' if walls had ears' though!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of My Mother's House.

I was intrigued by the premise; a house as a living, breathing entity who bears witness to the horrors, evils and ills that occur within its walls.

In some ways, My Mother's House could be categorized as literary horror. I didn't get much of a thrilling or suspenseful vibe either, but I'll let readers decide.

The writing is excellent and the horrors the house witnesses, the evil and tragedy that Lucien entices and brings into his mother's home because he is a weak and flawed human is shocking and despicable.

Lucien is not a nice man; in fact, he is despicable in so many ways. I hope the author didn't expect readers to sympathize with him just because he's an immigrant because I detested him so much.

As I was reading, I wondered why Lucien was such a bad person (because his parents abandoned him) or because that's just who he is. Regardless of why he does the terrible things he does, nothing justifies his actions and his failure as a human being.

At times, I struggled with reading this because it shifted from the house's POV to Lucien and to those in his social circle and I found it hard to keep track of who was who and how they related to Lucien.

I couldn't connect with anyone, much less Lucien, and found my attention straying whenever the house wasn't speaking.

I loved the premise, but the tone and characters didn't connect with me.

A well-paced and riveting read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The fact that parts of the book are written from the perspective of the house itself made it especially interesting and engaging. It was fascinating to see the moral quandary that the house found itself in when it discovered the horrors happening within it's walls. I highly recommend.

This book started out kind of confusing and only mildly disturbing but becomes more and more horrifying as bit by bit the whole story is revealed from multiple viewpoints--including the viewpoint of the house who can no longer stand what is happening under its roof. It's a tough read because of the content, but the writing and flow is really well done that you can't help but read on. I hope to read more from this author!