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!

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was an excellent reminder to me that a book can talk about many issues that I care deeply about, and still be a book that I didn’t particularly like. About a house (a sentient house) that burns itself down in rage and despair at housing a terrible man, the house has a sort of “come to Jesus moment” about the dark secrets living in the basement and it’s own role in passively allowing terrible crimes to take place in it’s lower level (I know). Here’s the good: this book looks at the ways in which women are marginalized in social unrest and migration, this book examines societal indifference to Black women and their suffering, and this book looks at how this suffering comes from traumatized families, from patriarchy, and from structures and systems that capitalize on and also hate the Black female body. But. There is an animate house. Who is aware enough to burn itself down but not aware enough to know what’s happening inside of it’s walls. And also just a house with thoughts and feelings and the ability to communicate with other (inexplicably judgemental) houses and a soul that transcends it’s houseness. I just... Also, overall, I found the writing to be kind of disjointed and indirect at times and super intense at others, and kind of just never really said what it was saying. I found some characterization to be blurry, and all of them I completely developed - I never really knew anyone. I guess with this book I felt that the content was there, but the delivery was not my thing. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC, opinions are my own.

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!

Superspeed readers like me can read 150 - 200+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. LOL			
			
I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  			
			
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.			


For fans of Kate Atkinson, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Edwidge Danticat, Tana French, Mohsin Hamid, Hari Kunzru, Imbolo Mbue, Alex Michaelides, and Jesmyn Ward

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

When Lucien flees Haiti with his wife, Marie-Ange, and their three children to New York City's South Ozone Park, he does so hoping for reinvention, wealth, and comfort. He buys a rundown house in a community that is quickly changing from an Italian enclave of mobsters to a haven for Haitian immigrants and begins life anew. Lucien and Marie-Ange call their home La Kay--"my mother's house"--and it becomes a place where their fellow immigrants can find peace, a good meal, and legal help. 

But as a severely emotionally damaged man emigrating from a country whose evils he knows to one whose evils he doesn't, Lucien soon falls into his worst habits and impulses, with La Kay as the backdrop for his lasciviousness. What he can't even begin to fathom is that the house is watching, passing judgment, and deciding to put an end to all the sins it has been made to hold. But only after it has set itself aflame will frightened whispers reveal Lucien's ultimate evil.

At once an uncompromising look at the immigrant experience and an electrifying page-turner, My Mother's House is a singular, unforgettable achievement.

Okay, first off, I don't like books that state "for lovers of..." and then list a bunch of writers whose work could not be more diverse and different on so many levels. Librarian rant over.  To me, the description read a bit like Wisteria Lane (am I dating myself and showing my age?) as there are as many twists and turns there as to that show. There are danger and despair, but unlike said TV show there are people of colour on it.

The house being an entity of evil is scary - this is a classic horror novel wrapped into a story of immigrants and the horrors they face that have nothing to do with the house but with neighbours and governments. (I worked carefully on that wording that lest set off some 2019-political-rhetoric!) WE ARE ALL IMMIGRANTS- but this is a story to appreciate and understand in the context of a modern-day horror story where the house is Big Brother and one has the need to be very, very afraid of it. (I firmly believe in ghosts and now have to consider the actual houses being haunted as well!) 

This book is perfect for book clubs as politics and the horrors of the daily news are always a great thing to discuss - unfortunately, they have to wait six months to read it.  As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "Social Influencer Millennials" on Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🏘 🏘 🏘 🏘 🏘 🏘