I am truly not sure how to feel about this odd but strangely compelling book. The plot is absolutely terrible, for sure: sort of a B-list horror movie meets Heathers. But the irreverent writing and abrupt and often funny jolts and turns of phrase: those kept me reading, and the whole experience reminded me of Maurice Sendak's "wild rumpus." A refreshingly unique voice, if not a well put together story.

I don't think I'm smart enough to enjoy this book.

It reminded me of art history class - staring at priceless scribbles for hours and rolling my eyes when the professor would say "the artwork is not on the canvas, it's how it makes you feel."

Well, this book left me feeling profoundly confused, disturbed, and a little grumpy, primarily for the lack of payoff after a buildup that is stretched day in and day out over the course of three years of college. And for all of the mystery and intrigue of the cult-school vibes that I was anticipating, the meat of it was largely mundane, which was amplified even more by the most aloof, careless, nonexistent main character I've ever read. This girl just gave zero fu**s, but not in a cool way. In a frustrating way. In a, "why aren't you calling the cops", "why are you letting this happen" kinda way. This girl has literally no self-preservation. She sees some wacky, crazy, messed up things happening to her and the people around her and she just goes about her day.

There has to be a message here - one overarching premise that I'm too ignorant to understand. The book is deep - it hints at very existential, critically theoretical ideas about the self, identity, the universe. People and things are all connected, we are all just dumb little finger puppets of a singular almighty existence that we don't even know is there. And I will admit that I was transfixed for a majority of this story, because I love love LOVE weird, dystopian, culty stories reminiscent of Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. But the climax fizzled out and I didn't get the answers I needed to feel satisfied. And the ending left me wondering what the point of all of it was.

I say these things like it's a negative thing but I find myself thinking about this book constantly after finishing, trying to put the pieces together. And that's the point of stories I guess - to linger with you. So I guess it did its job.

Thank you to netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. I could not get into the surreal style of writing and I found the whole atmosphere and storyline very odd. It took way too long for anything thrilling or interesting to happen. The ending was a big let down. The premise is very cool but I just did not enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Custom House for allowing me to read and review this book. I will publish this review to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page, @thatreadingrealtor, by tomorrow.

Catherine House was The Secret History meets The Stepford Wives, with a little bit of Us (Jordan Peele's recent movie) thrown in. I've only been able to describe this as weird. It's weird, but kind of fun. Kind of.

Ines is a college freshman running from her past. Surprisingly, she's accepted into Catherine House, a secluded and isolated college where everything is paid for - tuition, room and board, clothes, books. The students aren't paying money for their education, but the school gets payment in other ways. Although Ines is usually drunk, sleeping, or engaging in a lot of sex with a lot of people (nothing graphic in this novel though), she's also determined to figure out what in the world this school is up to.

This novel is written almost like a dream. It's fuzzy, the dialogue is strange, and nothing seems like it's quite real. I'm still not sure what was going on in that school and I guess that was the point. This book has left me with a lot of unresolved feelings and I can't even say if I liked it or not. I'm glad I read it and I feel like I just emerged from the rabbit hole back into real life. So if you want to be steeped in an alternate reality, this book might be for you!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a good starting point to explain how I felt about this book. My order of selection is usually as follows: the book covers pique my interest, the title makes me pick up the book, and the plot summary seals the deal. I chose Catherine House for its covers’ beautiful color combination - the blue and pink swirling on the gate. The title was intriguing enough and the plot summarized a “gothic-infused debut of literary suspense.” SOLD. I’m here thinking I’m about to get a Wuthering Heights meets The Circle hybrid but I was so wrong. Instead, I got a Stranger Things (adult version) and Midsommar (even more adult version) slow-combo acid trip - and it was a bad, bad trip. There were so many questions left unanswered and so many background plots I cared more about that weren’t explained. It was a drag to get through - 10 days for 300 pages, come on - and it left me feeling nothing when it ended. Not even happy it was finally done because there was no satisfying beginning, middle, or end; just an endless nightmare inside a flighty girl’s head.

I have to make a comment about the summary, too, because it’s so misleading.
“Deliciously steamy”: Change to Bacchanalian. Ines is terrible.
“Suspenseful page-turner”: Wrong. I was stopping every 15-20 pages because it didn’t move until the last two chapters. I read to finish reading because Ines is a terrible character.
“Shocking twists”: Nope. Zero reaction because I think by the time the twist shows up, I already knew what it was, I didn’t care, and Ines is terrible.
“Sharp edges sure to leave readers breathless”: Breathless from dying of boredom because Ines is a terrible character.

Honestly would not recommend. Thanks for the advanced read, NetGalley.

This story pulls readers in with its many dark corners, hints of sinister plots, and the back stories of the characters that are slowly revealed in bits and pieces, but never completely told. Just as the students at Catherine House are unable to leave once they enter the gates, we are unable to put the book down until we uncover the truth. What is going on in this shabby, once grand mansion? Why are the students committed to a three-year course with no outside contact? What is plasm and what sort of experiments were once conducted with it at the House?

And who is Ines, this girl that show us Catherine House through her eyes? At first glance she seems like the others at the school; they are all desperate to get in and leave their pasts behind. As Yaya points out, "But it's not despite these secrets that Catherine chose us, it's because of them." Moody. Mysterious. Capable of hiding things. Those words could be true of Ines or the house itself. Until you reach the end of the book you will not know if you have discovered all the secrets or not.

If you enjoy atmospheric suspense with convoluted relationships and rich details, then pick up a copy of Catherine House when it comes out in May. You'll want to read it before it makes the jump to television (currently in development).

In this novel, students with traumatic pasts are nurtured, encouraged, and, if they challenge the school, experimented on. Set in an alternate reality in which Catherine House is a mysterious and exclusive North American college, turning out brilliant graduates, Ines is a depressed student who begins looking into the institution's most famous research, on a material called plasm. Said to heal, mend physical objects, and serve as a conduit between all existing things, plasm is used by Catherine House to make students content and hard-working, but as Ines discovers, those doing research on the substance are implicated in more dangerous applications. A nice SFF thriller with a hefty dose of college-novel-conspiracy added in, this book should appeal to readers of Donna Tartt, Marisha Pessl, and similar writers.

This is a school it is dangerous to enroll in...what a wonderfully delicious, Gothic premise. Alas, the characters never quite caught fire for me: it felt like a truly enticing set-up never quite reaching its full potential....

Catherine House is a modern gothic with a whole melancholic mood. Dark and mysterious, Elisabeth Thomas lures us deeper into the titular school with each chapter.

Our protagonist, Ines, introspective and restless in her new adulthood, explores what it means to belong with/to an institution. At Catherine, there is the day that you matriculate, and then there is the “coming in,” the day your institutionalization really begins. It’s a quiet, dreadful terror to watch Ines gradually become seduced, then trapped, and not just in the sense that the college is deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania. By the end, Ines is lured into wanting to stay within Catherine House, and maybe even wanting to be Catherine House. I thought this was a clever take on setting-as-character and a well-deserved roast of higher education at the same time.

As a research school, Catherine House earned its lore through unethical experimentation with “plasma,” an intangible thing that exists within and between all things. Whatever plasma really is, the administration figured out a way to weaponize and pervert interconnectedness—a concept usually relegated to enlightenment and human dignity. At Catherine, interconnectedness is used to inculcate attachment. Ines, too, tires of resistance and lets herself fall in love with a place that dehumanizes her.

For lovers of art history, the works of abstract expressionist, some say minimalist, Agnes Martin show up: Martin’s early works are landscapes and later works are muted repetitious patterns, loosely mirroring Ines’ college experience of getting the lay of the land, then grinding away with her coursework through the days, weeks, seasons, then years. Watching Ines take in one of Martin's works, we get the sense that for all the toil and labor, what's most unsettling is that which is left unsaid. The dark magnetism of Catherine House will draw you in.

I went through quite a few emotions while reading this but the one feeling that stay consistent was confusion. I just finished it and am so confused and honestly a little frustrated that I read the whole thing, hoping for something that made any kind of sense.

I love boarding house books- and when this book began I got a "Down a Dark Hall" vibe- my favorite book by Lois Duncan. The house was spooky, each person in the house seemed to have a certain talent and they referred to the house as if it was alive. I was intrigued.

But then a bunch of weird details were thrown in, I guess just because. I thought I'd get some answer at the end but came up blank. This was supposed to be a very strict school that strips you of your past but one of the students would wear new clothing items every day that she took from the daily shipments?? Why do they have days of only desserts? Why are all of the students plied with alcohol day and night?

After I realized this wasn't an updated version of Down a Dark Hall, I really got a connection to the book The Ruins by Scott Smith. The island comes alive- well they kept referring to the house "I am the house" chants... Ok, so I never got any answers about that either. And the chant wasn't spooky or believable. It was just weird.

Then we find out the main character (i don't even remember her name) has a sordid past - insert Alex Stern from Ninth House. But Alex is a badass and What's her name is clearly damaged and full of bad decisions but not really all that clever or brave. She is sexually fluid, which made me think a little of Wilder Girls by Rory Power... Sigh I didn't find a lot of individuality.

The parts that didn't remind me of other books were just confusing. Lots of details that never seemed to matter. No real explanation for ANY OF IT.

I hate being negative about books- I think authors are magical and doing something that I can never do which is write a novel! But in this case, this book did not work in any way for me.

Thank you #netgalley and #randonhouse for the complimentary ARC of #catherinehouse for an unbiased review.

What a phenomenal debut! I really loved the voice— spare and poignant, sharp and ruthless. I loved discovering the mystery of Catherine House, learning the secrets behind all those silk wallpapered walls. Will absolutely recommend to everyone!

Catherine House is a gorgeous, frightening and unexpectedly lush treat. Elizabeth Thomas writes with a prose that settles around her story like fog, never quite revealing itself, even at the end. I was never exactly sure where the story was going (and, having finished the book, I'm still not sure and thusly hoping for a continuation in a second book), but it was ominous and chilling getting there.

Beautifully written and haunting, but ultimately felt empty. The protagonist was intensely frustrating and the other characters were never fleshed out beyond vague sketches. The eventual reveal was expected, but unsatisfying; we, along with Ines, never do understand what plasma is, making the entire concept feel somewhat pointless.

When Madeleine L'Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time the novel was intended for adults, but it was instead published as a book for children. I think that's the misstep with Catherine House. This reads as a YA novel, not a work of fiction for adults . . . adults may not be willing to accept the concept of plasma as it lacks any developed scientific analysis. A teenage audience will relate to Ines and her lack of direction, her dalliances, and her desire to discover the secrets of Catherine.
Additionally, I see parallels between IT in AWiT and Viktoria, the head of Catherine House . . . the concept of control runs deep into the plot of this story. Ines can even be seen as a corrupted Meg Murry, a girl looking for her place in the world. Each year of schooling is comparable to each the different planets Meg visits . . . I could go on, but I'm not submitting this paper for a grade.
There are elegant descriptions of the setting and the author's appreciation for art is exceptionally woven into the story, but I wonder what that metaphor is truly aiming to explain?

📓Catherine House📓
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Background: Trust us, you belong here. Catherine House is an elite and prestigious school unlike no other. It’s produced some of the world’s most influential people. Once in, students are required to give 3 years to the house, including summers secluded from the outside world. Enter Ines, a rebellious undergraduate student who can’t stop looking for answers. She’s hoping to uncover the secrets and dark truths about Catherine House. .
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Why I thought it was ok: I was disappointed by this novel. When I saw it on Netgalley I instantly LOVED the cover. Then reading the description drew me in further. Unfortunately, this book failed me. The writing was very choppy for me. There were intentional breaks and jumps in time. Maybe that was purposeful by the author with some of the themes in the novel but it didn’t read well. Not all the dots connected in the story....it was like little holes were left open. There was also a serious lack of character development for me. A small bomb would be dropped about a character and then the book would continue like nothing happened. I was left with more questions about the characters than answers. To top it off the ending was even more lack luster. This book definitely has potential and could be really interesting...it just needs a lot more work. .
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Has anyone else read this?! Did you feel the same as me?
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Available May 12, 2020 .
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Rating: 2.5/5⭐️
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Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and @netgalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars. I think that the writing in this book is quite lovely, and Elisabeth Thomas manages to, as others note, weave in an intense claustrophobic feeling to the story. I do find stories about private schools/exclusive places/etc quite intriguing, but some parts of this story fell a bit more flat than I would have liked; or rather, did not feel quite as satisfactory as they began. This is not to say it is not worth trying out as a book, it has quite an intriguing premise and tasteful prose, but it was not as thriller-like as I was initially expecting.

I do see how this book could be perfect for some, though!

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

Reminiscent of fellow Yalie Leah Bardugo's Ninth House, this is a claustrophobic take of the ease with which we can get ourselves lost.

I am a great lover of stories about exclusive private schools, and when insidious conspiracies are thrown in the mix, out comes what is perhaps my absolute favorite fictional genre. As result, CATHERINE HOUSE was a book I was nearly giddy to read because it promised everything I loved – a strong female protagonist, an elite college, and a mystery with a potential conspiracy and/or culty twist.

…and honestly, I was a little disappointed. There is so much potential here – there is this huge, fascinating world of Catherine House that Elisabeth Thomas has created, but then the readers step into the shoes of Ines, the novel’s protagonist, who is very clearly dealing with trauma that happened before the events of the book begin. I understand these events are crucial to her character, but I think the result hurts what is ultimately the main draw of the story – the world-building of Catherine House.

Once excited to apply to the uber-exclusive college, Ines arrives at Catherine House un-motivated and listless and spends her days in isolation. We don’t get a sense of what the school is like. We hardly meet any other characters other than her roommate. I kept wanting to take control of Ines and drive a bit – almost like a video game – so that I could explore Catherine House on my own. What are the classes like? What are the people like? Who are all the other students? How do things work? There was so much I wanted to know, but having such a reluctant, sleepy narrator meant the story felt reluctant and sleepy as well. As the story continues, Ines does emerge from her room to make friends, but the haze of isolation simply shifts to a haze of hedonism, and once again, we can't *see* anything.

I understand that choosing to forgo exposition is a narrative choice for authors, but I think this story could have used more of that in the beginning. Hiding what happens to Ines before she comes to Catherine House is fine, but then using the trauma as a block to keep the reader from fully immersing in the story was frustrating for me. The same criticism would come for the style of story-telling – the writing itself is good. Thomas has a lovely way with her prose, and she does evoke a very dream-like state. But the subject matter just didn’t match the writing style. If an author is going to pitch the reader a thriller/conspiracy theory mystery, there are expectations those readers are going to have. Subverting expectations can be a great thing when done correctly, but I think in this case, it may be what is frustrating readers as they didn’t get the book they were promised. The more I think about it, the more I think this might be a much better story to be shown on screen as a movie rather than written about – it would amp up the creepy/drugged out feeling and potentially give that thriller/isolated vibe that the author was going for.

(I do need to be fully candid here – I started CATHERINE HOUSE directly after finishing THE NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo which has a very similar premise - an exclusive school with a secret conspiracy and a traumatized heroine who uncovers it all. It’s hard to not compare the two directly, but the difference was remarkable to me. THE NINTH HOUSE was clear and almost brutal in the detail – like a kick in the teeth where started to feel a bit like an addict chasing the high of the story, whereas CATHERINE HOUSE felt like a dream – like the narrator was viewing everything through a cloudy piece of glass and we, as readers, had to keep straining to see what was happening.)

(SPOILERS BEGIN HERE) When some of the explanations do come, I felt like I needed a PhD to understand them. The onslaught of technical jargon and scientific theory used to explain the ultimate mystery of plasm felt alien in the middle of such beautiful prose, and I had to reread these passages several times trying to make sense of what the heck they were trying to say before giving up, reducing it to a base, unsophisticated concept in my mind (SPOILER SPOILER: using objects as batteries to turn humans into emotionless, , dull-witted, clumsy versions of themselves that live forever? though I guess they're trying to make the concept better...), and moving on with the story understanding that I guess that was creepy but if both humans in the project volunteered to do it because they believed in the work....then who cares? (Although, I guess there was also weird mental experimenting going on too with the group sessions and the drugged cookies... and honestly, if there was a bigger reason for that other than making people REALLY like Catherine House and maybe become a volunteer for the study at some point, I couldn't dig it out. And I have a degree in English lol)

The story finally started to pull me in when I was roughly 80% finished. It’s when Ines finally starts to investigate what is actually going on in Catherine House, and at that point, a sense of dread does start to build. I wish she’d started this investigation earlier though. The stakes are way higher if she discovers the innate wrongness of a place in the first year (of three) of being trapped in the middle of nowhere, and the story becomes her constant fight against the brainwashing for the next few years versus in the very last few months of her journey (that was predominantly dominated by her hedonism and nonchalance). (SPOILERS END HERE)

Ines herself expresses my overall feelings best around midpoint of the novel, when she asks another student to explain what plasm (the school’s most matter-melding magical mystery) is, and receives only a vague, dreamy answer in reply. “Suddenly I was angry. Just tell me the fucking truth, I wanted to say. Use actual words.” But this blaze of emotion is short lived, and the scene ends with Ines acting out a mini war between tiny toy elephants on the floor in an unused fourth-floor bedroom.

I am so conflicted about this book. The concept and parts of the story really interested me. Unfortunately most parts dragged and I found myself skimming over sections. This is classified as a suspense/thriller but it never actually got suspenseful. All the ground work was laid out but nothing happened, and the ending ... well I threw my kindle down and walked away from it.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas 4/5 ⭐️ - Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins publishers for a copy of this book due out in May! Like a mash up of Harry Potter and The Matrix, this is a dark and twisted dystopian novel set in a secluded Ivy League-like school, where the students are constantly drunk and eating possibly poisoned desserts, tortured by how they’ll never be good enough and wondering what’s the point of their empty lives. I loved all the texture Thomas’s descriptions inserted into the narrative. I am all about a lush velvet chair. 🙌🏻 The house and the grounds were positively palpable. In a way the winding, unresolved, and introspective format makes you feel as if you’re constantly reaching for something, but can never quite grasp it. Whatever “it” is, turns out to be hollow and barren. But unlike a story where you feel the plot and purpose to be empty too, this seems to be the entire point here. Much like real life, it is what you make it. Nothing will magically fill you up. You have to find your own purpose. #rachels2020readinglist #CatherineHouse #netgalley