A very different type of haunted house book. The story was told from the past to present. I really enjoy books written this way because it is nice to know the back story as the new story progresses. This book was not terribly spooky just had a creeping dread to it. Once you discover all the secrets to the house, the reader is quite glad to not live in a place such as this. This book was fast paced and I will recommend it to others.

Button House has stood for generations, digging its roots and its rot deeper and deeper. Button House would consume all who approached: And then came Rose Billings. Rose can hear the house. But is the house truly haunted? Of course the house is haunted.

In such a small amount of pages, Barzak manages to tell such a big story. Reminiscent of a Poe reading, this one is told in a poetic and story telling way, like someone is giving you a history of the house for a documentary. Having the POV be from the townsfolk was a genius way of writing. It is captivating, drawing you right in and leaving chills running up and down your spine. The pacing is quick, never leaving you a dull moment in this uniquely captivating read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Psychopomp and Christopher Barzak for an advanced copy for review. A Voice Calling is available now.

This is an effective Gothic novella tinged with the horror of a generational curse. The story itself doesn't totally keep the promise of the description, but that is very much down to individual reader expectations. I like it.

This haunted house novella had potential, but ultimately only scratched the surface on a number of haunted house tropes. The style of writing had me distracted from the plot, and the “group” narrator didn’t serve this story well. Many incidents were described in but only a paragraph- and then another interaction was an entire chapter.
One of my favorite parts of reading horror is how anticipation and dread is built up- and this didn't have that.
This is a very quick read, so if you are just joining the horror genre and don't like to get scared, this would be a good starting point.
Thank you to NetGalley and Psychopomp for my ebook arc.

In my experience, it's generally difficult to find haunted house stories that break any new ground as far as haunted house stories go. While I wouldn't say A Voice Calling is a revolutionary piece within the haunted house subgenre, the novella is a good read overall. The narrative voice is strongly rooted in the author's Midwestern background, the setting in World War II helps ground the story, and the history of multiple families living in and being haunted by Button House over time makes A Voice Calling more layered than its counterparts. I also found the reading experience as a whole to be pretty smooth; I was turning pages fairly quickly, not turning back to prior pages to review info very often, and I only found myself slowing down during especially tense moments.

Perhaps most importantly, as the story's events are viewed from the perspective of outsiders (several residents of the rural town), the narrative nicely reflects on how people in such settings feel (or fail to feel) communal responsibility and look out for each other. Other reviewers seem divided on the narrative voice, with some objecting that it's not clear who exactly is telling the story or that there's too much distance between the narrator(s) and the events. Personally, I found the narrative voice added substance to the story, and the question of who is speaking is hinted at well enough and then resolved cleanly in the final act.

I imagine some readers might also object to the length of the story (lots of readers seem to prefer novels to shorter fiction!) and having to keep track of all these different family histories bundled into one house. On the first point, I feel the story is roughly the length it needs to be; backstory is supplied where needed, and not too many pages are spent on past Button House families who don't figure prominently into the plot. The histories of those who've lived in and visited the haunted house sometimes gave me a lot of names and info to keep track of, but I thought Barzak presented all of this info well; the story put my brain to work but didn't give me information overload. I dare say a certain amount of complexity in literature is a good thing!

I do have a few criticisms, though the issues I identified in the story didn't ruin the reading experience for me, far from it.




NOTE: PLOT SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD




Odd as it seems to say this, the setup for the fate of Bernadette made me think her story would end in a really ghastly, shocking event, but her actual demise feels like a fairly standard tragedy and falls flat somewhat.

The button motif is interesting given the story's characterization and historical context, but I was unsatisfied with how this was worked into the ending. Once the ghost of Bernadette (who worked at a button factory) has done what she set out to do, and the evil/haunted orchard and house are burned down, the fact that perfectly intact buttons continue to be found in the ashes of the house is somewhat bizarre. The buttons seem to be a manifestation of Bernadette haunting the house, yet the house is burned down and Bernadette accomplished what she needed to. If there's one cross-cultural consistency in the lore surrounding ghosts, it's that their spirits stick around only because of something unfinished or unresolved in their former life.

Again, some relatively minor objections aside, I liked A Voice Calling better than the average haunted house story. I imagine enthusiasts for the subgenre will be pleased with the overall arch of the story while finding some refreshing elements in it.

As to be expected with a novella, this was fast-paced and ultimately formed a compelling addition to the haunted house genre.
With just a hundred pages, I did struggle to connect as wholly as I would have liked, particularly as it felt like there could have been a lot more exploration into the history - that might have really ramped up the tension and overall satisfaction of this read.
A really unique method of story-telling, and I’d be interested to read more from this author. Overall a 3.5 star read from me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was okay. I wouldn't add it to my favorite horror books for sure but it was enjoyable. The perspective and way the narrator told the story was a bit off. I had a hard time getting into the story. I think if the book was longer, I would have disliked the book but the length it was was good in my opinion.

The description of this book made the story seem much more sinister and frightening than it was. I found myself wanting much more about the house itself and the haunting. In the description, Rose is the main focus but in actuality the story is more about the history of owners and the tragedies that took place.

A very different type of haunted house book. The story was told from the past to present. I really enjoy books written this way because it is nice to know the back story as the new story progresses. This book was not terribly spooky just had a creeping dread to it. Once you discover all the secrets to the house, the reader is quite glad to not live in a place such as this. This book was fast paced and I will recommend it to others.

This was a really fun read. It felt new and refreshing instead of tired and stale. The perspective definitely helped the haunting feeling of the story. While the subject matter wasn’t fun at all, it was an easy read.

"A Voice Calling" is the perfect novella for a gloomy afternoon read. The story is told from a collective voice (that I think is the townsfolk but maybe not) that reads like a classical Greek chorus, and I loved that. The story starts with a standard, creepy haunted house, but the story develops into a dark tale of generational trauma and misogyny. This story was excellent!

A Voice Calling offers an intriguing premise and beautifully crafted prose, and the author skillfully weaves a tale of mystery and self-discovery. While the narrative is engaging, I personally found the pacing a bit slow, it took me a while to fully appreciate the depth of the characters and the plot but once I did, I could not stop reading.

This was a solid read for those who enjoy reflective and atmospheric storytelling and haunted houses. Can't wait to read new things from this author! Also, can't help but imagine this being adapted by Mike Flanagan, it would be so good!

While I wouldn’t describe this book as horror, I did enjoy it. The way it is written is new to me and it feels more like a story being told around a campfire as a “spooky” story. There’s not a whole lot of dialogue, so I didn’t get pulled into the story.


Thank you to @netgalley and Pyschopomp for this Arc!

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

But is the house truly haunted?
Of course the house is haunted.

And of course I’m right here, reading along, trying to uncover the secrets of Button House.
I honestly think Christopher Barzak’s A Voice Calling could be seen as an exercise in narrators and the huge part they play in a novel.
The narrator of A Voice Calling is an invisible but palpable “we”, the point of view of a town forced to live next to a haunted house. Because it is haunted, they are completely sure. So what this “we” does, what they tell the reader, is a compilation of every little piece of information and gossip they have, every twist and every turn, so that they can prove it to those who are still suspicious of something supernatural happening in there.
And they (this “we”) tells it as if they were having a tea party with you, very delicately, with intricate descriptions and moments that may not be entirely true, because this “we” was never really there, were they? But they are so very confident in what they say that it is impossible not to listen to them and nod. And maybe, just maybe, they are the voice that is calling, nothing supernatural at all, but just a nameless, faceless entity that needs to share what they know. So that nobody forgets.

A well written and interesting story. Too bad there wasn't more explanation. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Novellas aren’t a commonly used form, but they can be very effective when done well. It’s said that they’re hard to publish and market, but I like them.

I didn’t realize that A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak was a novella until I started reading it tonight. That was fine by me, though, and allowed me to read the whole thing in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. It’s not a long book, but it is a rather good one.

A Voice Calling is a haunted house story, but it’s not the typical type. Instead, we have a narrative that is told from the perspective of a town, as opposed to any other way. This is unique, and separates the reader from the action, as “We” replaces “I” or “They.” It allows for multiple time periods to be described and gone over, though, and works quite well.

That said: if you are looking for something scary, this isn’t it.

This is the tale of the aptly titled Button House, in rural Ohio. Situated not far from the border with Pennsylvania, it was built by an unnamed family but most recently served as a home for a button manufacturer and his heirs.

Of course, we quickly learn that something is wrong with this house; particularly its bathroom, where the letter ‘B’ is sometimes found written on the steamy mirror, and red curls are occasionally found in the sink. Its latest resident — a girl from town named Rose — says she can hear what haunts this home, and listens instead of speaking.

Over the course of its 100+ pages, we are told about Button House’s history and its previous residents’ outcomes. That’s the last I’ll say about the plot, to avoid spoiling anything.

This is a rather well written book, which surprised me at times. I admittedly didn’t love the first half of it, but I also didn’t dislike it. The second half hooked me, though, and I especially enjoyed learning more about the button factory. As a whole, I found it to be a good book, and my overall opinion obviously improved after the halfway point (or thereabouts).

Don’t check out A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak if you want a more typical, or simply scary, haunted house story. Do check it out if you’re in the mood for a bit of a different take on the formula, and are open to something short. This is a good tale, and I recommend it.

We received an advanced digital copy from NetGalley and the book’s publisher. Receiving a free copy did not sway our opinion.

This book is strangely written and that's the best way I can describe it.. I absolutely loved it!! It sucked me in and I couldn't put it down.

A deep and dark tale of a haunted house (and orchard) that twists its way into the lives of every family that inhabits it through the years. I love how this is also a story of a community, and how the house and the fate of the people touched by the house, becomes a communal tragedy of sorts. Barzak gives this story a mournful, elegiac, and almost choral tone, as if we're listening to a gathering of voices as they bear witness to the menace and unraveling of the darkness in the house. Gorgeously wrought, and profoundly moving, horror.

A haunted house... Button House, it came from nowhere and to nowhere must it return. Horrible things have been happening in that house with murders happening and murderers being born.. and now the town must find a way to protect itself. This one wasn't what I was expecting. I adore haunted house stories and this one definitely was so different from what I had anticipated. The perspective is a little bit odd and the story itself didn't feel as spooky or as enticing as I had hoped. I normally really love spooky stories but this one kind of felt unmemorable for me. If you like unique haunted house stories give it a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Psychopomp for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I love a scary haunted house story but unfortunately this novella did not meet my ghoulish expectations. Perhaps I read too many Edgar Allen Poe books in my youth.