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.

✨ About the Book ✨

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

Button House has stood for generations, digging its roots and its rot deeper and deeper. Button House would consume all who approached: twin brothers, a child bride, an innocent baby, four young factory workers.

And then came Rose Billings, who had an affinity with the house no other did. Rose, who could hear the house and the pleas of its many ghosts. Rose, who would attempt to solve the mysteries of Button House, or die trying.

Author: Christopher Barzak
Release Date: March 19, 2024 by Psychopomp
Genre: Gothic horror, novella
Pages: 100 pages, Paperback
Star Rating: 3.6 /5


📚 How I See it 📚

Gothic horror is my favourite genre to read, so this book was right up my alley. With only 100 pages, I read this in one sitting, at the spa. Why not enjoy the sauna while immersing yourself in some creepy vibes.

What I really liked about this book is that it does not try to scare you, but you will definitely be creeped out.

The story is short and reads in a flash - however there is not a single dull moment. I enjoyed how you get a history of the house itself as well as those who have lived in. It made me think of when we say “if these walls could talk”.

The narration is done through the eyes of townspeople in a singular voice which I found at the time interesting, creepy as well as a little irritating.

Overall a captivating and creepy take on the haunted house trope. Really enjoyed it.


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Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own thoughts

A Voice Calling is a fun and short story about a haunted house, which I always love and enjoy!
The atmosphere here was immaculate and I rushed through it. In my opinion this could’ve been a bit longer because the ending felt a little rushed.

"A Voice Calling" is a gothic novella for readers who crave a classic haunted house story that mirrors some of the classics that rely on narration and atmosphere to create the perfect amount of creepy vibes. The story is told from multiple POV's with short chapters that unwind the history of the Button House. Great for readers who want a short read with a little bit of built in mystery to unravel. I would recommend this story for a spooky season read and for a book group to discuss.

The Button house came out of nowhere and to nowhere is where it needs to go again. Horrible things have happened in the house that sits in the middle of an orchard. One family murdered, another turning murderer. And now, one from the town stuck in the grasp of the house, enamoured with it, Rose, who has always been susceptible to touches from the other realm, won't leave the house alone, even with her mother begging, even after her daughter died inside the house.
And at some point, a town has to protect their own.

It took me a moment to get into this one. The perspective is a little odd, the narrator a "we" that is never further defined than to the town, the time shifting between decades once quickly, then sticking with one for a long time. Some things felt a bit out of place, but fit into the greater picture again at the end.
It is a short, somewhat enjoyable supernatural thriller with some interesting pointers, and somehow the characters manage to not fall flat, despite the short time they have to present themselves.

This was well-written and captivating! I imagine some readers may find it difficult to become invested as the story of Button House and its hauntings are told from the perspective of the townspeople in the area however I found this to be a unique way of story-telling that I haven't experienced before and greatly enjoyed.

I can see myself re-reading this novel in a few years :)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this novel in return for my honest review!

I didn’t realize this was a novella, but it was a solid haunted house story, told through many voices, which I liked. I loved the gothic vibes! This read is perfect for fall or around Halloween. It was creepy, and eerie, and I would recommend to fans of Horror, or anyone that enjoys a good haunted house trope.

Thank you NetGalley and Psychopomp for the ARC!

★ ★ ★ ★ //5

A Voice Calling
by: Christopher Barzak

Yes! This book was IT for me. I am a sucker for a good haunted house book. This book was a fast read for me and it moved along quickly, but not too quickly to where I had to stop and go back to remember what happened. This book gave me all the eerie, creepy gothic setting vibes that I love in this type of read and I love the multiple POV that this book is written with. This book is def a must have/must read if you enjoy haunted house & spooky gothic vibes! I would recommend this to my spooky book friends 100%

"Is the house truly haunted?
Of course the house is haunted."

I felt that this was a refreshing take on the haunted house trope, creating a creepy atmosphere while beautifully writing about a house that has plagued a town for a very long time.

Told from the perspective of a town that has all but rejected this evil house, come to be known as Button House, while maintaining a healthy level of nosiness
-or curiosity - on all things concerning the house, we learn of it's dark history and how it has affected those who've resided inside.

Its most recent inhabitant is Rose Billings, a young woman from the town who heard voices of the house calling to her and couldn't resist. Will she be able to solve the mysteries of the house, or will she die trying?

I really enjoyed the style of this novella! Though classified as a horror story, I wouldn't say it was particular scary. I got more of a gothic, supernatural vibe from this novella. Being a very quick read at around 100 pages, I think it's worth taking the time to read a new take on a haunted house.

Thank you NetGalley and Psychopomp for the ARC!

"A Voice Calling" Drew me in with it's cover and synopsis. I love a good haunted house story, but I didn't feel particularly drawn in or compelled by this particular book. I wasn't terribly sure who's voice it was in as it jumped around in time but the tone remained consistent. It reads more like someone's historical recounting of a house/events at the house instead of being a story or narrative itself. I think the textbook-like tone maybe didn't work for me.

It's certainly different and a unique take on the trope and I'm certain it has an audience. I just didn't fall into the target for this one. But, certainly try it out. You may love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Psychopomp for the opportunity to read and review A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak.

This a novella that actually has a lot of "story" packed into it for such a short book. Can houses be haunted? To find out you will need to follow the generations of families, and the stories they have to tell, that have called Button House their home. Lots of twisted and mysterious disappearances surround the history of Button House. The narrator takes us through several family's experiences of living in the house and how it affected their lives.

I enjoyed very much the narratives of the characters that lived in or peripherally around the Button House. To me A Voice Calling was a little soft on the horror and I would have enjoyed a bit more of that genre. Definite haunted house vibes with characters that may or may not have been influenced by the house to do very sketchy things. A Voice Calling will be released in March of 2024.

Drawn in – funnily enough – by the name of the house in the book: Button House. That is the name of the house in BBCs “Ghosts”, a show I absolutely adore. This story, however, did not draw me in and I remember absolutely nothing from it.

I’m sure it has its audience but not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I found ‘A Voice Calling’ interesting and it was a good read. Very scary 👻 I would highly recommend it to horror fans.
Rating 5 Stars

This book is like a 3rd person book where it talks about what happened in this house that is really haunted. And you follow Rose in modern day there is a storm and she goes to the what they call the ‘Button House.’
Her mother is freaked out because she asks her why she even goes there the house is really haunted. Rose has been interested in the house and you basically go through her living there an the creepy sounds she hears. You find out later about all the murders the house has been through and the murderer, very scary. This is a great book for horror fans, thank you for giving me this book to review! 5 STARS.

As someone who likes to read horror type books every so often, I was excited to see this one about a haunted house. Overall the book is short and a quick read. The story whole interesting felt like I could not invest myself in any one character. Just felt like too much happening in too short of a book. Overall decent read if you need something short!

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Of course the house is haunted.”
📚
Button House and its surrounding apple orchard have stood for so many generations that its builders and original inhabitants have been lost to history. The subject of much speculation, lore, and legend and a location rife with horrific violence and tragedy, the locale is best known for playing host to numerous deaths, disappearances, murders, and suicides. It is a haunted, deeply rooted place that consumes its occupants: the first forgotten residents (referred to as “the Blanks”), followed by the Olivers, and finally the Addlesons.

And when young Rose Billings — a local girl with otherworldly intuition — feels inexplicably drawn to the abode and quickly marries into the Addleson family, the community must decide whether it will sit by and lose another of its ilk, or whether it will attempt to intervene. Because Rose can hear both the house and its ghosts, and she’s determined to stay until she solves these mysteries, or perishes in the pursuit.

This macabre novella immediately captivates, calmly moving through years as it recounts dark, sinister, and twisted generational tales. The unique point of view (collective townspeople rather than any one individual) adds a wonderful sense of atmosphere, bolstering the creep and shock factor that comes with the “house as character” element. It’s a disturbing, binge-worthy story that packs a wallop in only 100 pages and contains ample material to expand into a full-length novel.

As I read A Voice Calling, Michael McDowell’s Southern Gothic masterpiece, Blackwater, came to mind, as this novella provides a similar, albeit it substantially condensed, experience: the reader is lulled by and ensconced in the fascinating world of Button House, a comforting conveyance of life over time — lives varied yet entwined and littered with gruesome acts and unsettling moments. Almost hypnotic in its smooth writing and seamless construction, it produces an ideal paradox that both satisfies and leaves the reader wanting more, a chronicle perfectly designed to linger and haunt.

Thank you to NetGalley and Psychopomp for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The tale itself is intriguing and I’m always a sucker for a haunted house or ghost story. There are some hiccups however.

The story is written as a collective of townspeople in a singular voice. Traipsing different timelines, this is a telling of different families who inhabit a house that seems to condemn all who live there. I appreciated elements of the story but I found the particular manner in which it was written difficult to immerse myself in. It was a struggle at times with pages of a story that felt like filler rather than beneficial storyline.

Needless to say, this wasn’t one of my favorite reads in novella form unfortunately.

Just when you thought all that could be done with the haunted domicile of some sort scenario had been done, comes Barzak’s novella and shows you that even all-too-familiar themes can excite and engage if done right.
My favorite thing about this story was the writing. So lovely, so lyrical, it draws you into the tale, the place, the time. For those who like me enjoy their scares literary and their literature scary, this fit the bill just right.
Is the place haunted? You bet. But the best part is, the story itself is haunting. You won’t want to put it down, and at just 100 pages, you won’t have to. Recommended for genre fans of discriminating tastes. Thanks Netgalley.

A Voice Calling is a new take on a haunted house story.

This novella is told through the eyes of the townspeople and their observations on the strange family that lives in Button House.

I thought the pacing was extremely well done, and it had just the right amount of creepy! I just wish there was a little more history of the orchard and the part it played!

Atmospheric and unsettling, this definitely left me craving more!!

A ghost story spanning decades, A Voice Calling has an old-timey, gothic feel to it. Solid read for those wanting a classic haunted house tale.