Interesting concept for this initially atmospheric southern gothic novel, but for me the book rather outstayed its welcome. The core theme of racism is handled broadly well, and gave me a few things to think about in terms of how different communities interact within a larger community, but that wasn’t enough to hold my attention. Ultimately the ghost element isn’t chilling, and the reveals are telegraphed so obviously I was left frustrated that the main characters couldn’t get there quicker. There are endless cycles of ‘conflict, minor revelation, family say and do horrible things, Jemma stays anyway” and I just wasn’t convinced. Disappointing, i felt this had great promise

This is a good gothic debut, I enjoyed it. Jemma is living in Chicago in 1962 when her life starts to unravel. She moves out of her boyfriend's flat after catching him cheating and loses her job as a teacher. While bunking with her friend, she receives a job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans which she accepts. On arrival she realises that the family is very odd and the real reason they offered her a job is that the house and its inhabitants are under a curse and they want her to break it. None of them have been able to leave the property in over 20 years. She's told lies upon lies but slowly starts to find the truth. Jemma is a strong character and the Duchons are quite creepy! Some very interesting twists along the way. All in all well worth reading.
Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Joseph | Penguin Random House UK, and Del Sandeen for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this one sounded really good, so I was delighted to be invited to read an ARC. Sadly, though, this one fell flat for me.

The year is 1962, and here we follow Jemma Barker, a woman in her late twenties who is desperate to start a new life. So when an exciting and well-paying job opportunity arises in New Orleans, she grabs at it with both hands. But Jemma soon finds out that somethings are too good to be true when she arrives at the Duchon family home, a creepy plantation whose inhabitants never leave. But why?

Curses, ghosts, generational trauma…
This could have been an exciting new contribution to the Southern Gothic, but for me, it missed the mark. The setting was fabulous—an old plantation-style house in New Orleans—but I didn’t feel any sense of atmosphere. This is also true of the house. I felt like the property could and should have been a sort of character in itself but was rather neglected in terms of description, which was a great disappointment when the entire novel basically took place inside it. This text could have been ultra spooky and atmospheric had a little more gone into description and the building of tension.

Overall, though, the main plot was slow moving but interesting enough. The highlight of the entire text is how Sandeen uses the Gothic to critique and comment on race, slavery, and gender. Her look into racial injustice and prejudice is emotional and important.

Thank you to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for allowing me to read this early in exchange for my honest thoughts.

There's a lot of crazy in this house, not least the family who live there.
Lived there, and are cursed to remain and die there.
The story takes a few unexpected turns, some nice surprises.
I liked our main character Jemma, with her ability to see ghosts, and a past to reveal to us all.
Enjoyable stuff.

September 1962

Jemma Barker is travelling south from Chicago, it’s a long journey and she’s in train carriage marked ‘Colored’. She’s taking a position as a tutor with the eminent Duchon family in New Orleans, the salary is a generous $300 a week. Almost immediately upon arriving to the suffocating southern humidity she’s warned off the Duchons, why? She makes her way to the large antebellum house which is not as pristine as at first appearance, in fact, it’s neglected. To her surprise the Duchon family are also black, though they are very pale imitations of Jemma‘s dark skin, in fact, they could easily pass for white. The matriarch Honorine is haughty and the granddaughter Fossette is a puzzle and all are evasive about the job that Jemma is hired to do. Will she be able to shake off the ghosts she’s left behind in Chicago or has she travelled to something way more disturbing?

This is a very impressive southern Gothic horror debut novel in a great setting and a time period of change that lends so much scope to the storytelling. It’s got everything that you would want in a story of this kind. It’s ghostly, there’s a strange atmosphere not least created by the Duchons as well as that of the southern USA at this time. There are bizarre and troubling coincidences, there’s isolation, secrets, curses, a horrifying past (well this is the south….) so there are plenty of shocking reveals and then the fear that it evokes.

I really like the female lead in Jemma who certainly is
‘enough’ and although the other characters are very unlikeable for a variety of reasons, the author has portrayed them really well. The timeframe is a really good choice as this is a time of flux and change (or not…) and it creates a sort of bridge to the past.

It’s a good slow burn, it raises strong feelings and emotions, making me feel so angry at the overt racism as well as very sad. It may be a tad long (perhaps in the middle) but that’s my only criticism of a very strong first novel.

Congratulations to Del Sandeen for creating a spooky, ghostly, sinister tale which is very well written. I shall look forward to reading whatever she creates next.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

This Cursed House is a Southern Gothic horror about a woman who can see spirits and a curse that only she seems to have the ability to break. I have always been a fan of gothic novels, particularly those with a haunted house aspect, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book.

I especially liked reading about spirits and curses in New Orleans which is famous for its haunting. As someone who is not American, I found it really interesting and refreshing to read a gothic story in a 1960’s American setting rather than the typical Victorian mansion. I also think that the author fully researched and utilised the historical setting. She talks about heavy hitting topics like racism and the long-term effects of slavery. This focus on generational trauma makes the reader think about how the past haunts the present. In that way, it is a ghost story in two senses.

In terms of characters, I think that Jemma is a strong and likeable main character. She is determined to discover the truth and it was both entertaining and suspenseful to see her uncover secrets. I think that the author also created some well-constructed unlikable characters. Particularly in a gothic novel. I think that it’s important to create flawed, sometimes downright horrible, characters. This is not just so that they can be sacrificed to add a sense of horror to the book, but so that the novel can focus on the darker side of humanity.

I think my main complaint is that the book is a bit too long. Just personally, I prefer it when gothic novels are short and open-ended. Iconic gothic stories like The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House are powerful because they leave you with so many questions. It’s also hard to see why Jemma is so determined to help the Duchon family at times.

Overall, this was a great introduction to American and specifically Southern Gothic literature. I love stories with curses, ghouls and creepy family dynamics, and this novel ticked all of those boxes.

Couldn't put it down, read the whole book in 24hrs (couldn't sleep)!****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy