The House Next Door

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical haunted house tale
Review: "The House Next Door" is not the typical haunted house story. No ghost, apparations or rattling chains; just pure psychological horror. The story is told through the eyes of Colquitt Kennedy, a resident of a suburban Georgia community. She had lived in relative peace and quite with her husband Walter until a new young architect began to build a house in the vacant lot next door. Immediately strange things start to happen.

The book spans the stories of three separate families that attempt to live in the house and chronicles how the house begins to tear them apart. What malevolent force is at work within the house. However this is not seen from what the families are experiencing, but is learned from the interaction of Colquitt and her neighbors as they find out what is happening in the house. Eventually, the happenings inside the house begin to have an effect on the neighborhood and its residents. By keeping the events that happen inside the "house" out of the purview of the reader, Ms. Siddons builds even greater levels of suspense.

Ms. Siddons creates a wonderful picture for the reader of life in suburban Georgia and how that life can be easily torn apart. The characters are rich and believable. The story moves on at a great pace keeping the reader interested in how much worse things can actually get for the area residents.

In essence, one would wonder if this is not the tale of a haunted house, but a tale of a haunted neighborhood.

Rating:
Summary: Well Written...
Review: ...but I had to physically get rid of the book after I read it. It was as if the book had the same effect on my life as it did on the lives of the characters in it. That's all I will say. I don't want to give too much power to words on paper that were written as fiction, but I felt a sense of relief once I had put the book physically out of my living space, as if it no longer had the power to use the evil that is described in it to influence my life.

Sorry, Ms. Siddons, I can't help feeling that I never should have read that book, well written as it was. I have read other works by you and enjoyed them, but this one contained real and unspeakable horror and evil. That may be one of the reasons Stephen King ranked it as highly as he did. I won't be able to forget it for a long time, if ever, as it has haunted me ever since I finished it - I couldn't wait to see how it turned out, and when I did, I deeply regretted reading the ending. Probably the way Col felt when she finally looked into the windows during the second section of the book. The ending is as shattering as that of William Bayer's masterpiece, Peregrine, although it's a different sort of book.

Many will not be touched by this book in the same way I was, but as Col said to prospective buyers of that evil house, beware...

Rating:
Summary: L'horreur au quotidien...
Review: Anne Rivers Siddons. Que voilà un nom inconnu pour moi! Jusqu'à un certain jour de 1992, où j'ai découvert son roman et l'ai feuilleté dans la librairie, très rapidement parce que je n'étais pas seule. Un unique souvenir m'est resté: le prénom de l'héroine. Pas le titre, juste... le prénom!! Colquitt. WOW!! Où a-t-elle pêché cela? (Si je pouvais, je le lui demanderais parce que je veux savoir d'où ça vient, c'est original comme prénom) J'ai aussi vu qu'il s'agissait d'une histoire un peu inquiétante, et cela me plaisait bien. Toutefois, je ne l'ai pas acheté. Neuf ans plus tard, je suis retombée dessus tout à fait par hasard, à la bibliothèque de mon quartier. Là, je l'ai reconnu (encore à cause du nom) et je me suis dit "je vais me payer la traite !!" Alors je suis repartie avec lui dans mon sac. De retour chez moi, je l'ai lu tout d'un trait (dévoré, en fait). Après, j'ai remué ciel et terre pour me le procurer.

Ce qui m'a tant plu dans ce livre, c'est l'horreur dans l'ordinaire: de toutes petites choses, du moins au début, et toujours plausibles. Dans ce type de récit, il faut que la trame soit plausible d'un bout à l'autre, sinon, ça ne marche pas et le lecteur peut décrocher. Elle l'est. De léger malaise en petit détail troublant, d'incident en accident, le quotidien se dérègle tranquillement et chaque nouvelle situation, un peu plus étrange et douloureuse que la précédente, met rudement à l'épreuve les liens mutuels d'amour et la crédibilité des deux héros. Qu'ils soient riches ou pauvres n'a pas tellement d'importance. Étant donné que Colquitt et Walter étaient des gens à l'aise financièrement et semblaient jouir d'un statut social relativement enviable, ils avaient bien plus à perdre, en parlant de leurs craintes à leur entourage, que si c'étaient deux "nobodys" sortis de nulle part. C'est la raison pour laquelle, selon moi, Anne Rivers Siddons les a placés dans cette situation au départ. Quant au genre de vie qu'ils menaient, c'était bien typique des années 70. Le lieu non plus n'a pas d'importance: l'histoire est très intemporelle (une autre belle qualité du roman) et aurait tout aussi bien pu se passer à Miami en 1990, à New-York en 1960 ou même à Londres en 1900... elle aurait même pu se passer dans une banlieue huppée de Montréal! L'horreur n'a pas d'âge, pas de lieu et ne suit aucune mode.

Petite critique de ma part: en tant qu'écrivain, j'aurais peut-être davantage tiré parti de certaines situations potentiellement explosives. Quand Walter est arrivé un soir, par exemple, et a trouvé sa femme et Kim dans la cuisine de la fameuse maison (peu importe pour quelle raison, c'était l'état d'esprit de Walter qui comptait à ce moment-là), quelque chose de "weird" aurait pu se passer. Sans qu'il y ait nécessairement du sang à profusion, Walter aurait pu réagir plus intensément et poser un geste regrettable... À tort, bien entendu, mais cela aurait ajouté à l'horreur de la situation. Il faut lire le livre pour comprendre ce que je veux dire!

Il me reste à dire que j'ai bien aimé la manière dont Colquitt parlait de ses chats et de la façon qu'ils avaient de "changer leurs queues de place" (c'était ainsi traduit en français), j'ai trouvé cela bien mignon!! J'ai eu des chats moi-même et j'imaginais sans mal Razz ou Foster prendre des poses en changeant sa queue de place de temps à autre.

La fin du roman. Quelle fin! Moi aussi, j'en ai été surprise et je me suis dit "voyons! ai-je manqué quelque chose??" Mais je ne déteste pas qu'un roman se termine sur une question... Au fond, Anne Rivers Siddons a laissé au lecteur le choix d'imaginer sa propre fin. Vraiment, un excellent roman!

Rating:
Summary: Haunted House in the 'burbs
Review: I enjoyed this novel, and disagree with the reviewer who stated that it isn't spooky or scary and doesn't deliver at the end. I actual continue to see the last scene in my mind, over and over. That is the mark of a good ending.

Are there problems with the book? Yes. Some of the situations seem dated, and maybe not as shocking to me if I had read it in high school. BUT, the way she used the frame of the book to tell three separate stories which do tie together at the end was very good and allowed for a different kind of character development. We see the main characters change as they see events next door.

I read this book right after Shirley Jackson's masterpiece of haunted house books, The Haunting of Hill House. While Jackson's book is better, I think Siddons holds up well in comparison. I especially liked the idea of a MODERN haunted house. Nice touch.

All and all a good, if not difficult, read.

Rating:
Summary: Well written, held my attention to the conclusion! Then THUD
Review: I have read other books by Ms. Siddons and found them to be very satisfying. This book held my attention all the way through and was very well written and plotted out, but left me completely unsatisfied.

I was in the mood for a good ghost story and when I found out that this one impressed Stephen King so much, I thought it would be a satisfying one. Unfortunately I was let down. It wasn't scary, it wasn't spooky, and in the end it didn't deliver.

This is the story a very nice couple living in a wealthy neighborhood. Next door is a beautiful wooded lot that they enjoy looking at and are dismayed when bulldozers come and a gentle architect begins building the house next door. They get to know him and care for him, they become the best of friends. You learn to like and care for all three of the central characters in this story -- that is truly the mark of a good writer. In succession, three different families live in the house and come to disaster -- you never get to know them well, but you feel sorry for them. Eventually this wonderful couple and this sweet man are drawn to the end together and that's where the major "thud" comes in. The ending was very unsatisfying and didn't seem well thought out at all.

The reason it isn't scary or spooky is because the ghost story portion of the tale is never fully delved into, only alluded to. This book did not gain keeper status on my shelf and I probably will never recommend it to friends. Also, the ending was a little too quick and convenient to be believable.

...If you really want to read it get it from the library then you'll be glad to give it back at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! Great psychological horror - with a modern twist.
Review: I loved this book. I found it very crisp and it never waivered in its intensity, although it had amusing and delicious moments of yuppy socializing and two fantastic heroes:
Colquitt and Walter Kennedy, who refused, by the end, to allow the horrors next door to continue. Yes, they had to perform a drastic deed to end the tyranny of the architectural monster-house, but no one can say they were wrong to do it. There is a major question left for the reader to ponder at the end of the novel...I won't spill it here, and spoil the book for the lucky readers to come... I say "lucky," because this is definitely a 'treat' book that will keep you up all night and turning the pages frantically. And I have to say I miss Col and Walter and Razz and Foster Grant. House is also a charming love story. It's about good, popular people who love each other unconditionally... In fact, I think it is one of the few suspense novels that portrays a truly loving couple, for Col and Walter never fall out of love with each other, no matter what horrible things happen around - or to - them.

Rating:
Summary: Psychological Horror
Review: I read this book when it first came out many years ago, and I still think of it often. There is not too much I can say about what makes this a true masterpiece for lovers of the horror genre without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that ultimately it is you, the reader, who becomes a victim of that "House Next Door".

Rating:
Summary: The horror in an everyday world
Review: If you are an Anne Rivers Siddons fan, you will recognize the type of characters in this novel. It is a world which goes horribly awry. There is real horror here, not the shock and gore usually presented as a horror tale. A deliciously
disturbing read!

Rating:
Summary: Even new houses can be haunted
Review: It's hard to believe that this tale of a house gone bad was written over 25 years ago. The atmosphere created around an upscale neighborhood of BMW's and martini drinkers felt remarkably current and not at all dated. In fact our society is likely even more enamored today with the trappings of the wealthy than when this novel was first written. This creepy story focuses on a new house built in an established well-to-do neighborhood. Although the reasons are inexplicable, the house itself is hell bent on wrecking havoc on the individuals who reside within it's walls. There are no ghosts here, just a malevolent force bent on destruction.

Told from the perspective of the couple who live next door, this novel provides a different take on the traditional haunted house genre; that of the observer not the resident. My only minor criticism of this story was that the ending felt somewhat rushed given the build up. Still, a worthy book if your looking for a late night read.


Rating:
Summary: If Danielle Steel and Stephen King built a house...
Review: This book is an odd mix of novel and horror story. Picture an idyllic street with upper class residents whose biggest problem is a neighbor who seems to breed annoying children yearly. Suddenly, a vacant lot, seemingly too small and oddly shaped to build on, is sold and a house goes up. Once in progress, bad luck begins to befall the builders and their architect. At the housewarming party, a shocking event leads to tragedy, causing the owners to move and sell the home. Fast forward through two more similar, yet still interesting, scenarios and towards an ending that is a bit less than satisfying and you've got "The House Next Door."

The strength of this book lies in the fact that the story keeps your attention long enough to get you from one shocking revelation to the next. The weaknesses (note the plural) don't ruin the book, but do make it less enjoyable than it might be otherwise.

First, the writing is adjective and metaphor rich, often to the detriment of the storyline. I'd occasionally find myself needing to re-read a sentence or paragraph in order to wade through the language to get to the actual point.

Second, the characters are a little "too" highbrow to be sympathetic. They belong to the ballet guild and the Junior League, lunch at the club, and describe friends and colleagues as being from "substantial" families. Their biggest problem seems to be having one martini too many at the semi-formal neighborhood party to make tomorrow's 8:00am tennis date. At times, I found myself wishing something terrible would befall them just to bring them down a notch.

As for the ending, it left me wanting. It wrapped up the bigger story, but left some of the lesser details without resolution. I actually flipped the last page back and forth a couple of times to make sure I didn't miss something!

All in all, I'm glad I read the book. It was enjoyable, different, and surprising at times. I recommend it to anyone wanting a casual, not-too-involved read.