The home that belonged to Angela Toussaint’s late grandmother is so beloved that the townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington call it the Good House. But that all changes one summer when an unexpected tragedy takes place behind its closed doors, and the Toussaint’s family history—and future—is dramatically transformed.
Angela has not returned to the Good House since her son, Corey, died there two years ago. But now, Angela is finally ready to return to her hometown and go beyond the grave to unearth the truth about Corey’s death. Could it be related to a terrifying entity Angela’s grandmother battled seven decades ago? And what about the other senseless calamities that Sacajawea has seen in recent years? Has Angela’s grandmother, an African American woman reputed to have “powers,” put a curse on the entire community?
There are some horror novels that I think will always tower over others on my shelf. Books that just feel weighty. Significant.
Prior to reading Tananarive Due’s 2023 masterpiece of historical horror, THE REFORMATORY, I had only read a couple of her short stories (one that I really enjoyed, “Return to Bear Creek Lodge” is actually the basis for her next novel, BEAR CREEK LODGE!). So while I would have hardly called myself a longtime fan, THE REFORMATORY could not have left a bigger impression on me. I sincerely think it’s one of the greatest horror novels of all time, and it’s a book people should & will still be talking about decades from now.
While I never had a real strategy for how to tackle Tananarive Due’s backlist, I had always wanted to read THE GOOD HOUSE! This new edition from Saga is super eye-catching & while I did have some issues with this book, I’m glad to have finally read it! I think Tananarive Due is a ridiculously good writer & I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her work!
CW/ this review is going to mention suicide and pedophilia/rape
Angela Toussaint grew up in the titular Good House, located in Sacajawea, Washington. She was raised by her grandmother Marie, who then left the house to Angela after she passed away. Marie was an interesting figure in town, rumored to have…special powers. Unfortunately, her and her husband, a Native American man named John were also subject to racist abuse from the residents of Sacajawea.
While the story bounces around a bit chronologically, the bulk of the novel takes place in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy: Angela’s son Corey dies by suicide in the basement of the Good House.
It had been an interesting time for Angela & her family. She was attempting some type of reconciliation with Tariq, her abusive husband that she had been separated from. For the first time in a long time, Angela, Tariq, and Corey were all living under one roof. Things had felt cautiously good, but with the undercurrent of a lot of pain & trauma in the past. But to Angela, there was nothing to indicate that her teenage son was planning to take his own life.
As the story unfolds, though, we spend a lot of time with Corey (via flashbacks), as he begins to learn more & more about his grandmother & the history of her famous house. And of the potential deadly curse that seems to fall over the people who spend time in and around it.
I’m finding it difficult to describe the plot in much more detail than that. This is a much more character driven story than it is a plot driven one.
I can appreciate an epic, sprawling horror novel on occasion. But I definitely felt like THE GOOD HOUSE was quite a bit longer than it needed to be. The quality of Due’s writing always kept me engaged, but I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more if it was around 350-400 pages, instead of nearly 500.
Also, I’m just going to say it: I think there’s some sexual content in this book that’s unnecessary at best, and wildly problematic at worst. There’s kind of a general horniness to the book, which ok. That’s fine. And there’s some sexual content between consenting adults, and again…ok. But there’s just so much else that was super rough to read. We learn that Angela was in a sexual relationship with a grown man when she was just a teenager, but that situation is really just glossed over & never treated with any kind of seriousness. It’s grooming. It’s rape. But it almost gets passed off as a youthful dalliance in a way.
Then there’s an awful sequence that takes place between Tariq & a girl who is (I believe) thirteen or fourteen years old, and it’s just fucking gross. And maybe you can make the argument that this shows us what kind of a person Tariq is (he’s terrible), but I was super uncomfortable reading this.
And maybe worst of all is the sheer amount of times that we get references to Corey’s horniness, erections, blue balls, sex dreams, and on and on. He is fifteen years old. This was just not ok to read & made me wonder about sensitivity reading and/or editing practices back in 2003, when the book was originally published.
Additionally, on the whole, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. You feel a certain amount of sympathy for Angela of course, but there were parts of her personality that really grated on me. She feels so haunted by what happened at the house, that when she finally returns, she brings a friend with her. That friend brings her little dog, Onyx. And Angela is just super preoccupied with being annoyed about the dog & obsessively worrying about whether he will pee or poop in the house. The fucking dog goes missing and Angela is hardly bothered. I dunno. That part of the story bugged me!
I think this review turned out a bit more negative than I had planned, but I just wanted to be up front about certain aspects of the book. Again, I think Tananarive Due is wickedly talented & there were parts of THE GOOD HOUSE that genuinely creeped me out. But between the length of the book & the problematic elements I described, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
Thanks to Saga Press for sending a copy my way!
Grimdark Dad 