“With her debut novel, Orlando subverts the haunted house trope with a stubborn homeowner determined to give the evil entities attached to her house a run for their money.”
Margaret and her husband Hal buy a large Victorian house, finally able to realize they have a home of their own. And they got it for a steal. But then strange things begin to happen. Every September, the walls of the house drip blood. Ghosts of the former inhabitants appear, and these ghosts are absolutely horrified of something lurking in the basement.
Most people would just leave.
Margaret is not most people.
She’s not budging. It’s her house, dammit, and no amount of ghosts are going to keep her from her dream home. Four years in, Hal can’t take it anymore and leaves. Worse still, Hal’s not returning phone calls, and their daughter Katherine—oblivious to the real nature of the house—arrives for a visit, determined to find her missing father. Add the fact that September has just started, no matter how hard Margaret and Katherine try to find Hal, the house keeps upping the ante. There are some secrets the house needs to keep.
Why we’re excited about this book:
By day, Carissa Orlando is Dr. Carissa Orlando, a clinical psychologist specializing in mental health care for children and adolescents. With her debut novel, Orlando subverts the haunted house trope with a stubborn homeowner determined to give the evil entities attached to her home a run for their money. Simone St. James (The Sun Down Motel) calls The September House “Shocking, electrifying, and absolutely original. Carissa Orlando takes us on a journey that moves from savagely funny to terrifying with the turn of a page. It’s an unflinching exploration of the dark things we don’t talk about, and it’s a must read for horror fans.”, and Grady Hendrix (How to Sell a Haunted House) says: “Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you’d seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages.” Clay McLeod Chapman (Ghost Eaters) says: “Peel back The Yellow Wallpaper, check out of The Overlook, and say farewell to Hill House … There’s a new haunted house on the market and Carissa Orlando is the realtor of our nightmares. You’ll never want to leave once you start reading.”
Releasing from Berkley 5 September 2023, The September House by Carissa Orlando is available pre-oder now.
BOB PASTORELLA
