Review: Just Like Home

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recommend this book to fans of Poe or who like their family drama deep and visceral.

Vera is the prodigal daughter, returning home after her mother calls and tells her she is dying. Even though her mother kicked her out of the house her father built, Vera decides to be the good daughter and come home to help out. And holy balls do I relate to that. The dichotomy between being the good daughter and not actually having any positive feelings for your family.

But when she returns, she finds her mother, and her childhood home, are not alone. There is an artist-in-residence living on the property, ‘communing with spirit of the house.’ The spirit of Vera’s father, the notorious serial killer Francis Crowder. But this artist wants more than Vera is willing to provide. And she soon finds that he will take what he wants.

Gailey’s writing style is perfect. Direct. Beautiful but not flowery. They have a strong command of words and their impact. The way Gailey describes the strained relationship between mother and daughter, and how it remains so even when the mother is dying, is magnificent. I say that with some authority, as a daughter of a mentally and emotionally abusive mother myself.

There’s the thin hate we have for strangers…and then there’s the thick, true, smothering hate we have for those we know best. And that, Vera-baby, that’s what I had for you

However, this book is a slow burn. If you’re looking to get to ghosts and ghouls quickly, look somewhere else. Gailey builds the suspense very well, but the first half of the book is definitely more about character building than thrilling the reader. Their writing kept me coming back, but sometimes it would be days or weeks before I thought to pick it up again. However, when the beat drops, I read the second half of the book in a matter of days. Over lunch breaks. I regretted leaving it at my desk every day.

Characters - 7.5

Atmosphere - 6.5

Writing - 10

Plot - 5

Intrigue - 7

Logic - 7

Enjoyment - 9.5

8.54/10, 4.5 stars

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