Book Review for This House Is Haunted by John Boyne

This story is a gothic mystery and horror story that takes place in the small village of Gaudlin, Norfolk, England in 1867. It contains a haunted house with secret rooms, passageways, and mysterious happenings. The main character of this story is Eliza Caine. She is a twenty-one-year-old teacher for young girls at St. Elizabeth’s where she was required to hide her modern feminist views. She did not think of herself as attractive and didn’t care about having suitors. She expected to live her life as a spinster. After the death of her family, and loss of her home, she accepts a position as a governess at Gaudlin Hall in Norfolk, England.

Eliza arrived at Gaudlin Hall to discover that things there are not as she expected them to be. There is no Mr. H. Bennet, no available parents, no butler, no cook, no maid, no teacher. There are no adults available to greet her. As a newly hired governess, Eliza was surprised to learn that she was “the adult of the house.” She meets the Westerley children, Isabella and Eustace.

Isabella Westerley is a twelve-year-old girl who claims to be named after one of the great Queens of Spain. She tells her younger brother Eustace how to behave. She acts mature for her age and is good at hiding her feelings. She doesn’t appear to be afraid of anything other than disobeying her mother.

Eustace Westerley is an eight-year-old child. He appears to be a sweet boy who is weak and emotionally damaged. He tends to say what he thinks. Although neither of the Westerley children speak much, he tends to share more information than his older sister does.

Eliza goes into town hoping to learn more about the Westerley family. She was surprised to discover that no one would tell her what was going on in the Westerley home. Even Mr. Raisin, the Westerley family attorney, was hesitant to talk to Eliza when she showed up at his office.

Eventually, Eliza learns that she was hired for the position by the previous governess Harriet Bennet and that she was the sixth governess hired for the children in the past twelve months. She also learns that all the previous governesses, except for Harriet, had died in the position. Ultimately, Eliza comes to realize that there is a malicious presence in the house that is trying to end her life. Although I generally don’t read much from the horror genre, I loved this book. It kept me intrigued, and had me turning the pages quickly, anxiously wanting to know what would happen next. Although there was a lot of death in this story, I did not find it gory. I found the secondary characters to be both interesting and engaging. I recommend this book to those who enjoy mysteries and ghost stories. I rate this book a solid four stars.