Review of 'There's Someone Inside Your House'
There’s Someone Inside Your House
By Stephanie Perkins, 2017
Dutton Books
Horror, Contemporary Romance
Rating: 👻👻👻1/2 (3.5 out of 4 boos)
“It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, and she’s still adjusting to her new life. And still haunted by her past in Hawaii.
Then, one by one, the students of her small town high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, Makani will be forced to confront her own dark secrets."
What’s the main character like?
High-school senior Makani is the classic outsider character in small-town Osborne, Nebraska. She’s from Hawaii. Her skin is darker than everyone else’s. She’s not part of anything extracurricular. Sure, she’s made a couple friends, but she feels like the third wheel. As someone on the outside looking in, she has an engaging point of view that helps us learn what makes Osborne such a perfectly terrifying place for a series of murders to take place.
How scary is it?
What is it about small towns that’s so frightening? In the case of Osborne, it’s the cornfields, the ease with which people stop trusting each other, and the palpable season changes that escalate along with the murders. And for those reasons, I’d say this book is pretty scary. Plus, keep in mind this is a slasher story. Each death is gruesome and detailed.
Who might like this book?
Fans of old Scream and MTV’s Scream will relish in the mystery and creative gore. Additionally, the realness of Stephanie Perkins’ characters, along with the occasional comic relief and frequent romantic elements, gives off a John Green vibe as seen in books like Paper Towns.
What did I like best?
Is there something wrong with me if I say I like the death scenes the best? Each one is creepier than the last! But what I like most is that Perkins changes points of view each time a new kill is going to be made. So instead of sticking to Makani’s head, Perkins allows us to experience the death (or, in some cases, a lead-up to the death) from the victim’s perspective.
What was not so great?
Makani has a love interest. This aspect of the plot sometimes distracts from the mystery and suspense surrounding the main horror plot. Other readers will say, “More romance!” But some might feel as I do that it is just a teeny, tiny bit too much.