Gothic horror is here to rule the Roaring 2020’s, and Johnny Compton is making his mark. His debut novel, The Spite House, follows Eric Ross as he’s on the run with his daughters, Dess and Stacy. Eric discovers an ad asking for a caretaker for the Masson House in Texas. They must stay in the house and keep a detailed account of what happens in the house, which people consider “haunted,” which no one had accomplished (thanks to being driven mad by it). Desperate for a haven for his kids and monetary help, Eric applies for the job and earns it almost immediately.
Compton’s story navigates the perspective of multiple characters, which allows for the eeriness of the haunting to move from page to page. The horrifying tone permeates not only through the plot, but we can see how it affects each character differently. Much of the haunting occurs outside of the Masson spite house, whether it’s in the orphanage on the same property or past caretakers who barely survived their stay. The various perspectives flesh out the story, which exposes secrets and allows for stories within the story to expand the overarching plot.
Beyond the haunting of ghosts in the spite house, the haunting of the past allows for the story to have another level of fear that only the Gothic can work well with. This novel is a blend of the past and the present, a historical-contemporary genre blend, and it works better than other stories that do the same. Suspense and mystery leaves questions after some questions are answered when going back-and-forth between timelines, which sometimes leaves the point behind. Some scenes in the story should have an explanation based on the overarching conflict, but that is not the case for all of the loose ends. Some say that “things are better off left unsaid,” and I think this phrase may work for moments in the novel, for the sake of the genre.
Overall, you will get what you’re coming for when you pick up The Spite House. The unsettling tone, the drops of mystery that makes you want to read more, and the distinct writing style makes this a worthwhile debut. Compton joins Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Alexis Henderson in spicing up the Gothic horror subgenre. I can’t wait to see what he conjures up next.
