Disorienting. Are you ever sure that you know the difference between reality and a nightmare . . . or a nice dream and a delusion? Can you truly trust what you have witnessed? These are the kind of questions Richard Elauved has to confront while explaining to the local police that his friend was ghoulishly swallowed by a telephone booth receiver. He proclaims his innocence in the friend’s disappearance. Richard is angry, frustrated, and desperately wants to be believed. There is a thin, but important thread that runs through this narrative that melds dark reality and bizarre fantasy into a young man’s truth.
This story reminds me that mental illness can have far-reaching effects on individuals and their loved ones . . . but even a healthy mind has the strange ability to corrupt or protect. Sometimes in traumatic situations, the mind also has the power to twist and warp the details of an event to make them somewhat survivable.
I’d like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Night House for my unbiased evaluation. 3.5 stars
