Girl in the Walls
Girl in the Walls is a remarkable, intense, and at times dark story that sucked me in from the beginning. This was a book that drew me in and could not put down. Before I knew it, I had read in one day, as its a story like I’ve never read before. And to think it’s a debut novel!
Eventually, every hidden thing is found.
Elise knows every inch of the house. She knows which boards will creak. She knows where the gaps are in the walls. She knows which parts can take her in, hide her away. It’s home, after all. The home her parents made for her, before they were taken from her in a car crash. And home is where you stay, no matter what.
Eddie is a teenager trying to forget about the girl he sometimes sees out of the corner of his eye. But when his hotheaded older brother senses her, too, they are faced with the question of how to get rid of someone they aren’t sure even exists. And as they try to cast her out, they unwittingly bring an unexpected and far more real threat to their doorstep.
Elise is a young girl who loses her parents in a car crash, after which she moves into the walls of her former house. Eddie and Marshall are the brothers who now live in Elise’s old place and who are sensing that someone or something lives among them but whose parents don’t give the boys’ suspicions any credence. The tension steadily increases as Elise begins making mistakes, risking discovery, while the boys take a precarious decision in their venture to uncover the house’s mystery that will leave your skin crawling.
WOW. So original. So compelling. So atmospheric. So intriguing. So tense. So very different from anything else I’ve ever read. Girl in the Walls is already being touted as the big Gothic novel of 2021! The story is also deep. It is a tender examination of grief and loss, of family bonds and the memories that are held in the places where we grow up. It’s truly a beautiful coming-of-age tale.
And Elise herself…This is a girl that I just wanted to mother and protect from the very beginning. She is truly an amazing and real character. As she climbs and maneuvers herself through these small spaces (as well as the events in the story) her character exhibits an admirable grit and tenacity. You too will find yourself holding your breath with each move she makes from the very beginning of the story.…and the ending will leave you breathless.
Overall, this was an extraordinary and remarkably written story. It is not often that I come across a story as unique as this one - clever, bizarre and shocking. Elise’s story will stay/haunt me for a long time to come. Definitely a fascinating story and one to pick up!
