I am quickly becoming a fan of T. Kingfisher. While most of her books have some sort of fantasy element, her books fun the gambit from high fantasy to magical realism. This short novel is a delightful modern attempt at a Southern Gothic.
Sam is an archeoentomologist whose dig was shut down when they found human remains. Sam studies bugs, so definitely not her jam. So while she waits for the dig to reopen, she decides to visit her mother in North Carolina. Partly because she misses her mom, partly because her apartment is already subletted out, and partly because her brother thinks something isn't quite right with mom.
From the minute Sam arrives it is clear that things have changed. There's a vulture watching the house from its perch on the mail box. Mom has repainted all the walls to match Sam's grandmother's taste. Mom seems unusually nervous. She's not even swearing. However it's easy to ignore such minor, nebulous things and focus on box wine and murder mystery shows.
What's harder to ignore are the strange things happening to Sam while she's in the house. Sam needs to find the truth but its like the house itself is fighting her.
It's not a perfect book, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I only wish that it had been a little longer.
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