Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIn the words of The Grateful Dead, "...what a long, strange trip it's been."
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2018
There's a reason Josh Malerman appears on just about every "Must Read" list that's out there - he's THAT GOOD. But more than that, he's versatile. Case in point: "A House at the Bottom of a Lake". Josh has cemented his place in the horror writer's annals, yet, this story falls outside that genre and delves into fantasy; and in the words of The Grateful Dead, "...what a long, strange trip it's been."
Let's take the premise first. Boy meets girl, asks girl on a canoe date, finds a hidden tunnel leading to a third secluded lake, which leads to the discovery of a house - at the bottom of said lake. One knows that there's no way a house could survive being under water for any length of time, and especially not intact. Shingles would pull off, furniture would be all over, and the wood of the house would be waterlogged to it's breaking point. But there it is - ready to be explored.
What I love about Josh's writing, is that he makes you believe that it's possible. His descriptions, he character development, and the flow of the plot, all lead you to the conclusion that, yes, there could quite possible be a fantastical house waiting at the bottom of a lake somewhere, just waiting to be explored by your lovers.
And that's where we get into the true context of the story - young love. The exploration of bodies, and new emotions. There's a lot of chatter about the ending of the book; some saying it was confusing, some saying it was anticlimactic, and some just not liking it for reasons unsaid. Yes, the story was ambiguous - but that's the only way it could have been. You need to take away from the story your own interpretation. But I believe the house was just a metaphor for the unknown and uncertainty of young love; and how something broken, can be found and made whole again.
This was a quick little read, and well worth the time.
