Lead Review (The House of Ashes)
- Book: The House of Ashes
- Location: Belfast, County Antrim
- Author: Stuart Neville
#fromourbookshelves
At the heart of the story is a house called The Ashes. It has derived its name from the trees around it (but very soon it becomes apparent that there may be more to the name than meets the eye). The previous occupant was young Mary, who lived there with her extended ‘family’ a good six decades ago. She is now elderly and living in Greenway Care and Convalescence Home in Morganstown. Abuse was rife in her family set up.
The current incumbents are Sara and Damien. The house was sourced for them by Francie, Damien’s father, all round hard man and property developer. When Mary briefly escapes from her assisted living home, and lands on Sara’s doorstep, she claims that this is her actual home (which of course it was). But as Sara gradually discovers, there was a mass killing and a subsequent fire that destroyed much of the original building. And one of the workmen, Tony the sparky, currently working on the house, shares with her that“…there is a bad vibe about the house.” Great, just what Sara wants to hear!
The house certainly has seen its fair share of controlling and abusive behaviour. Sara is discovering that both Damien, her husband, and her father-in-law Francie are also well practised with lashing tongues. There are several featured tropes associated with domestic violence and abuse, to wit coercive control through jealousy to isolation, aggression to apologetic and fawning behaviour. It almost feels as though the house attracts that kind of behaviour…. and that notwithstanding she starts to sense the presence of a child or two. Given her husband’s behaviour and her poor state of mind, she must be imagining things. But then she finds herself confiding in Tony, asking him about her husband and about her father-in-law…
The author feeds touches of the wider setting, the political unrest in Norther Ireland back in the day, and the notion of religion into the narrative. It is overall a quick read, perhaps a touch overly simplistic given the nature of some of the featured violence and attitudes towards women. It bowls along and the author manages the two timelines well.
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