I wrote this this morning on Hive, and I wanted to share it here as well. I did not find a similar community here on Blurt(however I admit I did not search that hard, and am considering creating a similar community here on Blurt! Let me know if you think that’s something you’d be interested in! Or if one already exists, please let me know :)
Anyways, here’s a book review! I used to read a lot, and now in this new chapter of my life, I expect I will return to old habits
Hello Hive Book Club! I just found this community this morning, and considering I finished reading a wonderful impulse buy late last night, under the blankets and the light of my headlight, I figured it was the perfect time to try this out!
I am currently living in a van in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, and we are currently surrounded by large wildfires :( Last week, I had work cancelled, thanks to horrid air quality brought it by the smoke from the 100,000 acres burning nearby. So, I decided to take a little trip into Portland on my surprise day off, and what would a trip to Portland be without visiting the famous Powell’s City of Books. For those who don’t know, Powell’s is the world’s largest independent bookstore; offering over a million new and used titles across multiple floors; it honestly feels somewhat like a labyrinth of literature, and I have felt lost in there more than once. Taking up an entire city block, it’s easy to feel legitimately lost inside the bookstore, and as I reflect on that point, I get chilled flashbacks to a book I bought there on this recent visit; *We Used To Live Here”.
It might not come to anyone’s surprise that navigating the horror section of an immensely popular bookstore in Portland, OR is difficult. Between the fact that the horror section of bookstores is typically much smaller than almost any other, coupled with the macabre demographics of the Rose City.. well, it’s tight in there. A single aisle crammed full of fanatics of the unusual, having to excuse yourself by fellow musicians, writers, nerds, witches… well, you get the drift. It somehow felt like despite the sprawling bookstore and hundreds of active customers, the majority of them were in this one small aisle, tucked by the windows on an upper floor. I was on a time limit, as I had to be at a nearby appointment in the neighborhood and my phone battery was inching towards death, as it typically is.
There was no way I was leaving without buying something though, and amidst the tedious tasks of trying to worm my way through the crowds of black-clad outcasts looking for a good literary escape, a cover caught my eye. Never judge a book from its cover, the age old saying popped into my head. But I decided that you know what, fuck it I AM going to judge a book by its cover. So after a quick read of the back and a quick “writing style check”, I marched my way down the stairs; lost more than once on my way to the counter.
##### > I have no pictures of Powell’s, but it’s legacy has made it’s way to my van via this cute little sticker I bought at the register
Admittedly, the book sat in the van for a few days before I actually began to read it. About 100 pages in, I was intrigued; but accidentally left the book at work over my weekend. Yesterday, I finally got back to it, and come darkness, I was so enthralled that I completely abandoned my usual routine and was unable to put it down until the final page. It has been years since I have spent that many hours sitting in one place, reading; so I feel like that speaks enough to the book that I not need say much more. Considering my history of film reviews, however, and the freshness of the literary adventure on my mind, I decided to try my hand at a book review. So, after all that rambling, let’s get down to it
We Used To Live Here
Marcus Kliewer, 2024
We Used to Live Here follows our protagonist Eve, a non-confrontational, somewhat timid house flipper who had recently bought an old house in the Pacific Northwest with her partner, Charlie, for said flipping purposes. The house seems somewhat unremarkable to Eve, more of a pain in the ass than anything, but the more ambitious Charlie had had her eyes set on the project, and despite the isolation and the mountain of work the house was in need of, Eve relented and they purchased the old monstrosity; with them their ever-so-shy furry companion, Shylo.
One day, as Charlie was out of the house and Eve was stumbling through the mess of the new-to-them house, a knock came at the door. A man, who introduced himself as Thomas Faust, stood at the doorway, wife and three children in tow, explaining that this was indeed his childhood home. His family was moving across the country, and he wanted to give them the opportunity to see his old home while they still had the chance.
Eve is not always the most welcoming person; not unfriendly, by any means; but hesitant to let people in so to say. Her past checkered with family problems, forced faith, and seeming “overreactions” brought on by anxiety. The latter caused her to go against her better judgement of calling Charlie to explain to the family that Eve was uncomfortable with the situation, so as not to have another “mistaking a bush in the wind as a bear” incident; an event she reflects on frequently to work around the reluctance she felt in many odd-to-her scenarios. Thomas’ wife, Paige, was clearly devoutly religious and made her disapproval of Eve’s sexuality subtilely known; which did not exactly help the situation. Despite all this, she gave in, welcoming the family inside for what was supposed to be a brief stay.
Almost immediately, things start going sideways. Not downhill, not terrible; just… odd. The family seems out of place, like five people who did not quite fit together. Thomas seems to disapprove of several of the changes made throughout the old building, whose original plans, blueprints, history, etc had been lost in a fire at a municipal building some years before, along with many homes in the area. There are strange markings throughout, left there by Thomas’ childhood sister, Alison; who has a story that is clearly traumatic to reflect upon, as is made obvious by Thomas’ erratic emotions at the mere mention of her presence in his childhood. Eve noticed a faint outline of a removed tattoo on Paige’s neck that is similar to the markings; but Paige just brushes it off as a dumb decision made before she found her faith.
The young daughter, Jenny, decided that during their brief visit, she was going to play a game of hide and seek, something she is clearly apt to do judging by the nonchalant response of her familial members. Seemingly innocent, yet aggravating to Eve, as she really just wanted some alone time to continue to work on the home while awaiting the return of her beloved Charlie. The game goes on a little longer than one would expect, moving from old dumb waiters to previously unexplored basement hallways, and some small, seemingly insignificant events make Eve’s uneasiness grow and indicating that this family might not be just… right
Snow storms pick up, the family overstays their welcome, and Charlie returns home. Charlie seems to disapprove of the family’s presence, yet she finds humor in controversy and almost sarcastically offers for them to stay for dinner to wait out the storm. Dinner turns into an overnight; as their moving truck lacks winter tires or tire chains. The night brings some unsettling visions(memories?), sleepwalking by (possibly) more than one party, and Eve’s growing discomfort. By the morning, Eve finds the Faust family helping themselves to breakfast; Charlie no where to be found. Thomas explains to her that Charlie went to town for a work meeting while Eve was asleep, seemingly genuinely confused that her partner had not conveyed that to her.
Curiously, Eve’s phone is also nowhere to be found. The Faust family is phoneless, as they are on a “screen fast” with their church; where all members give up their phones for the month, to be mailed back to them when the time has arrived. Eve feels extremely uneasy about the situation, so she sets off on foot to a neighbor’s house to borrow a phone, leaving the family behind in her home; bringing only sweet, sweet Shylo.
Rating: 8/10
Divulging the plot further would be near impossible without ruining the novel for the reader. One thing I will say is, thank Krampus, this is not the typical spooky low-effort “strange family gets invited into home and doesn’t leave” trope. Considering Kliewer’s great knack for storytelling and character development; I was somewhat afraid of this but… well, not the case, in the slightest.
As I said before, I read the final almost 200 pages in a single sitting last night. Which I feel is a testament to the author’s ability to take hold of the reader’s investment. SO many things happen, and it is difficult to tell at any given point which direction the storyline is heading. One might think vampires, one might think the supernatural, one might think skinwalkers, one might think mental health crisis.. honestly at no point could I honestly say I knew which way it was heading. Peppered in between chapters are fictional transcripts of medical journals, news reports, online chat rooms, movie flyers… each one relevant in its own way, to yet be later revealed to an attentive reader.
Towards the end, I did start to feel a bit of dismay as I thought it was heading towards a predictable trope. But again, I was wrong. It also leaves the possibility for the story to take a new direction or further expansion, and I do hope the author produces a sequel(or prequel) of some sort. I did not learn until reading the post-novel acknowledgment at the back of the book that it was actually an expansion on a Reddit short story by Kliewer; something rarely developed into such a compelling full-length. I have yet to read said story or any of his other work, but I look forward to it.
I highly recommend this book. It’s been awhile since I was so captivated in a read; which was surprising as this was a random impulse buy while just trying to get out of a bookstore with something in hand. If you have the chance, horror friends, please read! It was not exactly a masterpiece, and I feel as though there were flaws, as with any book; but it was a supremely good time. Marcus Kliewer certainly has a lot of talent and I very much look forward to reading more of his work. Considering this was his full-length debut, I consider his future in writing to be very promising and, hopefully, prolific.
Well, anyways, that’s that. If you made it this far into my rambling, I thank you and wish you a wonderful day. I hope to post here somewhat frequently, as my recent adventures allow me much more time to get back into the arte. Much love, book club 🖤
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