The House of Echoes by Rachel Crowther - Book Review

Publication Date: 09th Dec 2024

Genre: Contemporary Family Drama 

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Mixed feelings 

After the death of Mab and Nessa’s mother, their father relocated to New Zealand and married his third wife, dusting off his young daughters’ responsibilities. The kids had to deal with a lot more than the loss of parental support. 

Twenty years later, the sisters receive the news of their father’s death. They are forced to handle the grief that weighed them down for years and confront the secrets from the past that changed their lives forever. 

They return to the Lowlands where they live for a while with Con, their father’s first wife. Can Mab and Nessa find the answers this time? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Mab, Con, and Nessa in a dual timeline. 

My Thoughts: 

Rating this is hard coz I like it but also didn’t like it much. 

The book is essentially a family drama with secrets and messy emotions. The story shifts between present and past, clearly distinguished by the years mentioned under the chapter title. 

Mab has a major share of the narration, which works and doesn’t work. At times, she sounds like an adult. But most of the time, she sounds pretty much like the eight-year-old version in the past. Moreover, her POV is not entirely reliable since she continues to think like a kid even twenty years later. The way her thoughts spiral into a tangled mess is exhausting to read. 

 Nessa, the older sister, has a better arc. She was parentified as a young teen and grew up taking care of her younger sister (Mab). This affected her in many ways, though her POV is reliable and easier to read. 

Con is an intriguing character. She is rather sweet and lovely, which is a welcome change from a bad stepmom (though she is not really a stepmother). However, she too is flawed and makes some mistakes, which have long-lasting effects. 

The core premise relies on assumptions, keeping secrets, and lack of communication. While it works to an extent, the story goes in circles in the first and second parts to keep the reader in suspense. However, there are clues to guess (which I did) that make it hard to enjoy the narration. 

While the descriptions are lovely, there’s too much internal thought. Some of it aids in character development but it mostly reduces the pace and tires the reader. There were many instances when I had to skim a bit when the characters went on and on without a break (Mab specializes in this). 

The third part is stronger since we finally address the issue. Such a relief! The ending is hopeful and positive. It may seem like an easy way out but I don’t mind. 

Not sure why but the last chapter (the one before the epilogue) is in omnipresent third-person POV breaking the fourth wall and has a philosophical touch. I don’t think this is necessary. Much of it could have been included in the epilogue. 

To summarize, The House of Echoes is a slow-moving story about a dysfunctional and broken family caused by a selfish man who couldn’t take responsibility for his actions or for his people. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bloodhound Books, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheHouseOfEchoes

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TW: Parental death (cancer and heart stroke), abandonment, death of teen, infidelity.