From the moment Eliza arrives at the train station things start to. Our main character, Eliza Caine, has recently lost her father and takes a position as the governess for the Westerly children. The story takes place in the mid 1800’s and centers around Gaudlin Hall. Clever, captivating, and witty, This House Is Haunted is pure entertainment with a catch. John Boyne’s novel, This House is Haunted is an eerie tale set in London. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall’s long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past.

Later that night in her room, another terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.įrom the moment Eliza rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives within Gaudlin’s walls. Boyne's language skills are phenomenal and his writing is beautiful. The characters are so fully fleshed out and the unwinding of their stories and motivations is superb. There is no adult present to represent her mysterious employer, and the children offer no explanation. This House is Haunted is a creepy, brooding, gothic ghost story, and I love everything about it. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels, she is greeted by the two children now in her care, Isabella and Eustace.

Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. This House is Haunted by John Boyne - 9780552778428 Categories: Contemporary Fiction Horror Horror Historical Fiction Ghosts & Poltergeists Share This House is Haunted 3. Written in Dickensian prose, This House Is Haunted is a striking homage to the classic nineteenth-century ghost story.