Through the Midnight Door

Owing a debt to The Haunting of Hill House, this chilling horror novel from Monroe (Graveyard of Lost Children) examines the complexities of sisterhood and intergenerational trauma. Growing up in Blacklick, Ill., the three curious Finch sisters are inseparable. One hot summer day, the trio are led by a boy to an abandoned house with a hallway of strange doors. Each sister chooses a door to walk through and experiences an unspeakable terror that they keep to themselves. Years of estrangement later, youngest sister Claire dies apparently by suicide and her body is discovered inside the house, leading elder sisters Meg and Esther to attempt to repair their strained relationship while investigating Claire’s death. The sisters learn the importance of forgiveness as they confront their devastating shared memories and the decades-old darkness haunting the Finch family. Monroe’s prose is layered with gothic dread as she toggles between each sister’s point of view, but the pace occasionally flags and the true scares crest too early, coming long before the underwhelming final reveal. Still, the characters are well shaded and the atmospheric elements are eerie. Monroe’s traditional take on the haunted house tale will please readers who like their horror grounded in real emotions. Agent: Joanna MacKenzie, Nelson Literary. (Aug.)