| Title | : | Appliances Included |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781466097254 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published December 19, 2011 |
For Mary and Lou Givens, their first house is the deal of a lifetime. And when the family cat disappears, rumors of their home’s past percolate to the surface.
People have been disappearing from the Given’s house for decades, never to be seen again. Are the rumors true, and what does it mean if they are? If only the house’s appetite could be quelled with a cat - but the family pet was only an appetizer and things quickly go from bad to worse.
Sometimes the scariest places on Earth don’t look scary at all. Sometimes a haunted house looks just like the house next door. And every now and again, the haunted house is the one you live in.
If you can recall the vacuous adrenaline rush of having a child disappear at a department store, if you’ve ever been accused of something you didn’t do, then this is a story that will strike home.
Appliances Included Reviews
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This was an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable, read. It's essentially another version of the story of a family moving into a new house and soon wishing it hadn't. Because this subgenre is common, it reminded me a little of Lara Frater's 'The real estate market', which I read only seven months ago. (Frater's story appeared in Necrotic Tissue no. 2, which I reviewed
here.) I like the clever title of Souza's story and my only quibble with the writing is his phrase, 'an old ladies crazy stories', which should've been 'an old lady's crazy stories'.
There follows an interesting note on the inspiration for the story and, in particular, for a character who appears in it.
After some author information, the ebook closes with an excerpt of another free-to-download story by Souza -
Cupid's Maze - but I think I'll reserve my comments for that when I read the whole thing and review it separately. -
This is a chilling, well written, haunted house story. If something seems too good to be true it probably is (something these people should have thought about).
When Mary and Lou Givens move into their dream home with their young son, it seems like the start of a new and exciting chapter in their lives, until the horror begins. What can go wrong when you move into a massive 19th century house that’s underpriced and much too big for the people living in it?
This was a great story and the most disturbing element was the true to life way people have of accusing each other when tragedy occurs rather than offering comfort. I also enjoyed the little background info to the story the author provided. A riveting read. -
Mark Souza has a tremendous talent for storytelling and the ability to leave a lasting impression. This short story has some great characters, a creepy plot, and a house with a history you won't soon forget. I would love to see this one expanded into a full-length book or even a movie. Fantastic concept!
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A sinister short haunted house story.
