A House at the Bottom of a Lake

There's a reason Josh Malerman appears on just about every "Must Read" list that's out there - he's THAT GOOD. But more than that, he's versatile. Case in point: "A House at the Bottom of a Lake". Josh has cemented his place in the horror writer's annals, yet, this story falls outside that genre and delves into fantasy; and in the words of The Grateful Dead, "...what a long, strange trip it's been."Let's take the premise first. Boy meets girl, asks girl on a canoe date, finds a hidden tunnel leading to a third secluded lake, which leads to the discovery of a house - at the bottom of said lake. One knows that there's no way a house could survive being under water for any length of time, and especially not intact. Shingles would pull off, furniture would be all over, and the wood of the house would be waterlogged to it's breaking point. But there it is - ready to be explored.What I love about Josh's writing, is that he makes you believe that it's possible. His descriptions, he character development, and the flow of the plot, all lead you to the conclusion that, yes, there could quite possible be a fantastical house waiting at the bottom of a lake somewhere, just waiting to be explored by your lovers.And that's where we get into the true context of the story - young love. The exploration of bodies, and new emotions. There's a lot of chatter about the ending of the book; some saying it was confusing, some saying it was anticlimactic, and some just not liking it for reasons unsaid. Yes, the story was ambiguous - but that's the only way it could have been. You need to take away from the story your own interpretation. But I believe the house was just a metaphor for the unknown and uncertainty of young love; and how something broken, can be found and made whole again.This was a quick little read, and well worth the time.

This book was hard for me. I read all the glowing reviews and have read Malerman's other book Bird Box and loved it, but this one miss a major miss to me. I thought it was repetitive in the way the house is explained and described in painful detail for almost the entire book. I know that there is an effort to build suspense with some of the scenes in the book I know that and I appreciate that but I found that at the end of those scenes I was just frustrated because nothing really happens to the characters other than finding the house.

This book started off fun and interesting. I do like the main characters and at times it made me feel 17 again. The book built tension and a bit of suspense. However, it never pans out. One of the most anticlimactic endings I've read. In fact, I'm not even sure what the point of the entire story was. Very disappointed.

This scant 105 page novel is more a love story than a true tale of horror.The author writes well and creates his two main characters with enough charm and innocence to make you care about them but he does not give them a robust tale to hinge their fate on. I would like to see what this author could do by delivering a full fledged novel since much of his prose reminds me of the great Peter Straub (no one writes like Straub....no one). Unfortunately for more than a good 85 pages you get treated to an interesting mystery which is never fully explained and the ending reads like a "To be continued" in a chapter serial. The book definitely is not worth the ten dollars it's currently selling for, five dollars is a fair price.

Sweet.Magical.Eerie.Beautiful.This novella is an English teacher's dream! I wish I was 17 again and in Mr. Emmett's English class. The students could read this and discuss all the metaphors and symbolism while Mr. Emmett nods his head with approval and then blows all our minds with his thoughts on this book. He would LOVE this book!James and Amelia go on a first date--but not your typical first date for two 17 year olds. They venture out on a lake in a canoe-James cursing the fact that he chose to sit in front and can't see Amelia, who is rowing behind him and Amelia giggling to herself because she can see a bit of James' crack peeking out from his swim trunks.Man, I loved the way Malerman wrote this. It was authentic. Genuine. Painfully sincere and precious-- it immediately made all this nostalgia come flooding into my mind.The day takes an interesting turn as they discover a hidden lake, accessible to them by squeezing the canoe through a tight tunnel partially hidden in some bushes.As they explore their new, isolated surroundings they discover the roof line of what appears to be a house submerged underwater.From this point on, Malerman begins to develop this impressive metaphor for young love. If I could, I'd stand up in my armchair on this foggy, MLK Monday, in my PJ's and slow clap for this sweet, sweet story.Don't pick this up expecting to be scared-but first love is scary.And don't think this is a horror novella...although a house underwater is horrifying.Just enjoy this fairytale-like tale of two young lovers who discover, adventure, explore and dream in A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE, where the only one who sees them, is you.

I know everyone loves this author but I cannot stand how the ending was left. I don't want to include any spoilers but it just seemed lazy to me, like the author couldn't be bothered to come up with a suitable explanation or ending. Made me wonder why I bothered purchasing and wasting my time reading an incomplete story. Please note my husband loved the ending and thought it was super creative. Go figure.