The Switch House By Tim Meyer

Peter

Terry and Angela Shepherd lost their child. Now they appear in a TV show named Switch Houses and switch houses with Rosalyn for 2 months. After that Angela finds her way into the Everywhere and is tormented by sleep goblins the mares. What is Terry's role here? Can the psychiatrist help? How does Barry the producer influence the action here? Was Rosalyn a witch in the 60s? Brilliant piece of demonic possession in a kind of wasteland with killer twists. Couldn't put it down. This is where the horror is. Highly recommended!

Janie

Warning: this book is addictive. I could not put it down. Its aftereffects are still lingering, and I am trying to figure out the best ways that the author can write a sequel. Not that he is planning on going that route. I just want more.

The novella focuses on a married couple who have experienced a mysterious tragedy in their past. To help them move on with their lives, they appear on a reality tv show based on trading living spaces with another entrant. It is obvious at the first viewing of the show that something is not right. The question is, is the problem with the viewer or with the house itself? There are more twists in this novel than a pretzel, and parts of it made me exclaim out loud. The suspense was continuous, focusing on both psychological and supernatural elements. The ending left me with perspectives to think about. This is a good thing. A horror story that stays with you and stimulates you to think after you are done reading it is a success in my opinion. Highly recommended.

My sincere thanks to Edward Lorn and Angel Gelique for reading this great book with me!

Sadie Hartmann

Originally appeared in Scream mag! Nov/Dec issue 2018

Social media has been a huge game changer for me in terms of book recommendations. Before Twitter and Instagram, I was basically reading whatever the big publishers were putting in my face. Now, thanks to following indie, self-published authors, smaller publishers and other horror fans-- my “want to read” list has grown exponentially.
This is how I found The Switch House by Tim Meyer. I’ll admit, the cover was so alluring to me, I would have picked this up despite the fact several people were already singing its praises. Then I read a small portion of the synopsis which I must share with you now:
“CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve won a role on LET’S SWITCH HOUSES! Your life is going to change. We promise. Your dreams will come true. Everything you’ve ever wanted, we have it. This is a chance of a lifetime. Come inside. Switch with us.”
I didn’t read anymore of the blurb on the back, this short hook was enough to pique my interest.
This is a slick, lean and mean novel, clocking in around one hundred and sixty pages. There is virtually no wasted space here as Meyer intentionally streamlined this story to pack a violent punch.
The set up is so compelling, my recommendation is to make sure you have the time to read this in one sitting because you’re not going to want to put this down. Meyer expertly develops a small cast of characters in the matter of a few pages and then throws them down the gauntlet. The horrors stack up with an unrelenting pace; each fresh scare building the tension to the perfect climax. I was legitimately frightened 30% into the book and I knew it had the potential to make me not want to turn the lights off or forget to leave my closet door open.
As a huge fan of horror, one begins to recognize the plot tropes and during a read, I’ll often guess at where the author is leading me. This story is so original and the twists and turns were so unexpected, that I immediately wanted to read it again as soon as I finished; to see if I missed the signposts. As a reviewer, it’s my job--my mission, if you will--to make sure that I don’t disclose anything about the story that would diminish your own “reader discovery”. Finding your own way through a horror story is quite possibly the greatest joy one can have with a reading experience. That being said, all you need to know is that this book is fast and fierce. A must have for any horror lover.

5 out 5 skulls
Sadie Hartmann/Mother Horror

Dan Schwent

After returning home from being on "Let's Switch Houses," nothing seems right in Angela and Terry's home, the least of which the void left by the death of their son. But when Angela begins seeing unsettling things, is she going crazy from grief or is it something more?

I saw
Easy E talking this up on Twitter a while back and had a couple bucks in credit on the Big A so I pulled the trigger on it.

This was an entertaining haunted house tale. "Is Angela going insane or did the woman who lived in their house for a few months work some bad mojo on it" is the question throughout.

There were some horrifying images and tense moments in this but I thought it could have been fleshed out a bit more. The writing was technically good but no phrases jumped out and grabbed me by the genitals. I thought Angela was a great lead, though.

There were hints of greatness but The Switch House was middle of the road for me. Your mileage may vary, of course. Three out of five stars.

Karl

This hardcover is signed by Tim Meyer.

Andrew Robert

The Switch House is a story of relentless horror, enducing psychedelic terror on nearly every page. Tim Meyer penned a thrilling and brilliant tale that will keep reader's guessing till the bitter end. This is contemporary horror at its finest.

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Kimberly

4.5 stars!

THE SWITCH HOUSE, by Tim Meyer, originally caught my attention with the synopsis, but even then I didn't expect it to become such a compulsive read! The premise was a reality TV show called: LET'S SWITCH HOUSES! The contestants are usually chosen from those that are trying to move on from a tragedy of some sort--of course, the more extreme, the higher the ratings. Angela and her husband, Terry, are selected to switch houses with a Ms. Rosalyn Jeffries for two months of filming.

Angela and Terry are hoping the change will help them to heal from a "tragedy" in their lives, whereas Ms. Jeffries is an altogether different . . . character.

". . . Divulging secrets exhausted her until she had no more emotion left, went home feeling like a husk of her former self . . . "

Back at their own home at 44 Trenton Rd., NJ, Angela can't help but feel something has fundamentally . . . changed.

Tim Meyer weaves this dramatic tale of suspense, secrets, and psychological horror together so flawlessly that I drifted into the storyline and felt myself effortlessly carried along from scene to scene. This book would have been a one-sitting read if I didn't have to feed my own kids occasionally--that's how real it felt to me. I just didn't want to disengage from it at any point.

". . . I think you understand my meaning. . . "

The descriptions of what Angela sees are so detailed, that even the most observant reader will have difficulty in assessing whether or not these are "real" or delusions of her mind. It's precisely this type of writing that keeps you needing to turn those pages, unable to stop. Meyer captures our attention, and he doesn't let go.

". . . the truth didn't come out that easily . . . "

The dramatic shifting of atmosphere--both visual and mental--had me constantly on my toes, having to go on gut instinct alone on what I felt was the actual "reality". Even then, this novel was nowhere near as simple as that.

". . . Maybe her actions opened a locked door, let in whatever was waiting on the other side."

Overall, this story impressed me considerably in all areas. The characters were complex and--whether we believed in what they thought or not--THEY believed, and this made them very grounded and "complete" to the reader. The atmosphere and various points-of-view that showcased different, distinct impressions of it, came off as authentic from the individual sources.

". . . Dreams don't lie. Not in this house . . . "

The intricacy of this novel was phenomenal, and therefore kept my mind going over its different areas long after I'd finished the book. I couldn't stop obsessing over the characters and scenes here, and that--to myself--is a sign that I've read a really great story.

Highly recommended!

Michael Hicks

I try to approach each book I read with an open mind, but with the hopeful expectation that it will, at the very least, be a decent read. I want to let the author do their thing and then judge for myself how well their story worked for me. Overall, I think I'm pretty good about selecting titles that should work for me based on their synopsis. Sometimes I'm disappointed, sometimes I'm pleased. The best, though, is to discover a work, particularly from a new-to-me author, that proves itself to be positively exceptional.

The Switch House is a slim novel that absolutely rocks right from the get-go, firing on all cylinders the whole way through, catapulting readers from one crazy violent encounter to the next. Tim Meyer takes a no-holds-barred approached to the scenes of bloody mayhem, and there were a few impactful moments that made me wince. He also proves strikingly adept at crafting psychological horror, and one big reveal in the book's climax wrung me dry, my heart lurching as I mentally screamed "HOW COULD YOU?" at one character.

Meyer uses tragedy as the framework here, building his house of horrors around it, revealing additional levels of complexity with each chapter. Bereft over the loss of their child, Angela and Terry sought an escape from their normal lives by auditioning for, and winning a spot in, the reality show, Let's Switch Houses! Returning to their normal lives isn't easy for Angela, especially after she spots a hole in the bathroom wall that peers into...well, elsewhere. She begins having vivid nightmares, realizing that whoever lived in their home during the swap did some very dark things there.

There's so much I want to say about this book, but I fear that so much of it would dive headlong into spoiler territory. I will say that The Switch House is twisty as all get-out, and is the kind of read that will have you questioning the reality of the events and the characters depicted here. I found myself flip-flopping a few times on whether or not Meyer intended this to be a straightforward narrative and on the reliability of Angela's viewpoints. I think I have my answer, but I suspect yours may be quite different.

Despite its short page count, there's an awful lot to digest here. The Switch House is slim in pages, but filled to the brim with concepts and ideas. Meyer pulls in cosmic horror, psychological horror, chaotic and frightening depictions of hell, plenty of paranoia, and bucketfuls of bloody mayhem. It's a rare thing indeed when I finish a book's prologue and already find myself questioning whatever life choices I've made that I'm only just now discovering Tim fucking Meyer. How the hell have I not read this guy before? That's gonna change real fast, I can tell you that right now.

[Note: I received an advance reader's copy of this title for review.]

Richard

★★1/2
The concept here is a cool modern haunted house spin that follows a couple recovering from a family tragedy that decides to star on a house swap reality show for a few months and come back to discover that their house isn't quite right.

"Don't you see what she's doing? Don't you see what she did in our house?"

I appreciated the focus on the pain of loss and the effects of ignoring it. But, unfortunately, I found this to be pretty "meh." It was entertaining to read on a surface level but it didn't have much more impact than that for me. I found the writing to be a bit pedestrian and on-the-nose, and because all the horror bits were pretty predictable and filled with things I've seen before, it just felt as if horror-trope boxes were simply being checked off rather than creating something special. I did really enjoy the last act and the way that the truth of the tragedy was revealed. But, this is another recent read that I found pretty forgettable and another one of my opinions that seem to be in the minority.

Marie

This was an awesome psychological horror story!

A small backstory:

Angela and Terry Shepherd are on a reality show called "Let's Switch Houses" and they switch their house with a woman who is recently a widow for a period of two months. Eventually, Terry and Angela finally get their own house back but something just doesn't feel right and the atmosphere of the house has changed.

Angela starts having nightmares/visions/hallucinations which strains her relationship with Terry, but it is when Angela finds out that the woman who had lived in her house had done some rituals is when things spiral out of control for Angela and she wants to find out what exactly happened in her house!

Who is the widowed woman? What did she do in Angela's house? Does Angela find out the answers to what happened? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I was drawn into the story right away. When the character Angela starts having the hallucinations I could feel the frustration of how she was feeling as she tried to figure out if she was really going batty or if something really did happen in her house.

The pace is fast and the writing style just flowed along. The story kept me guessing of what was causing Angela's predicament. There were two major twists near the end of the book that really sent me reeling and I read the last few chapters within a couple of hours! I have a few more books by this author and looking forward to reading them. Giving this book five "nightmare" stars!

Latasha

Creepy house!

This is a great short story! It's creepy as hell, the characters are good & crazy and it's hard to put down. Roselyn's history surprised and delighted me. I would definitely read more by this author.

Ian

'Both a psychological and supernatural horror show to truly savour'

Angela's story...

Angela suffered a loss in her life 8 months ago.
Angela and Terry, her husband, feature on the tv show 'Switch House' for a couple of months, in order to try and 'move on' with their lives.
Angela picks up negative vibes on her return to her own house, with nothing feeling right - enter the therapist.
And then bad, strange things begin to happen...dark, to darker, eventually to pitch black, downright crazy satanic things...What is happening, is she about to lose her sanity?

This is an action-packed, compact short story that delivers one hell of a punch. Lots of twists and turns along the way which keeps the story moving along nicely and keeps the reader guessing on what is actually going on. Imaginative and creative surprising and shocking events, all contained within a quite brilliant storyline.

Expect your brain to be fried and frazzled after your brief, eerie visit to the Land of Everywhere!

I think that I have it sorted now, but then gain, have I really? Think, think, think!

Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating: 4.6 glowing stars of complete and utter disturbing happiness.

Cody | CodysBookshelf

Thanks to the author for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve become disillusioned with indie horror as of late. The market is saturated with unedited tripe, stories that should have never been published in the first place. And most of it is uninspired Stephen King ripoffs. Agh!

That’s why I am happy The Switch House is good — and pretty scary, too. I had a nice time with this. The main characters, Angela and Terry, and the tragedy in their past that is the heart of this story, all feels realistic. Tim Meyer did an excellent job fleshing these creations out without going overboard. The story does not drag, but enough detail is supplied.

The concept itself is unique and one the reader should go into totally unspoiled. Thus, I will not go into detail here.

I did deduct points for figuring out the “twist” long before the epilogue. That did dampen my enjoyment a bit, but not too much. And my figuring it out did not lessen the impact of the story as a whole body. What Meyer has created here is a twisty, gnarly little novel very much worth reading.

Angel Gelique

After spending two months in the home of Rosalyn Jeffries as part of a house-swap reality show, Terry and Angela Shepard have just returned to their home in Red River, New Jersey. Though they're definitely not happy to be back. Angela, in particular, feels that the house has somehow been cursed. She suspects that Rosalyn might be a witch who placed some sort of hex upon her residence. She has been having extremely disturbing, vivid dreams and hallucinations. Sometimes she feels as though she's somewhere else entirely.

"The Everywhere is a dark, nasty place....a place that exists between the living and the dead, a place that is and isn't."

"It made her feel like maggots were hosting a party beneath her flesh, an all-encompassing death orgy."

Unable to cope with the stress, she decides to take matters into her own hands and confront Rosalyn. And that's when things really start to get out of control.

I greatly enjoyed reading this incredibly engrossing story. It's always satisfying when a book can keep me guessing and this one had me questioning everything and everyone. The author did a remarkable job creating and maintaining a good, eerie atmosphere. The twists are unexpected and each one leads you deeper into an intricate web of deception and uncertainty.

Perfectly paced, imaginative, well-written and suspenseful, I found this book difficult to put down. I highly recommend it to all fans of supernatural horror.

**Many thanks to Janie C. and Edward Lorn for graciously allowing me to crash their buddy read**

Erin Talamantes

Our main characters in this story are a married couple, Angela and Terry, who have recently starred in the reality tv show Let’s Switch Houses!
For the last 2 months they’ve been living in someone else’s house and living their life, while a stranger was doing the same in theirs.
The reason that they decided to do the show was because they had recently faced a tragedy and this was their way of trying to move on.
But when Angela returns home, she can’t help but think that something is off. The house looks normal, but it feels different. Her feelings heighten as she begins seeing things and having intense nightmares. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened the two months she wasn’t here.
But piecing things together starts having her question her own sanity.

When I first read the plot for this book, I knew I had to get it. I used to watch Wife Swap a lot growing up, mainly to question why anyone would ever do something that, and this reminded me of that but with homes.
I also just love a good haunted house story, there’s something about it that never gets old and I think that’s because every author adds their own take on it.
That’s something that Tim Meyer does really well with this story. He had me second guessing everything.
I really thought I had predicted everything about this book, but I was so wrong. There are so many layers to this story and I just never saw them coming.
It had me furrowing my brow and saying “what?!” I swear every page added something new to the equation that I wasn’t expecting to happen.
I also really liked how eventually the tragedy was revealed to the reader. He really keeps you in the dark the entire time, until he wants you to know and that point was absolutely perfect. When I finally had all the information, I felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer.
There’s really nothing to compare this story to at all, if I had to try, I would say it reminds me a little of Insidious. But it’s more of a familiar feeling than anything else. They don’t have that much in common.
I enjoyed Angela as a main character a lot. It was interesting to read from her perspective and see what she was experiencing from her own eyes.
I also liked how there weren’t too many characters in this story. It was enough to keep me interested and wondering, but not too many where I got lost and confused by things.
The ending. I was worried at first, I was worried that something important wasn’t going to be answered. But then, the epilogues (yes, epilogues there are two) hit me with one final twist that I’m kinda mad I didn’t see coming, and it blew me away. It left me going through the entire book in my head.
I think the pacing was perfect for this novella, it’s really fast paced and things start going immediately, which is always a plus for me.
It’s under 200 pages and I didn’t feel like it needed additional pages or to be cut down. It was a perfect length for me and I was happy to read it in one sitting, I think it would have killed me if I didn’t.
I can’t wait to read more from Tim Meyer!

Richard Bankey

Creepy novella that also comes with 3 short stories. Tim Meyer never disappoints. 3.75 🌟

Escapereality4now

“The Switch House”, by Tim Meyer is a psychological horror story that involves a house. I have seen plenty of house swap shows so the premise of this book intrigued me. Two people swap houses for a show. When they get their houses back, the shit gets real.

Meyer creates a surreal fever dream experience that has the reader questioning the story. There were so many layers to this compact story. I love reading where things are not what they seem, which Meyer did a good job with that.

Despite how short this book is, the story moves along quite nicely and gives the reader a lot to digest. The book had plenty of horrifying and tense moments. There were a lot of bloody mayhem but there was also some darkness without the gore. It was a good balance of a book that alternates between a quick and slower pace. Additionally, there was an intensity of the horror being written without gore. Overall, everything balanced out this novella quite well.

The book ends with the most touching afterword, where Meyer really bears his soul. I agree that being a parent makes a certain part of the book extremely chilling. You will have to read it to find out… the three bonus stories at the the end of the novella were a real treat.

Daniel Volpe

Damn, that was good. This book started at full throttle and kept the accelerator pinned until the end. This book is one of loss, not only a physical one, but mental as well. Tim does a great job with blending dream scenes, reality and everything in-between. There's some great gore, but that's not the real horror. The real horror is in the decisions made by some of the characters. I can't wait to read more from Tim Meyer.

Craig Wesley Wall

The Switch House was an intense fever dream of a story. I haven't been this creeped out by a horror book in quite some time. Well done, Mr. Meyer!

Jeremy Hepler

The Switch House is a thrilling, suspenseful, plot-twisting ride. As well as creating relatable, sympathetic characters, Tim Meyer has a great handle on speeding up and slowing down the pace of Switch House at the perfect moments to keep the intrigue flowing and therefore the pages turning. This is the second book of his I've read, and from now on I'll read everything he churns out.

Cobwebby Reading Reindeer

Review: THE SWITCH HOUSE by Tim Meyer

Tim Meyer rocks! THE SWITCH HOUSE is fabulous! So many twists in this story! I never knew "what was up," because every time I got a grasp (or thought I did), Mr. Meyer yanked the rug out from under me. I don't like to compare fiction to cinema, but THE SWITCH HOUSE is, in flavor and in its twistiness, Twin Peaks-ish. You won't space out nor relax throughout this short novel: it's hard-driving, hard-charging, gory, scary (yes, extreme), and what the author does with his characters has to be read to be believed. Tim Meyer is a champion.

Jason Parent

A unique horror that starts off with what one might think a predictable premise, only to veer off in a strange and wonderful direction, packed with some wild imagery and solid writing. Recommended.

Iseult Murphy

Mind bending horror

Great horror novel with psychological, real life and folklore horror all mixed together to great effect.

The last few chapters really made the book for me.

FanFiAddict

8.0/10

Thanks to the author for a listening copy of The Switch House for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The Switch House is a mind-bending, psychological thrill-ride that is Trading Spaces meets Silent Hill. The pacing alone is enough to have you speed-reading this short novel in a lunch hour or two, but trying to figure out where Tim is ultimately taking you is the icing on the cake that allows the pages of this novel to fly by.

It is a solid haunted house story, but it is oh so much more than that. Nightmares, the occult, murder, and a constant creeping up the back of your neck.

Meyer is always solid when it comes to a genre-twisting read with a fantastic plot and great characters.

Steve Stred

***Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews***

This is my second go-around with one of Mr. Meyer’s releases (the first being KILL HILL CARNAGE) and all I can say is WOW! Tim is putting out some amazingly fun, gore-y, horror that will appeal to a wide scope of readers.

While the previously mentioned KILL HILL CARNAGE is a more straight-forward creature feature, The Switch House is that rare breed of horror; emotional.

This read has a straight forward premise – a grieving husband and wife are selected to appear on a reality TV series where they switch houses with another grieving person (in this case an elderly woman) to try and help them jump start the healing process.

What a great Hallmark TV movie right?

Wrong. Oh so very wrong.

The beauty of the writing/storytelling here, is that it continues to descend deeper and deeper into madness while bringing the reader further and further along in your emotional attachment to Angela (the main-main character). Every page pushes you to the brink, while letting you adjust your grip on the edge of the seat. As every chapter finishes, you find yourself glancing at the clock, knowing full well you will be reading another chapter.

A surprising thing I found with this tale, was that it is exceptionally dark and twisted, with very minimal full on gore, and that is refreshing. While I do love my gore and violence, feeling unsettled sometimes can be so much more disturbing than blood.

I have one minor annoyance from the reading, and that was the other main character (Angela’s husband) Terry. The character works well, but ultimately I think I wanted a bit more to relate to him and to how he reacts and acts throughout.

Lastly, Tim added on a few short stories afterwards, which is always a great bonus. I won’t go too far into them, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers about them, but I found them to read like the after-credits scenes of a good movie.

Overall this book is a must read and if it is currently on your TBR pile, move it far up the stack, and read it next. Tim has delivered once again, and I can’t wait to see what he serves up for us next.

Mindi

I finished The Switch House last night, and with every turn of the page I was surprised and horrified. The night I started reading it I stopped at about the halfway point because it was getting rather late, and I genuinely started to freak myself out while I was laying there, trying to fall asleep in the dark. It's been a while since a book made my mind go to places dark enough to keep me awake at night, and I almost gave up trying to sleep so that I could finish it. Eventually I fell asleep though, and I read the rest of the book last night in a page turning frenzy.

This short novel took me completely by surprise. It was creepy, unsettling, and at times downright disturbing. Angela and Terry are a married couple who are just returning to their home after filming a reality television show called Let's Switch Houses! However, something seems off about the house to Angela, and she begins to have terrifying nightmares and hallucinations. Is the house really tainted? Or is Angela losing her mind?

This story went to places that I never would have guessed. Meyer manages to force the reader to question everything that Angela sees and does, and there are some truly disturbing revelations near the end of the book. Meyer discusses his experience writing the book in an insightful Afterword, and it's clear he had to go to some dark places in his mind while writing the book. As an extra treat, there are 3 short stories included in the book at the end of the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed Meyer's short fiction as well. I'm looking forward to reading more from him in the future. I cannot recommend The Switch House enough.

Frank

I opened THE SWITCH HOUSE hoping to find fish. I like fish books. Its my thing. I read and read hoping to catch even a fleeting glimpse of a wriggling carp just below the surface. But Tim Meyer's THE SWITCH HOUSE offers only darkness, deceit and dastardly intents. There may (or may not) have been a goblin. There may (or may not) have been a cursed house. There was, without a doubt, a cast of disreputable characters. Trust no one, not even the fish.

I can say that THE SWITCH HOUSE, despite its lack of fish, is quite the horror thriller. It starts out quiet, slow paced. But then somewhere just past halfway (just when you're certain a fish will swim by) it kicks into full blown, page turning thriller mode. It twists and turns, keeping your assumptions off balance. And when it ends (without a single fish) it ends with a bleak bang.

The titular story is roughly novella length. Tim Meyer punches up the page count and adds value and depth to the book with the addition of three short stories at the end. Each vastly different from the other. Each a tasty nibble of the authors range and style. And in one of those, I just MIGHT have caught a glimpse of a fish out of the corner of my eye.

Nikki

This is a very well written book and I really enjoyed reading it. So many twists and turns and wasn’t quite sure what happened by the end. A lot of unanswered questions which I get is part of the authors plan for his book. But it makes me feel like I missed something, and I just may have. Perhaps I need to reread this one.

Justin M.

I really enjoyed this creepy read and thought the audiobook was very well done! The story was a blend of Tremblay's HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS meets the film DRAG ME TO HELL with a little bit of ROSEMARY'S BABY thrown in for good measure. I'll be checking out more from Tim Meyer!

Thomas

I found The Switch House while browsing some recommended titles through Kindle, and the price and the length of the book appealed to me, and when I checked out some short ratings and reviews, I figured it would be a good choice to start off my 2019 reads. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The premise is that a couple, having experienced the recent loss of a child, go on a reality TV show where they switch houses with someone else for six months. When they return to their own house, something feels wrong with it, and the horror (such as it is) develops out of that premise.

The author includes an afterword to the book, where he gives some history to the story that preceded it, and it seems like his whole idea of the horror of the book centers around what a parent could do to their own child. I agree that it should be more impactful than what otherwise populates a horror novel, like monsters or violence or gore, but Meyer misses it all together with this story. It doesn't have the resonance it should, so what ought to be a moment where the reader gasps instead turns out to be one where we just say "Huh." and move on.

Beyond that, the story is just poorly written. It's peppered with comma splices, relies more on telling than showing, and is full of descriptions that are overdone and treacly and full of cliches. At one point, he actually uses the phrase "What on God's green Earth ... ?", and I could hear my eyes rolling at it. Then there was this choice piece of overblown tripe:

She envisioned the woman's words having the power to open the walls and give birth to an ancient gateway, granting access to a fiery underworld harboring horned beasts and otherworldly creatures eagerly awaiting the flesh of God's precious, chosen creations.

(Emphasis mine.)

He describes burned flesh as looking like "excessively microwaved cheese", and repeatedly uses the phrase "dream goblin" without any irony or tongue in cheek. It's painful to read. I could go on with more examples, but I don't see the need in torturing anyone else with this prose.

(I should note that this novella comes with a handful of other short stories after the title story, but I didn't read any of them.)

I see a lot of four- and five-star reviews for the book, and I honestly don't get it. I feel like I read a different story than everyone else did, because there's nothing I can find in this story that redeems it.

Title	:	The Switch House
Author	:	Tim Meyer
Rating	:
ISBN	:	1732399352
ISBN-10	:	9781732399358
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Hardcover
Number of Pages	:	160
Publication	:	First published July 26, 2018

The Switch House Reviews

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