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It Will Just Be Us

A Novel
3.62 goodreads logo

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( 1,945 ratings, 496 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
It Will Just Be Us is a chilling gothic horror novel by Jo Kaplan that explores the eerie life of two sisters living in a decaying ancestral mansion on the edge of a swamp. Sam Wakefield struggles with the haunting memories and phantoms within the labyrinthine halls of Wakefield house. When her pregnant sister Elizabeth moves in following a marital rift, supernatural tensions escalate, marked by the sinister appearance of a faceless boy ghost linked to a locked, forgotten room. As Elizabeth's due date nears, Sam must confront these dark secrets before new life brings more terror to the house marked by death.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for fans of gothic horror and supernatural thrillers, especially those who appreciate the atmospheric and unsettling storytelling reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Readers who enjoy psychological depth intertwined with chilling ghost stories will find this novel compelling.

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Struggling to maintain her sanity in the haunted corners and memory-laden passages of her decaying ancestral home, Sam takes in her pregnant sister before the appearance of a knife-wielding ghost boy reveals dangerous family secrets.

A terrifying new gothic horror novel about two sisters and a haunted house that never sleeps, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

It Will Just Be Us is a terrifying new gothic horror novel about two sisters and a haunted house that never sleeps, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

A terrifying supernatural thriller, It Will Just Be Us delves deep into the bond between sisters and the shadows that haunt their ancestral home.

"A triumph of gothic fiction. Haunting and addictive... A must-read for horror fans." – Darcy Coates, USA Today Bestselling author

They say there's a door in Wakefield that never opens...

Sam Wakefield's ancestral home, a decaying mansion built on the edge of a swamp, isn't a place for children. Its labyrinthine halls, constructed by her mad ancestors, are filled with echoes of the past: ghosts and memories knotted together as one. In the presence of phantoms, it's all Sam can do to disentangle past from present in her daily life.

But when her pregnant sister Elizabeth moves in after a fight with her husband, something in the house shifts. Already navigating her tumultuous relationship with Elizabeth, Sam is even more unsettled by the appearance of a new ghost: a faceless boy who commits disturbing acts—threatening animals, terrorizing other children, and following Sam into the depths of the house wielding a knife. When it becomes clear the boy is connected to a locked, forgotten room, one which is never entered, Sam realises this ghost is not like the others. This boy brings doom...

As Elizabeth's due date approaches, Sam must unravel the mysteries of Wakefield before her sister brings new life into a house marked by death. But as the faceless boy grows stronger, Sam will learn that some doors should stay closed—and some secrets are safer locked away forever.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

It Will Just Be Us has been praised as a rich, dense supernatural thriller (Publishers Weekly) and a fantastic ghost story recommended to be read in daylight (Manhattan Book Review). It is described as an atmospheric, clever novel that appeals beyond traditional horror fans (HorrorDNA), and reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's style with its miasma of insanity and witchery (Fangoria). Readers will find it highly suspenseful, haunting, and a modern Gothic masterpiece (Bram Stoker Award-winning author John Palisano).

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781643854496

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 08 September 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: Crooked Lane Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 161.0mm

Height: 242.0mm

Weight: 448g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Jo Kaplan writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area with much encouragement from her husband and two cats. Her fiction (as Joanna Parypinski) has appeared in Black Static, Nightmare Magazine, Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton, New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry, Vastarien, the Nightscript series, and publishers such as Independent Legions. She teaches English and creative writing at Glendale Community College, where she also plays cello in the GCC orchestra.

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