Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: The House at the End of the Street
AUTHOR: Stephanie E. Kusiak
PUBLISHER: Sapphire Books Publishing
LENGTH: 201 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 01, 2016
BLURB:
Natalie Hargrove, a previously accomplished artist, and Caitlin Cassidy should never have met. After all, Caitlin was only a twelve-year-old girl when Natalie was already dead and gone. But they did meet, and it was that dramatic encounter in the house at the end of the street that changed their lives forever. The moment was so powerful, so important, that it drew Caitlin, now a renowned novelist, back to her hometown twenty years later to seek out Natalie’s ghost. Taking up refuge in the dark, broken house, Caitlin believes that getting back to her roots and to the bottom of her experience with the ghost will somehow help heal the wounds her life has brought her.
Against the backdrop of a Victorian mansion, a story unlike any other unfolds between Caitlin and Natalie, and leaves them with one lingering question: even if love is enough to bridge the gap between life and death, is it enough to keep a ghost from passing on?
REVIEW:
The very idea of life after death, the spirit world and whether or not ghosts exist fascinates me, so I was excited to receive a copy of this story for review purposes.
Despite reading the blurb first, I still really had no idea what to expect. The writing and characterization is beautifully done. There were times while reading the story I envisioned the popular movie Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. However the story is far from the same.
If you have a problem with suspending belief, or even opening up your mind to the possibility of being able to interact with a ghost, this is not the story for you. Especially as a large part of this story is told through the ‘eyes’ of Natalie. I finger quoted the word eyes as a number of times the literal use of the word tossed me out of the story. I quote one example … her eyes were sitting on Caitlin.
Getting to know both characters was a great ride. I couldn’t wait to find out why Natalie was trapped between worlds, or how she met her demise. And the reveal of such broke my heart. I liked that the story wasn’t predictable.
The ending came as a huge surprise and confused the heck out of me. Again, I think peoples’ belief systems will dictate what they make of it.
Kudos to the author for writing a book so far out of the norm, and possibly a hard sell. Despite my misgivings about the ending, it’s extremely well written and engaging.
RATING: 
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