Guest post written by At The Bottom of the Garden author Camilla Bruce
Camilla Bruce is a Norwegian writer of speculative and historical fiction. She has a master’s degree in comparative literature and has co-run a small press that published dark fairy tales. Camilla currently lives in Trondheim with her son and cat.
About At The Bottom of the Garden: A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing gothic novel from acclaimed author Camilla Bruce.
Sometimes, in life as well as in novels, a house isn’t just a house. It takes on a life and an identity of its own, colored by the memories of what has happened inside its walls, as well as the people who live there. Some houses become coveted treasures, others mausoleums for the dead. Some houses turn into traps, snaring the inhabitants inside. These special houses can be haunted, but sometimes their power comes from what they represent. Some of them shout loudly about how extraordinary they are, while others only show their true colors slowly and over time.
For instance, all the houses in all of my books – from hovels to castles – start out as a blueprint of my grandparents’ house. I don’t know when or why it happened, but I always begin with that specific house, the way that it looked in my childhood, then I add and subtract rooms as needed. All the kitchens in my work are incarnations of my grandmother’s kitchen, though, considering what kind of books I write, I’m not sure how happy she would have been about that. Since it became my go-to, her poor kitchen has seen a plethora of murder, ghosts and monsters, but also – to be fair – quite a few housekeepers, which I don’t think she would have minded all that much.
Clearly, to me, that house is the house. It’s what my mind turns to when told to invent a house. Maybe it’s a shortcut – an easy tool for a lazy writer’s brain – or maybe there is something deeper at work: I still dream about that house, a lot. Maybe it has put down roots in my subconscious and taken on a life of its own? Just a thought.
In my new novel, At the Bottom of the Garden, the special house is called Crescent Hill, and the antagonist, Clara Woods, is willing to cross quite a few lines to get her sticky mittens on it. It’s not quite a gothic mansion in size, but it does have the flair, with its carved wooden stairs, overgrown garden and collection of taxidermy animals. The outer walls are painted cyan blue. It also holds secrets – lots of them – which is the most important thing for a gothic house.
Here are some other novels with powerful houses that the characters are willing to fight, live, die – and even kill – for.
The September House by Carissa Orlando
Margaret’s house on Hawthorn Street is not like other houses. It is already inhabited when she and her husband, Hal, move in. There is a man in a cupboard; a pack of mangled kids; a mostly helpful housekeeper, and something – or someone – horrible lurking in the basement. Margaret doesn’t mind though. It is her house, and she means to stay. She has made a set of rules for co-habiting with the dead, and is convinced that as long as she doesn’t break them, everything will be fine. Then Hal suddenly disappears, causing her estranged daughter to come home, just in time for September: the house’s worst season, complete with bleeding walls and horrific screams in the night. Margaret doesn’t want her daughter to know what is going on, but is it possible to shield her? And what, exactly, happened to Hal? This house wears its secrets on its sleeves, but still keeps a few of them hidden. Maybe the biggest mystery of them all is where Margaret ends and the house begins, as the lines between them keeps blurring.
The Beloveds by Maureen Lindley
Ever since the day her younger sister, Gloria, was born, Betty Stash’s life has been ruined. Gloria is everything Betty is not: beautiful, radiant, kind and charming – honey to Betty’s vinegar and salt. Over the years, and without a second thought, she has taken everything from Betty, including her best friend and her husband to-be. Betty’s jealousy and resentment runs deep, but she has one card up her sleeve: Pipits, the family home, has always loved Betty back. She and the house have a special bond that nothing in this world can break. The house even talks to Betty through the walls. So when their mother dies, leaving the house to Gloria, who can blame Betty for being irked? Facing this final indignity, she takes up arms, deciding to fight for what is hers, and soon she has irrevocably crossed the line to the point of no return. This house is powerfully entwined with its person, both as a symbol and a source of love, and if you – like me – don’t mind a complex and unsympathetic protagonist, The Beloveds might just be your cup of tea.
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
Ana and Reid are reeling from the difficult birth of their daughter, which left Ana in a wheelchair, when they catch an unexpected break: The two of them have won a lottery where the prize is an affordable apartment in the prestigious Deptford building, complete with stunning architecture and a view of Central Park. It almost seems too good to be true. Navigating new parenthood and Ana’s disability is hard, though. So hard that it takes a while for them to notice the strangeness lurking in the corners of their new home. The neighbors are pretty eccentric, true, and the gargoyles adorning the building are creepy – but you are willing to put up with a lot for the apartment of your dreams. There is no explaining away the needle-like marks on baby Charlie, though, or the sudden disappearance of visitors to their home. This house is like a hive, with many individuals living together in a complex structure. It is undoubtedly beautiful; an object of desire and the fulfilment of a dream. But what is truly hiding behind its delectable walls?
The Underhistory by Kaaron Warren
Pera Sinclair is the only survivor after her family home was the target of an attack by airplane. She has spent the years since trying to coming to terms with what happened, and also rebuilding Sinclair House into a perfect replica of the house that was lost. Every room of the house holds memories of the past, which Pera – now an elderly woman – gladly shares on the tours she offers in the building. During the last tour of the season, a group of escaped convicts appears and join the group, looking for valuables to steal. Pera realizes at once who they are, but must continue the tour as not to endanger the young children present. As the tour continues, the past and the present are woven together, while Pera prepares to protect Sinclair House – its secrets and memories – from yet another attack. This house is both a memorial and a mausoleum, keeping Pera’s past alive.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
No list of beguiling houses is complete without a mention of this classic. Without the existence of this novel, we might not have had so many other books about bewitching houses to enjoy. There is a reason why it’s still being widely read – I, for one, didn’t feel normal for a week after cracking its cover for the first time. Maybe it’s the setting: a group of sensitives of various flavors who come together to conduct an experiment, or maybe it’s Elanor: a protagonist that is so painfully sad and insecure that it’s impossible not to feel something for her. Or, maybe it’s just Hill House with its many – shifting – rooms, and the way it subtly seduces with a promise of belonging and home. Whatever the reason, this novel will forever hold the power to send chills down even the sturdiest of spines, and make you look twice (twice) at the shadows in your own home.
