Worry Box, by Chris Panatier

Haunted houses are a classical trope in the horror genre, so at this point, I approach this premise with a bit of skepticism, focusing on the execution and how the authors give their own twist on it; Chris Panatier manages to do something really interesting, giving the house its own voice and character, all while we experience through the eyes of the family members how everything becomes much more complicated, preying on their fears and experiences.

The Martins think they have found the perfect house for their growing family; they settle together in this house in Tumble Hills, and for a time, things seem to be working well, especially with their foster child, Lailah. However, things start unraveling, Lailah's intrusive thoughts becoming more intense; strange things are happening and putting the members in danger, threatening to break the trust between the family, trying to find who is to blame.

However, here's the first twist that makes Panatier's writing quite remarkable, as we see how the house has its own memories; not good ones, to be fair, and at some point, you could understand how it reads Lailah's intrusive thoughts and the fear of repeating the past moves it to act. The children might perceive what's happening, but again, who is going to believe two children talking about ghosts?
And well, even if we can see how Nathan and Allison, the parents, love their children, it is true that fear can crack those bonds, especially with Lailah's past. Panatier explores the psychological tension that appears between the members of the family, how the suspicions grow in the background, choosing sides until the inevitable conclusion.

The atmosphere is really well done, using this setting to create a growing tension among the parts of the family, while simultaneously, we see a house that is becoming more desperate to send that erroneous message in its head. It's not an excessively fast book, but I feel this pacing suits well this story.

Worry Box is a well-rounded novel, a great choice if you are looking for a different take on the haunted house idea, putting the emphasis on the interpersonal relationships and how fear can crack many minds. A really enjoyable novel by Chris Panatier!