New Arrival: One by One by D. W. Gillespie

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” she says Hill House is not only an “unkind house” but that the house “watches every move [Eleanor and company] make.” Eleanor even says that she herself is “like a small creature swallowed whole by a monster” when in Hill House. In Jackson’s novel and in many haunted house movies since, the house, the building, in question is given anthropomorphic qualities, becoming not just a character but the villain, the monster that swallows up whoever enters its doors. Jackson’s point seems to be that houses like Hill House seem to spring up from the earth corrupted, while others, like the house in D. W. Gillespie’s One By One, become evil due to what happens within their walls.  

The formula for this story should be very familiar to most: family buys a house that’s too good to be true but soon discover the horrible events that led to such a great deal. There are some unusual circumstances that gradually become more disturbing and more dangerous until even the hardcore skeptic must face the fact that their house is the monster that has swallowed them up. Frank Easton is excited about the chance to fix up the family’s new house, even if the other family members have their own trepidations. Mom Debra fears this is another of Frank’s pie-in-the-sky dreams. Teenage son Dean, alternating between surly and sweet throughout the novel, just wants to get back to his friends. It is young Alice, the POV character, who suspects something is wrong in this house. She discovers a childish painting of a family where each member eventually will have a crude X marked through them. She has terrifying nightmares. She hears strange noises. She also finds out about the family that lived here before, ultimately unraveling the mystery of the house before whatever lurks in its hallways decided to digest her family and spit them out.

The story doesn’t exactly break new ground in the haunted house genre, but One By One is still a fun read. Alice, at times, seems too smart for ten years old, but she also does well as a sympathetic character, especially when she’s the only one who seems aware of the danger they’re in. Oddly enough, another interesting character that Mary learns about is the daughter of the family that lived there before. Mary is revealed through pages in a diary, but Alice’s imagination is what truly brings her to life. Rather than torment Alice, Mary becomes Alice’s best friend and emotional support system despite both girls existing years apart from each other. There’s a mystery in One By One that I don’t want to spoil because unraveling the mystery with Alice is part of the fun, but be warned: those expecting a breezy haunted house tale may be struck with some of the story’s themes of physical and emotional trauma. One By One doesn’t shy away from the fact that even those who may escape the belly of a haunted house might still feel like they’re trapped long after they’ve escaped its walls.