Light Under the House is the saga of an American family–the Levis, a family of secrets. None greater than the secret of what lies under their house, a secret that could destroy them. A secret that an ancient evil will stop at nothing to uncover. The novel follows the Levi family line for a generation, creating a story that explores lives lived in the aftermath of the cultural rebellion of the late 1960’s. It is a historical fiction novel that shows the power of consequence and the hope of redemption. Most of all, it is a story about fathers and their children.
This book was actually a review request directly from the author. I will be completely honest here, I had no clue what the book was about when I accepted it. I just knew that I LOVED the cover with its almost comedic horror feel. I couldn’t really judge it based on the synopsis because it is vague at best and doesn’t really even tell you what type of book it is. Well, if you like historical fiction, religious fiction, religious history, paranormal fiction, sci-fi fantasy, horror, suspense thrillers or any combination of the above, you’ll love Light Under the House. Confusing right? I know!! Just trust me on this. Light Under the House has a little bit of everything.
I have been reading thrillers and the like since I was very young and that has resulted in a jaded attitude towards suspense novels. Not that I don’t still enjoy them but the majority of them just don’t give me goose bumps anymore. Once in a great while, a gem will come along that has a really well written scene or a paragraph that really gets me on the edge of my seat but for the most part, you cant get me. Light Under the House came out of the gate with a chapter that made me cringe and gasp in horror. It’s not exactly filled with the things that go bump in the night the subject matter in this book will still get your hackles up.
Although I am not a religious person, I still thoroughly enjoy theology. Dig back through any religion and you will find some of the most incredible “stories” ever written. All through history, man has done some pretty incredible things – both wonderful and horrifying – in the name of their God. Light Under the House gives you a glimpse into this on a few different levels. The mystery that is woven into the many intersecting storylines of this book is quiet gripping and kept me moving through this book to find out where it all leads.
The only negative thing that I really have to say about this book is if you suffer from A.D.D., this book may not be for you. Although it is a great story, there are so many storylines crossing paths with one another that it’s rather difficult to keep the who’s who straight by the time you hit the 50% mark. The fix for this problem would be a simple one too – mark it for the readers somehow. I would suggest that the author give the chapters a “sub-title”. For example: Name the chapter “Chapter 19: John Smith, 1962”. It would make it a lot easier on the readers if we could differentiate where the chapter picks up because not only are we leapfrogging across character storylines but the book starts off in ancient Jerusalem and climbs up through time. It starts to get a little hard to keep track of. I found that it only really became a problem when I got to the point where I would read a bit and put it down until the next day. When I picked it up again, I’d have to read back to remember whose story I was on and when their story takes place.
However, in spite of that one suggestion, I thought that Light Under the House was a wonderful book. As I said before, it combines several genres to create one hell of a mysterious ride. If you have the time to dedicate, this would be a great read-me-straight-through-to-the-end-in-one-sitting kind of book. This would eliminate the chance of the storylines and time jumping getting too confusing. It’s a great mystery/horror/fantasy/etc-fiction that I think a lot of people would really enjoy reading.
Overall, I give Light Under the House a solid 3.5 stars. A high 3.5. Really pushing the boundries of a 4 but not quite there yet.
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