Encore Book of the Month: The Good House

I think it goes without saying we had a very nice discussion of the novel. Thanks to Angela for moderating and developing some thought-provoking questions. The Good House by Tananarive Due was well received in 2009 when the group originally read it and garnered an even higher rating this time around - averaging 4.8-stars making it THE highest rated book we've read collectively in 2016!!

We welcomed our guest, Monica, who came to check out the group. Hopefully we'll see her again at upcoming events. Janie also attended and shared her views on the topics presented in the novel.

Remember: Even if you missed the meeting, you can still submit your comments and ratings to the group via the forum.

Here's a brief recap of our thoughts:

Seante' was unable to make the meeting, but read and moderated the book back in 2009 rating it 5-stars.

Adrian: 4-stars. She really enjoyed the writing style, the suspenseful, elements of vodou, and the acknowledgement of our African roots. Lynda: 5-stars. She appreciated multiple themes in book, nod to the struggles women have, liked the suspense, and found it well written. Angela: 5-stars. Well written, kept her in suspense, learned about the vodou religion. Kept her interested in using herbs to heal the body. Phyllis: Read in 2003, rated it 5-stars back then and wrote an Amazon.com review for it (see below).

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The Good House is a Good Story! By Mocha Girl - September 21, 2003

Tananarive Due gets better and better with each release! Her latest novel, The Good House, examines the consequences of misusing magic and the power of heritage and family.

The story is set in the remote town of Sacajawea, Washington where in the early 1900's, Marie Touissant relocates from Louisiana guided by her inner voice to a place that can be described in modern terms as the "epicenter of the sprit world". Marie is a trained, experienced, favored vodou priestess and often uses her powers to help and heal others. Through a series of events, Marie (in anger) misuses her talents, is abandoned by the "good" spirits for her actions, and unleashes a vengeful, unrelenting evil spirit that is determined to destroy her and her progeny. Marie watches helplessly as her daughter is possessed and tormented by the spirit. She patiently waits for the opportunity to redeem herself but time is not her friend and she passes before she can banish the spirit.

Fast forward to present day. Marie's granddaughter, Angela, is clueless about her grandmother's secrets; but when tragedy strikes at the family home (The Good House) and a destructive pattern emerges at the expense of her loved ones, she begins to suspect and believe that there is no such thing as coincidence. She must quickly discover the cause of these bizarre fatalities, her dead grandmother's role in it, and a method of containing or eradicating the evil before it consumes her and all her loved ones.

This book is a suspenseful page-turner from beginning to end. It is wonderfully conceived and superbly written!! Due exhibits great expertise when she weaves together the spiritual aspects (Christianity, Vodou, Native American and African/Caribbean spiritualism), the history of the great Northwest, racial sensitivities, and family values. It is my opinion that very few authors could have blended such a diverse set of topics so brilliantly. Keep `em coming, Ms. Due....we can't get enough!!

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