The Fall

The Fall 
By Bethany Griffin
Greenwillow Books, 2014. 420 pgs. Young Adult

Madeline and her twin brother Roderick are the last in a long line of Ushers, growing up in the very haunted House of Usher. Madeline knows the House wants to keep her and her brother there forever, at any cost. Can Madeline save her brother, and maybe herself, before the House drives them to madness?

“The Fall of the House of Usher” is one of the most popular short stories Edgar Allan Poe ever wrote. This retelling and fleshing-out of the story from Madeline’s point of view made for a book unlike any I have ever read before. The novel jumps around to different events in Madeline’s life, and does not tell her story in a linear fashion. At first, I found this disorienting and even a little upsetting, until I realized that is exactly how this book is supposed to make you feel. After that, I enjoyed letting the book take me on a very creepy, atmospheric, and truly frightening adventure. A perfect Halloween read.

LC