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Model Home
Welcome to Rivers Solomon's dark and wondrous Model Home, a new kind of haunted-house novel.
The three Maxwell siblings keep their distance from the lily-white gated enclave outside Dallas where they grew up. When their family moved there, they were the only Black family in the neighborhood. The neighbors acted nice enough, but right away bad things, scary things—the strange and the unexplainable—began to happen in their house. Maybe it was some cosmic trial, a demonic rite of passage into the upper-middle class. Whatever it was, the Maxwells, steered by their formidable mother, stayed put, unwilling to abandon their home, terrors and trauma be damned.
As adults, the siblings could finally get away from the horrors of home, leaving their parents all alone in the house. But when news of their parents' death arrives, Ezri is forced to return to Texas with their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle, to reckon with their family’s past and present, and to find out what happened while they were away. It was not a “natural” death for their parents . . . but was it supernatural?
Rivers Solomon turns the haunted-house story on its head, unearthing the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. Unbridled, raw, and daring, Model Home is the story of secret histories uncovered, and of a queer family battling for their right to live, grieve, and heal amid the terrors of contemporary American life.
The three Maxwell siblings keep their distance from the lily-white gated enclave outside Dallas where they grew up. When their family moved there, they were the only Black family in the neighborhood. The neighbors acted nice enough, but right away bad things, scary things—the strange and the unexplainable—began to happen in their house. Maybe it was some cosmic trial, a demonic rite of passage into the upper-middle class. Whatever it was, the Maxwells, steered by their formidable mother, stayed put, unwilling to abandon their home, terrors and trauma be damned.
As adults, the siblings could finally get away from the horrors of home, leaving their parents all alone in the house. But when news of their parents' death arrives, Ezri is forced to return to Texas with their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle, to reckon with their family’s past and present, and to find out what happened while they were away. It was not a “natural” death for their parents . . . but was it supernatural?
Rivers Solomon turns the haunted-house story on its head, unearthing the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. Unbridled, raw, and daring, Model Home is the story of secret histories uncovered, and of a queer family battling for their right to live, grieve, and heal amid the terrors of contemporary American life.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2024
About the author
Rivers Solomon
18 books3,647 followersRivers Solomon writes about life in the margins, where they are much at home. They live on a small isle off the coast of the Eurasian continent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,023 reviews
September 3, 2024
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3.5 Stars
I really liked this book, it was very intelligently written and I so appreciate the LGBTQ representation as I am an ally. The writing was lovely but not wordy and it was a very unique take on the Haunted House trope. This one is not for the faint of heart as there are a lot of triggers here but I'm not going to go into them so I don't go into spoilers territory. There are so many social issues in this story abuse, racism and classism to name but a few.
The bond of the siblings, especially towards the end, really made this book about family and ultimately that's what the book is about. Mental illness and suicide issues were written realistically and respectfully, I liked how the author did that.
I loved the ending, it was haunting but not in the way you might think. I admit that the book isn't for everyone but I loved the writing style, characters and ending very much. What or who is the real monster in this house? It's literary fiction at its finest, I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
The Book Review Crew Blog
3.5 Stars
I really liked this book, it was very intelligently written and I so appreciate the LGBTQ representation as I am an ally. The writing was lovely but not wordy and it was a very unique take on the Haunted House trope. This one is not for the faint of heart as there are a lot of triggers here but I'm not going to go into them so I don't go into spoilers territory. There are so many social issues in this story abuse, racism and classism to name but a few.
The bond of the siblings, especially towards the end, really made this book about family and ultimately that's what the book is about. Mental illness and suicide issues were written realistically and respectfully, I liked how the author did that.
I loved the ending, it was haunting but not in the way you might think. I admit that the book isn't for everyone but I loved the writing style, characters and ending very much. What or who is the real monster in this house? It's literary fiction at its finest, I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
January 16, 2025
Beautifully written, haunting, depressing, dark- Model Home packs a punch. It’s an allegorical haunted house story with a very cerebral, stream of consciousness writing style. My first by Solomon but definitely won’t be my last!!
“She’s going places. I’m going to die.”
“I can't really live because I can't let things die.”
“Even when you fight with everything you have to escape the house, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because outside the house, is just as bad as inside the house.”
“She’s going places. I’m going to die.”
“I can't really live because I can't let things die.”
“Even when you fight with everything you have to escape the house, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because outside the house, is just as bad as inside the house.”
February 2, 2025
Creepy, eerie, heart-wrenching, bleak, dark, and extremely thought-provoking! These are the first adjectives that come to mind after finishing the final page of the book and exhaling after holding my breath for so long. The last chapters are definitely a punch to the face, and the situations the characters go through are almost impossible to digest.
The story revolves around Ezri (they/them pronouns) and sisters Eve and Emmanuelle, the Maxwell siblings, who have grown estranged from their parents. They lived in a lily-white, gated enclave in Dallas, running away from a tragic childhood that affected them in different ways.
Ezri, raising their fourteen-year-old daughter Elijah alone, suffers from depression, haunted by ghosts from the past that won’t let them live in peace. Meanwhile, their disciplined, controlled, high-achiever sister Eve is raising her twins alone in Texas, and their youngest sister Emmanuelle is shining as a rising star on social media.
The unexplainable events from their childhood home left both invisible and physically painful scars. They thought the house was haunted, but no one believed them when they tried to speak up. As the only Black family in a wealthy, white, privileged neighborhood, they always felt like outsiders.
Now, as they approach middle age, the siblings are forced to return to their nightmare home after their parents die under suspicious circumstances, presumed to be a suicide pact. But why did they take their lives when there were no signs of mental health issues or any other concrete reason—besides the house itself?
The Maxwell siblings must confront decades-long secrets buried within the house. Were they haunted by something supernatural that damaged their psychological well-being, or was it something more sinister, like monsters in human clothing?
Ezri has been dealing with guilt for years, struggling with their gender identity, being on the spectrum, and expressing their emotions through art. But they also wonder if something is wrong with them. Have they been carrying the ghosts of the house as vessels, harming their own family? Was the faceless lady just a figment of their imagination, or was she real and responsible for harming their sisters? Most importantly, who killed their parents? Could Ezri have had something to do with their deaths? Is that why they keep their daughter at a distance, afraid of what they’re capable of?
Overall, this is a dark, bleak, and highly thought-provoking thriller, intertwined with a dysfunctional family drama that touches on triggering subjects like rape, emotional and physical abuse, and mental health issues. It’s a story that may divide readers into two camps—those who love it and those who don’t. I’m definitely in the camp of likers! I found this intense, emotionally exhausting, and smartly twisted story about siblings deeply gripping. It’s one of the most attention-grabbing books of the year, and I highly recommend you don’t miss it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sharing this mind-blowing digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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The story revolves around Ezri (they/them pronouns) and sisters Eve and Emmanuelle, the Maxwell siblings, who have grown estranged from their parents. They lived in a lily-white, gated enclave in Dallas, running away from a tragic childhood that affected them in different ways.
Ezri, raising their fourteen-year-old daughter Elijah alone, suffers from depression, haunted by ghosts from the past that won’t let them live in peace. Meanwhile, their disciplined, controlled, high-achiever sister Eve is raising her twins alone in Texas, and their youngest sister Emmanuelle is shining as a rising star on social media.
The unexplainable events from their childhood home left both invisible and physically painful scars. They thought the house was haunted, but no one believed them when they tried to speak up. As the only Black family in a wealthy, white, privileged neighborhood, they always felt like outsiders.
Now, as they approach middle age, the siblings are forced to return to their nightmare home after their parents die under suspicious circumstances, presumed to be a suicide pact. But why did they take their lives when there were no signs of mental health issues or any other concrete reason—besides the house itself?
The Maxwell siblings must confront decades-long secrets buried within the house. Were they haunted by something supernatural that damaged their psychological well-being, or was it something more sinister, like monsters in human clothing?
Ezri has been dealing with guilt for years, struggling with their gender identity, being on the spectrum, and expressing their emotions through art. But they also wonder if something is wrong with them. Have they been carrying the ghosts of the house as vessels, harming their own family? Was the faceless lady just a figment of their imagination, or was she real and responsible for harming their sisters? Most importantly, who killed their parents? Could Ezri have had something to do with their deaths? Is that why they keep their daughter at a distance, afraid of what they’re capable of?
Overall, this is a dark, bleak, and highly thought-provoking thriller, intertwined with a dysfunctional family drama that touches on triggering subjects like rape, emotional and physical abuse, and mental health issues. It’s a story that may divide readers into two camps—those who love it and those who don’t. I’m definitely in the camp of likers! I found this intense, emotionally exhausting, and smartly twisted story about siblings deeply gripping. It’s one of the most attention-grabbing books of the year, and I highly recommend you don’t miss it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sharing this mind-blowing digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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October 25, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/y9h_dc_MtCo
This novel started our slow but quickly grew into a suspenseful read that I didn't want to stop. I'm not someone who normally likes haunted house stories but this one worked because the focus really wasn't about this house.
This novel also leans heavily into social commentary and representation for black, queer neurodiverse individuals. The author does not shy away from those aspects but instead weaves them into the narrative. The story was also surprisingly adult with plenty of “adult situations”. I find it refreshing when author's don't sensor themselves.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review https://youtu.be/y9h_dc_MtCo
This novel started our slow but quickly grew into a suspenseful read that I didn't want to stop. I'm not someone who normally likes haunted house stories but this one worked because the focus really wasn't about this house.
This novel also leans heavily into social commentary and representation for black, queer neurodiverse individuals. The author does not shy away from those aspects but instead weaves them into the narrative. The story was also surprisingly adult with plenty of “adult situations”. I find it refreshing when author's don't sensor themselves.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
December 29, 2024
I can see why some people love this book. I am not some people. I found it to be overly rhetorical and metaphorical, and I had no idea what was happening in the story at any given moment. Sometimes beautiful language doesn’t make for a good story, and this was one of those times for me.
July 21, 2024
How cruel that our parents, unexorcisable, go on inside of us. How cruel that we cannot disimbricate their ghosts from our being.
I think this is one of those stories where the less you know the better so I’ll keep this review short and sweet.
When Ezri gets a text from her younger sister telling her that she needs to come home immediately—back to her parents Texas estate—she enters back in to a house of horrors that she hoped to never return to. This is literary horror at its finest. It provides an enticing, fresh new twist on the haunted house trope, using the house as a vehicle to explore deeply buried trauma.
Luscious, lyrical prose brings this intense, gritty story to life. Beautifully haunting, the dread and tension palpable—nothing ever feels quite right—it’s a highbrow, fever dream of a story that is guaranteed to knock readers off of their feet.
Meditations on racism, mental illness, complex familial relationships and generational trauma, and queerness—specifically transness and gender fluidity. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Is it me who haunts, me who is the ghost?
Thank you Farrah, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 10/01/2024! *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*
I think this is one of those stories where the less you know the better so I’ll keep this review short and sweet.
When Ezri gets a text from her younger sister telling her that she needs to come home immediately—back to her parents Texas estate—she enters back in to a house of horrors that she hoped to never return to. This is literary horror at its finest. It provides an enticing, fresh new twist on the haunted house trope, using the house as a vehicle to explore deeply buried trauma.
Luscious, lyrical prose brings this intense, gritty story to life. Beautifully haunting, the dread and tension palpable—nothing ever feels quite right—it’s a highbrow, fever dream of a story that is guaranteed to knock readers off of their feet.
Meditations on racism, mental illness, complex familial relationships and generational trauma, and queerness—specifically transness and gender fluidity. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Is it me who haunts, me who is the ghost?
Thank you Farrah, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 10/01/2024! *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*
October 14, 2024
A creepy, contemporary horror story that explores trauma through a haunted house.
When a Black family from New York moves into an all white gated community in Texas, the children of the family, especially oldest child Ezri, experience unexplainable phenomenon that leave them traumatized and feeling silenced. Years later after the death of their parents, the siblings return to the home to reckon with their present loss and past experiences to potentially worse consequences.
This is my first time reading from Rivers Solomon and it won’t be the last. Their prose was excellent. Very clear and thoughtful decisions on a sentence level that contributed to an overall very engaging storytelling experience. On top of that, there are so many layers to this story thematically—of gender, parents vs. children, race, identity and more—that take this beyond just a haunted house story.
My only complaint is the ending and resolution felt a bit abrupt. I would’ve liked a bit more time at the climax of the story to explore the fallout, especially the inner thoughts of our main character. It was quite short for something with so much build up (which I did enjoy).
All in all though I flew through this one. I thought the story was compelling and page-turning and made me want to explore more of their writing.
When a Black family from New York moves into an all white gated community in Texas, the children of the family, especially oldest child Ezri, experience unexplainable phenomenon that leave them traumatized and feeling silenced. Years later after the death of their parents, the siblings return to the home to reckon with their present loss and past experiences to potentially worse consequences.
This is my first time reading from Rivers Solomon and it won’t be the last. Their prose was excellent. Very clear and thoughtful decisions on a sentence level that contributed to an overall very engaging storytelling experience. On top of that, there are so many layers to this story thematically—of gender, parents vs. children, race, identity and more—that take this beyond just a haunted house story.
My only complaint is the ending and resolution felt a bit abrupt. I would’ve liked a bit more time at the climax of the story to explore the fallout, especially the inner thoughts of our main character. It was quite short for something with so much build up (which I did enjoy).
All in all though I flew through this one. I thought the story was compelling and page-turning and made me want to explore more of their writing.
August 25, 2024
All my horror evaluations now are about vibes/plot balance. More and more it feels like getting the balance right matters. There is no one correct balance, it varies by book, but it has to be balanced. I was totally on board with the vibes/plot balance of this book, which definitely leans more towards vibes. That was its strength, the looseness of it. And I was so ready to have this different approach to a haunted house novel, one that actually seemed to bring a smart social horror eye to boot. Aaaaand then the plot had to go and ruin it.
I know that horror stories totally collapsing in the final act is so common it's cliche, but rarely have I seen it collapse this much. Took everything I liked about the book and threw it out in favor of explanations. The best horror, imo, does not explain everything! The mystery of it, the lack of an explanation is part of what makes the really scary stuff scary. But if you're going to explain it, please don't do it like this.
I think I get what Solomon is going for. They are very interested in trauma and horror is a great genre to explore that. But I actually felt like we already had plenty of trauma thank you without having to throw in the additional traumas of the ending. Solomon is such an interesting writer but they also can feel like a maximalist. I was starting to feel like this was really the one where they were going to take it up a level so I was extra disappointed.
Piles of content warnings for this one.
I know that horror stories totally collapsing in the final act is so common it's cliche, but rarely have I seen it collapse this much. Took everything I liked about the book and threw it out in favor of explanations. The best horror, imo, does not explain everything! The mystery of it, the lack of an explanation is part of what makes the really scary stuff scary. But if you're going to explain it, please don't do it like this.
I think I get what Solomon is going for. They are very interested in trauma and horror is a great genre to explore that. But I actually felt like we already had plenty of trauma thank you without having to throw in the additional traumas of the ending. Solomon is such an interesting writer but they also can feel like a maximalist. I was starting to feel like this was really the one where they were going to take it up a level so I was extra disappointed.
Piles of content warnings for this one.
November 26, 2024
A brutal, brilliant, unsettling masterpiece that upends the typical haunted house novel. The story focuses on Ezri and their two sisters, who grew up in a McMansion in a white suburb of Dallas, where strange and increasingly terrible inexplicable things happened. There's a lot here about trauma, memory, racism/segregation, and parenting. As a parent, I found this book very impactful but simultaneously difficult to read.
The audiobook performance is great (done by Gabby Beans), although I was confused why she didn't do a British accent for Elijah, Ezri's daughter who has grown up in the U.K.
CW: childhood sexual abuse
The audiobook performance is great (done by Gabby Beans), although I was confused why she didn't do a British accent for Elijah, Ezri's daughter who has grown up in the U.K.
CW: childhood sexual abuse
November 27, 2024
This book came highly recommended, and I really wanted to love it but the style felt so whiny, self-indulgent and tedious even when legitimately terrible things happened or things that should have been powerful were said the impact was lost to it so that by the time the twist at the end came I really didn't care.
I came for horror but there was so much toxic, but understandable, family dynamics stuff, I'm not a fan of that so yeah.
Neutral 2.5 rounded up.
I came for horror but there was so much toxic, but understandable, family dynamics stuff, I'm not a fan of that so yeah.
Neutral 2.5 rounded up.
December 3, 2024
Phenomenal. No notes. I won’t be accepting any criticism of this book. Video review to come!
September 26, 2024
What if the spookiest ghost is the HOA
October 5, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
Oof, this was intense but really good. Which is what I have come to expect from Rivers Solomon! Model Home is a horror novel dealing with trauma, abuse, mental health, and white supremacy. It follows a gender fluid parent with a 14 year old daughter returning to xir childhood home for the first time in years. A nice home in a gated neighborhood where they were the only Black family. A home that is seemingly haunted. I won't say too much about what happens, but this hits hard and is rough to read at times, but important. Note that there is a content warning for child grooming and assault, mostly off page. The audio narration is excellent and gives the right vibes for what is a disturbing book. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Oof, this was intense but really good. Which is what I have come to expect from Rivers Solomon! Model Home is a horror novel dealing with trauma, abuse, mental health, and white supremacy. It follows a gender fluid parent with a 14 year old daughter returning to xir childhood home for the first time in years. A nice home in a gated neighborhood where they were the only Black family. A home that is seemingly haunted. I won't say too much about what happens, but this hits hard and is rough to read at times, but important. Note that there is a content warning for child grooming and assault, mostly off page. The audio narration is excellent and gives the right vibes for what is a disturbing book. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
October 6, 2024
FUCK this one hurt
Rivers Solomon does not disappoint. Their newest book Model Home follows Ezri, a nonbinary neurodivergent diabetic parent as they travel from the UK back to their childhood home in Texas to check on their parents. What follows is a dark, creepy, atmospheric story alternating between Ezri’s childhood experiences, their current grappling with that childhood and grief in adulthood, as well as the parallel of their experiences with their teenager. This is a book about a monster that grooms you to feel like maybe you’re the actual monster. This one hurt and there were many moments that were tough to read, times of wanting to yell out to the MC, wanting to hug and protect them. Be aware of the trigger warnings: death of parent, racism, pedophilia. Solomon writes a terrifying and heartbreaking story with beautiful and thought provoking prose, ending with a message of hope and healing through family after tragedy and trauma. The narrator brought this story to my ears so well, and I will definitely be looking out for more of their work as well. I will not soon forget Model Home.
Rivers Solomon does not disappoint. Their newest book Model Home follows Ezri, a nonbinary neurodivergent diabetic parent as they travel from the UK back to their childhood home in Texas to check on their parents. What follows is a dark, creepy, atmospheric story alternating between Ezri’s childhood experiences, their current grappling with that childhood and grief in adulthood, as well as the parallel of their experiences with their teenager. This is a book about a monster that grooms you to feel like maybe you’re the actual monster. This one hurt and there were many moments that were tough to read, times of wanting to yell out to the MC, wanting to hug and protect them. Be aware of the trigger warnings: death of parent, racism, pedophilia. Solomon writes a terrifying and heartbreaking story with beautiful and thought provoking prose, ending with a message of hope and healing through family after tragedy and trauma. The narrator brought this story to my ears so well, and I will definitely be looking out for more of their work as well. I will not soon forget Model Home.
September 19, 2024
Remarkable. Model Home is suffused with the fierceness that comes from a life in corners, striking against a world beaten into submission by common sense: commonsensical genocide, commonsensical abuse, commonsensical white supremacy.
Each sibling — Ezri, Eve, and Emmanuelle, are dynamic components of a whole being, offspring of the house attempting to repair what it has taken from them. They cope in their own unique, believable ways, re-performing hyper competence in an attempt to escape what evils they cannot understand. For Ezri, their keen sense of right and wrong is tugged and tormented by the ghost of the Omelas child, sacrificed for the sake of collective normalcy. But what do we lose when we destroy the child to keep ourselves whole? What happens when our own holes form, soon too big to mend? And what, Solomon Jewishly asks, does tikkun olam look like in our lives today, when we are beaten daily by the forces that distance us from the world to come?
This book, while in many ways generational — about a mother, her children, and her children’s’ nascent children and more-nascent free lives — transforms the generational saga plot by burying the nature of their passed-on curses and secrets. Or, perhaps, not burying them, but hiding them somewhere in the fields of normalcy: a family aspiring to fit into a white, middle class, suburban wasteland, a family which believed their intellect and competence were enough to save them, whose members were too smart to see the raw terror lurking in their midst. Model Home is profound and vitally important as we continue grappling with global conditions of genocide, abuse culture, and the violence of the cisheteronormative, settler colonial family and all its accoutrements. It demands to be read.
Each sibling — Ezri, Eve, and Emmanuelle, are dynamic components of a whole being, offspring of the house attempting to repair what it has taken from them. They cope in their own unique, believable ways, re-performing hyper competence in an attempt to escape what evils they cannot understand. For Ezri, their keen sense of right and wrong is tugged and tormented by the ghost of the Omelas child, sacrificed for the sake of collective normalcy. But what do we lose when we destroy the child to keep ourselves whole? What happens when our own holes form, soon too big to mend? And what, Solomon Jewishly asks, does tikkun olam look like in our lives today, when we are beaten daily by the forces that distance us from the world to come?
This book, while in many ways generational — about a mother, her children, and her children’s’ nascent children and more-nascent free lives — transforms the generational saga plot by burying the nature of their passed-on curses and secrets. Or, perhaps, not burying them, but hiding them somewhere in the fields of normalcy: a family aspiring to fit into a white, middle class, suburban wasteland, a family which believed their intellect and competence were enough to save them, whose members were too smart to see the raw terror lurking in their midst. Model Home is profound and vitally important as we continue grappling with global conditions of genocide, abuse culture, and the violence of the cisheteronormative, settler colonial family and all its accoutrements. It demands to be read.
October 19, 2024
Slay.
What an incredible book. I am a SUCKER for haunted houses and this one slapped. It was a bit on the heavier side and excellent.
It follows a Black family that moved to an all WHITE neighborhood in the suburbs of Texas. Dual time line with the kids coming back as adults because they haven’t heard from their kind of estranged parents in a while to find them both dead in the house that haunted their childhoods.
Deals with grief, abuse, transphobia and racism.
Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc
What an incredible book. I am a SUCKER for haunted houses and this one slapped. It was a bit on the heavier side and excellent.
It follows a Black family that moved to an all WHITE neighborhood in the suburbs of Texas. Dual time line with the kids coming back as adults because they haven’t heard from their kind of estranged parents in a while to find them both dead in the house that haunted their childhoods.
Deals with grief, abuse, transphobia and racism.
Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc
November 7, 2024
Contemplating turning back to page one and reading this again. I started this book and from page one knew this was going to be a 5 star read for me, a rare experience for me. The writing is so good, I wanted to stop and highlight but just kept wanting to turn the page to find out what was happening. I'm looking forward to a reread. Unsettling, horrific, poetic, and heartbreaking.
As with most horror/thriller I think the less you know going in the better, but it is good to be aware this book has some heavy themes of child abuse, grooming, pedophilia, sexual abuse, racism/racist acts, animal cruelty/death. Many of these are themes I generally avoid in fiction, but I trusted Rivers Solomon with the subject matter and they are all handled with great care in this book and most are referenced rather then graphically depicted, although it is horror, I think this could be good for someone who doesn't read a lot of horror/doesn't like a lot of graphic horror.
Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an e-arc!
As with most horror/thriller I think the less you know going in the better, but it is good to be aware this book has some heavy themes of child abuse, grooming, pedophilia, sexual abuse, racism/racist acts, animal cruelty/death. Many of these are themes I generally avoid in fiction, but I trusted Rivers Solomon with the subject matter and they are all handled with great care in this book and most are referenced rather then graphically depicted, although it is horror, I think this could be good for someone who doesn't read a lot of horror/doesn't like a lot of graphic horror.
Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an e-arc!
September 22, 2024
‘Model home’ threw me off, it was never what I expected it to be. The writing made for a nightmarish feeling of dread.
It’s more literary with a lot of highlight worthy passages, though what little horror there was, was horrifying. Just when I resigned myself to an ambiguous wrap up, that last 20% disturbed the hell out of me.
It’s more literary with a lot of highlight worthy passages, though what little horror there was, was horrifying. Just when I resigned myself to an ambiguous wrap up, that last 20% disturbed the hell out of me.
October 11, 2024
Took me by surprise. A new spin on the haunted house genre. It’s one of those narratives that manage to keep you in a constant state of dread. The resolution may not be what you’re expecting, but it’s definitely a horrifying and upsetting outcome.
Explores childhood trauma and segregation in a refreshingly innovative way. Surprised me in all the best ways possible. Hooked me from the start.
Totally vicious.
Explores childhood trauma and segregation in a refreshingly innovative way. Surprised me in all the best ways possible. Hooked me from the start.
Totally vicious.
February 16, 2025
Ezri hasn’t been back to their childhood home in Texas since fleeing the nest as a teenager to go to university abroad. That’s not unusual in their family—both of Ezri’s sisters are also somewhat estranged from their parents. It’s not that they were abusive. At most, the couple might have had overly high standards. As the sole Black family in a posh subdivision, they wanted their children rise above their neighbours’ racism and represent upper-class Black excellence. But what none of the siblings can forgive their parents for is staying in that house.
The house of their parents’ upwardly mobile dreams was the site of Ezri and their sisters’ worst nightmares. They believe it was haunted, gripped by supernatural forces. But when even their limited contact with their parents stops, and no one is able to reach them, the siblings must face their fears and go back to the house. What they find is even worse than they could have imagined…
I loved this book. It’s definitely creepy enough to satisfy horror fans, but at its heart, it’s a deeply literary story about family connections and racial prejudice. The three siblings are all flawed and marked by their childhood trauma in different ways, yet their love for one another shines through. This book is filled with twists and turns and an ending that left me shocked. I definitely recommend it!
The house of their parents’ upwardly mobile dreams was the site of Ezri and their sisters’ worst nightmares. They believe it was haunted, gripped by supernatural forces. But when even their limited contact with their parents stops, and no one is able to reach them, the siblings must face their fears and go back to the house. What they find is even worse than they could have imagined…
I loved this book. It’s definitely creepy enough to satisfy horror fans, but at its heart, it’s a deeply literary story about family connections and racial prejudice. The three siblings are all flawed and marked by their childhood trauma in different ways, yet their love for one another shines through. This book is filled with twists and turns and an ending that left me shocked. I definitely recommend it!
October 5, 2024
This was my first Rivers Solomon book, and from the first page, I understood why I’d heard such good things about them. Here are the opening lines: “Maybe my mother is God, and that’s why nothing I do pleases her. Maybe my mother is God, and that’s why even though she’s never once saved me, I keep praying that this time she will. […] Soon, I’ll be a failed deity, too. My daughter is learning not to believe in me.” I had to stop myself from highlighting line after stunning line.
We get a lot of flashbacks to Ezri’s childhood, but this is less about the horror of a haunted house and more about the real-life horrors they’ve endured. It’s disturbing and unsettling, which made it difficult to read at times. Child sexual assault comes up several times, so be aware of that before reading it.
I picked up Model Home because of the promise of the setting, but what kept me reading was Ezri and the relationship between the siblings. Ezri is a complicated character whose trauma has damaged them. We also see them through other people’s eyes, including Elijah’s, who loves her Yoyo but also accepts them as distant, unable to provide the outpouring of emotion she so desperately craves. The siblings are simultaneously close and separated: they seek each other’s attention and reject it. They want to be embraced and they want to hurt each other.
Despite how difficult it was to read Model Home at times, it was ultimately a cathartic experience that had me in tears. It’s a brutal, painful story about desperately fighting to love yourself when you’ve been systematically hurt and rejected. I finished this several days ago, and it is still haunting me. Ezri pops up in my head unexpectedly. I can’t seem to let go of their story.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
We get a lot of flashbacks to Ezri’s childhood, but this is less about the horror of a haunted house and more about the real-life horrors they’ve endured. It’s disturbing and unsettling, which made it difficult to read at times. Child sexual assault comes up several times, so be aware of that before reading it.
I picked up Model Home because of the promise of the setting, but what kept me reading was Ezri and the relationship between the siblings. Ezri is a complicated character whose trauma has damaged them. We also see them through other people’s eyes, including Elijah’s, who loves her Yoyo but also accepts them as distant, unable to provide the outpouring of emotion she so desperately craves. The siblings are simultaneously close and separated: they seek each other’s attention and reject it. They want to be embraced and they want to hurt each other.
Despite how difficult it was to read Model Home at times, it was ultimately a cathartic experience that had me in tears. It’s a brutal, painful story about desperately fighting to love yourself when you’ve been systematically hurt and rejected. I finished this several days ago, and it is still haunting me. Ezri pops up in my head unexpectedly. I can’t seem to let go of their story.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
November 11, 2024
Listened. Gabby Beans pulled off a dazzling narration. Terrific performance.
MODEL HOME is billed as a horror story. I read very few horror stories--it's not a genre I am generally drawn to--but I'm not quite certain I'd describe it as such. It was more like a literary psychological drama.
That's neither here nor there, though. What did I think of this book? Well, I was swept into the beginning as if by a rip current. Ezri's story is bold and brave and oh so painful. Then, the hook--the deaths, the house, the need to travel back home, to reunite with her sisters. I swam against some of the confusing parts, believing Solomon was deft enough to help me find clear water. But not always. At times, it was easy to follow along. (I particularly loved the back stories.) But then a wave of "WTF?" would crash against me and I'd lose steam. Midway through I was almost ready to give up.
But I kept at it. By the end, when all was revealed and I could finally feel sand beneath my feet, I was tuckered out, and ready for a nap. I was done being shocked for the day.
While the writing was superb, the story just didn't gel for me. Too much angst for one book. Too many unformed characters left to the imagination. The end.
MODEL HOME is billed as a horror story. I read very few horror stories--it's not a genre I am generally drawn to--but I'm not quite certain I'd describe it as such. It was more like a literary psychological drama.
That's neither here nor there, though. What did I think of this book? Well, I was swept into the beginning as if by a rip current. Ezri's story is bold and brave and oh so painful. Then, the hook--the deaths, the house, the need to travel back home, to reunite with her sisters. I swam against some of the confusing parts, believing Solomon was deft enough to help me find clear water. But not always. At times, it was easy to follow along. (I particularly loved the back stories.) But then a wave of "WTF?" would crash against me and I'd lose steam. Midway through I was almost ready to give up.
But I kept at it. By the end, when all was revealed and I could finally feel sand beneath my feet, I was tuckered out, and ready for a nap. I was done being shocked for the day.
While the writing was superb, the story just didn't gel for me. Too much angst for one book. Too many unformed characters left to the imagination. The end.
September 15, 2024
2.5 - The writing style was a big struggle for me - I had a hard time understanding what was actually happening vs what was a metaphor, and it distracted me from the plot significantly. The plot is what kept me engaged and curious to continue reading, but I feel like I didn't understand what was really going on until the 70% mark. I would have liked a lot more clarity and directness in the prose due to the complex themes and storyline. I did enjoy the sibling dynamics in the novel. The writing style was just a bit too confusing for me, but I enjoyed the solid plot.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC.
May 14, 2024
I wanted to love this book because I loved the blur but the writing style just was not for me. I couldn't get into the story whatsoever. Such a bummer, and I seem to be the only one.
November 17, 2024
I feel like a lot of readers probably didn't like this for the mirror it holds up to the reader. It's an intense and brilliant book.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
January 16, 2025
Strong 4-4.25 stars.
Wow. I’ve read a few takes on the haunted house as an extended metaphor for trauma, and this one worked for me. I came to Model Home knowing it has mixed reviews among people whose book opinions I usually look to, and I had my own bias against Solomon’s writing (I DNF’d The Deep several years ago and haven’t read their other books.)
I’m glad to report that Solomon has come a long way in regards to the execution of the themes and experiences they tend to write about. I resonated with the characters’ upwardly mobile Black middle class experience and the expectations that come with that, and I found the Maxwell siblings’ relationships compelling.
Horrific things do happen in this book, but I would consider it a weird they/them literary fiction or family drama rather than a proper horror novel. I didn’t know much about it going in and I recommend that you pick it up and just go along for the ride, understanding that it doesn’t shy away from self-harm, CSA, anti-Black racism, and grooming.
The things that prevented this book from being a 5-star read for me are:
-Its overuse of millennial pop culture references at the beginning, even though I understood every single one lol
-I found some of Solomon’s language a bit cliché and some dialogue, especially the mother’s, unrealistic
-There are parts where the POV changes abruptly and that was jarring for me.
But mostly I view them as a skilled writer who has written a book that isn’t for everyone but struck the right cord for me personally.
Wow. I’ve read a few takes on the haunted house as an extended metaphor for trauma, and this one worked for me. I came to Model Home knowing it has mixed reviews among people whose book opinions I usually look to, and I had my own bias against Solomon’s writing (I DNF’d The Deep several years ago and haven’t read their other books.)
I’m glad to report that Solomon has come a long way in regards to the execution of the themes and experiences they tend to write about. I resonated with the characters’ upwardly mobile Black middle class experience and the expectations that come with that, and I found the Maxwell siblings’ relationships compelling.
Horrific things do happen in this book, but I would consider it a weird they/them literary fiction or family drama rather than a proper horror novel. I didn’t know much about it going in and I recommend that you pick it up and just go along for the ride, understanding that it doesn’t shy away from self-harm, CSA, anti-Black racism, and grooming.
The things that prevented this book from being a 5-star read for me are:
-Its overuse of millennial pop culture references at the beginning, even though I understood every single one lol
-I found some of Solomon’s language a bit cliché and some dialogue, especially the mother’s, unrealistic
-There are parts where the POV changes abruptly and that was jarring for me.
But mostly I view them as a skilled writer who has written a book that isn’t for everyone but struck the right cord for me personally.
February 16, 2025
“We both find solace in the inevitability of broken girls.”
Absolutely incredible. I will never read this again. (I'm only mostly kidding.)
Being serious, this book was fantastic and affecting in the most devastating way. Every word Rivers Solomon writes feels like a beautifully crafted sledgehammer to the chest - which may not sound like a compliment, but I promise it is.
I expected to appreciate this after The Deep was one of my favorite reads last year, but I wasn't expecting the fully body affect this book had on me from the first page.
This is a haunting, immersive book that deals with so many topics. Each one is handled in a way that makes the reader feel bone-deep empathy, even if they haven't experienced those things themselves.
On a related note, going into this book, the reader knows it's not going to be a light read. However, this book deals with heavier topics than some (even within the genre) and I recommend looking up the TWs on Storygraph before reading. I felt they were handled with care, but they were also not danced around which can make them more triggering for some people.
That doesn't mean I think it should be avoided. For example: Model Home deals with a topic I usually avoid and despite the fact it was still incredibly difficult to read about, I'm glad I didn't skip this one because this book was healing in ways I wasn't expecting.
If you are at a place to read this, I really do recommend it. It's not the kind of read that will be for everyone, due to the poetic, stream-of-consciousness writing style and the focus on dysfunctional family dynamics. However, I truly think this is the kind of book that was perfect at what it needed to be.
I know this book (and the many paragraphs I highlighted) will stay with me for a long time.
Absolutely incredible. I will never read this again. (I'm only mostly kidding.)
Being serious, this book was fantastic and affecting in the most devastating way. Every word Rivers Solomon writes feels like a beautifully crafted sledgehammer to the chest - which may not sound like a compliment, but I promise it is.
I expected to appreciate this after The Deep was one of my favorite reads last year, but I wasn't expecting the fully body affect this book had on me from the first page.
This is a haunting, immersive book that deals with so many topics. Each one is handled in a way that makes the reader feel bone-deep empathy, even if they haven't experienced those things themselves.
On a related note, going into this book, the reader knows it's not going to be a light read. However, this book deals with heavier topics than some (even within the genre) and I recommend looking up the TWs on Storygraph before reading. I felt they were handled with care, but they were also not danced around which can make them more triggering for some people.
That doesn't mean I think it should be avoided. For example: Model Home deals with a topic I usually avoid and despite the fact it was still incredibly difficult to read about, I'm glad I didn't skip this one because this book was healing in ways I wasn't expecting.
If you are at a place to read this, I really do recommend it. It's not the kind of read that will be for everyone, due to the poetic, stream-of-consciousness writing style and the focus on dysfunctional family dynamics. However, I truly think this is the kind of book that was perfect at what it needed to be.
I know this book (and the many paragraphs I highlighted) will stay with me for a long time.
October 13, 2024
It feels weird to say this book is so good when the contents are so horrible but I don’t know what else to say.
I’m always reading blurbs where an author or journalist says something like Blankety Blank turns the YadaYada trope on its head, and so rarely do I feel that’s true, but in this case it is. The ending is not remotely out of left field and yet it caught me utterly by surprise.
If you read this, I highly recommend reading the short story “The Ones who Walk away from Omelas” by Ursula LeGuin first. Solomon references it quite a bit, and while it’s not integral to understanding the story it certainly helps.
This is literary horror at its finest. It gets very dark and very heavy. I will say I found it to be quite slow paced in the beginning. I kept finding myself wanting more of the house chapters rather than what was happening in the present. But I was also never not interested.
The writing is beautiful. The characters fascinating. The ending emotionally devastating. I don’t think a haunted house book has ever made me cry, but here you go.
Content warnings for child abuse and child sexual abuse. There isn’t anything graphic or really on page but it doesn’t beat around the bush about it either. Racism and aggressive/abusive acts of hatred are depicted. Animal cruelty and death. (Again this one isn’t too graphic, but there is at least one or two scenes I think could be upsetting.)
My favorite of Solomon’s so far for sure.
I’m always reading blurbs where an author or journalist says something like Blankety Blank turns the YadaYada trope on its head, and so rarely do I feel that’s true, but in this case it is. The ending is not remotely out of left field and yet it caught me utterly by surprise.
If you read this, I highly recommend reading the short story “The Ones who Walk away from Omelas” by Ursula LeGuin first. Solomon references it quite a bit, and while it’s not integral to understanding the story it certainly helps.
This is literary horror at its finest. It gets very dark and very heavy. I will say I found it to be quite slow paced in the beginning. I kept finding myself wanting more of the house chapters rather than what was happening in the present. But I was also never not interested.
The writing is beautiful. The characters fascinating. The ending emotionally devastating. I don’t think a haunted house book has ever made me cry, but here you go.
Content warnings for child abuse and child sexual abuse. There isn’t anything graphic or really on page but it doesn’t beat around the bush about it either. Racism and aggressive/abusive acts of hatred are depicted. Animal cruelty and death. (Again this one isn’t too graphic, but there is at least one or two scenes I think could be upsetting.)
My favorite of Solomon’s so far for sure.
November 26, 2024
Omg what the actual heck? Absolutely brutal, no notes
October 6, 2024
“...When we speak of a house that is haunted, all we are speaking of is a house that is violent. And many houses are violent.”
You can always count on Rivers Solomon to write a dark, gut-wrenching story! *wheew*!!!!
You can always count on Rivers Solomon to write a dark, gut-wrenching story! *wheew*!!!!
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