Alex Cotter - The House on the Edge - (Nosy Crow) - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

This is a debut book to look forward to by Alex Cotter. As a former bookseller, her dream has come to fruition as she publishes The House on the Edge. It is due to be published this summer (beginning of July 2021) by Nosy Crow Books. I am a massive fan of the book cover which I believe is illustrated by Indonesian illustrator Kathrin Honesta. It's very reflective of the story and really eye-catching on the bookshelf. In my opinion, the colour palette works really well. 

What can you expect from this brilliant book? It's a story of sadness and new beginnings as Faith's dad has gone missing. We are not sure of the circumstances as we are lead down the mysterious garden path. Why has he left his family living in an old house perched on a crumbling clifftop? A crack has suddenly appeared in the cliff and, just like the story, the adventure turns into a thrilling and splitting adventure. The setting is idyllic but the family side of the narrative is anything but. There are many mysteries to uncover in this book. The plotline will keep the readers on their little tiny toes. 

The book turns into a dark and spine-tingling ghost story. Faith's brother brings an element of surprise to the plot when he claims sea ghosts are living in the basement of the house. He then disappears and we start to feel the fractures of family life splinter into dust. You need to watch out for her greedy Uncle Art as the VILLIAN. However, the story is really a race for time to find her brother and father and save the family house from falling into the sea. 

There are a lot of really great elements to this book: a dramatic setting, a moody atmosphere, and a great depiction of a coastal town. The loveable but rather quirky characters are well-written. The history is like a layer of antique dust as it is uncovered to weave the different story threads. It's a creative jaunt that will leave you with a creepy feeling. Chuck in some pirate treasure, smuggler's caves, and a sour teacher and you just about have the lot going on here. It's both thrilling and exciting - just about the best type of book you want to wake up to and have on the reading pile.