With the spooky season around the corner I have been looking for some good short stories to read to get into the mood and Lisa Unger came to the rescue with The Doll’s House, a new Amazon Original short story.
When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.
Scout’s sullenness begins to fade, though, when she finds a beautiful handmade doll in one of the many empty rooms in the house. Kirin says that the doll belonged to his late sister and he’d like Scout to have it. Scout’s hopeful for a connection over their shared grief, but as she grows more curious about Kirin’s sister, she can’t escape the feeling that a danger lurks in the house…and its gaze is fixed on her mother.
Lisa Unger tells a great tale of a widowed mother and her teenage daughter moving into their fiancé’s old family home with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to keep you guessing from beginning to end. Unger effortlessly combines traditional ghost story elements with a more contemporary feel, making The Doll’s House a truly unique story. This tale is a perfect easy read for the spooky season.
I was captivated with The Doll’s House from the get-go with its intricate plot and complex characters. Unger’s writing style is both thrilling and easy to read, keeping me engaged wondering just how this story would end. The suspense builds steadily throughout the story leaving me eager to find the truth behind the mysterious events unfolding in the old family home. Unger does craft an atmospheric setting with a limited number of pages to give us an overall sense of unease and tension. The author blends supernatural elements with modern technology in an amazing way.
While I was a fan of this short story packed with depth and emotion in such a small package, The Doll’s House left me wanting more. I found myself wishing the story unfolded a bit slower over the span of a full-length novel to let the story linger a bit before the chilling end. Although my hopes for a longer novel have no bearing on this short story, Unger does tell a wonderfully crafted spooky story.
I was lucky enough to listen to this tale in audiobook format which only added to the over reading experience. Narrators Mia Barron and Kimberly Woods do a fantastic job. The narrators speak clearly and with emotion allowing me to get immersed into this story and binge the audio in only a few sittings. The atmosphere of The Doll’s House is even more palpable in audio format.
The Doll’s House by Lisa Unger is a great short story just in time for the horror season. The tale has thrilling plot twists, wonderful characters, and a haunting atmosphere that will leave you in awe. Although I wish it was fleshed out into a full-length novel, The Doll’s House is just right for a quick read while autumn rolls in.
The Doll’s House is an Amazon Original short story releasing on September 12, 2024 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The Audible Original audiobook is also available, narrated by Mia Barron & Kimberly Woods.
