The September House

Praise

“Shocking, electrifying, and absolutely original. Carissa Orlando takes us on a journey that moves from savagely funny to terrifying with the turn of a page. It’s an unflinching exploration of the dark things we don’t talk about, and it’s a must read for horror fans.”
– Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases

“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you’d seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages.”
– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

“Complex and darkly funny, this creepy tale had me laughing out loud one minute and holding my breath the next.”
– People.com

“This utterly original haunted house tale is a joy.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Margaret is a delightfully well drawn protagonist, sturdy, unflappable, and often dryly funny, but as the narrative unfurls, we learn that the reasons for her strictly regimented behavior are neither simple nor pleasant…The September House is a surprising, engaging debut.”
– Vulture.com (Best Books of 2023)

“A rich and wholly satisfying haunted house novel about dark family secrets and patterns of destruction. It will charm you and terrify you and break your heart, often within the same sentence. An exhilarating debut.”
– Rachel Harrison, National Bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle

“The metaphor is layered and at times heartbreaking, as secrets held by both a house and a family come to light with terrifying poignancy in this wonderfully eerie debut.”
– Library Journal (starred review)

“Every once in a while, a story comes along that fully upends a genre in the most beautiful way, essentially reinventing the notion of what’s possible within that genre. Now, author Carissa Orlando, a horror enthusiast, has written that very story.”
– Shondaland.com

“A genre-blending masterpiece that is part horror, part complex psychological suspense, and part dark humor, all of it tied together with beautiful prose. It creeped me out in the best possible way.”
– Jesse Q. Sutanto, national bestselling author of I’m Not Done with You Yet

“The September House is a riveting adventure that will grab you by the ankles and drag you down into the pitch-black basement you’ve been warned to avoid.”
– Bookpage

“Simply outstanding. What starts as a slyly funny story about a mild-mannered woman and her very haunted house turns into a chilling examination of abuse and resilience. Somehow, Orlando has crafted a tale that is both macabre and triumphant.
– Mallory O’Meara, National bestselling author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon

“Orlando’s debut is a ghostly psychological tale of victims of unrestrained violence and murder…Offer this to fans of spooky haunted-house tales like Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House (2023).”
– Booklist

“Peel back The Yellow Wallpaper, check out of The Overlook, and say farewell to Hill House… There’s a new haunted house on the market and Carissa Orlando is the realtor of our nightmares. You’ll never want to leave once you start reading.”
– Clay McLeod Chapman, Author of Ghost Eaters