A House at the Bottom of a Lake
by Josh Malerman
This is a book I requested from NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and the review is voluntary. I am not really sure how to describe this book. Not a horror in the sense of extreme terror but more of a constant nibble that doesn't stop! A freaky, chilling, "how is this possible?" terror! The unseen, impossible, but nail biting possibilities linger.
A pair of teens on a first date come across a full submerged house in a lake, A dark, dead lake. The dive into the house and find it completely furnished, nicknacks and all, still sitting in place. But the fun is just beginning. Good creep factor. Enjoyed it very much. If you liked the creep factor from this author's Bird Box then you'll like this.

3 stars, I think?

Like, what?

I am not sure what I just read. I am also not sure if I liked it.

What I can tell you is that I read this in one sitting, unable to put this down.

It was gripping.

It was weird.

I mean, really weird.

And I don't understand what happened.

Which I kinda like, but also kinda don't.

But golllllyyyy could I picture every.single.thing. that happened in this book. My mind was VIVID with imagery.

I know what that house looked like and could almost feel what being in the house felt like.

While I do know all of that, I do not know what happened in this book.

Down the Reddit A House at the Bottom on a Lake explained rabbit hole I go....

I really enjoyed Josh Malerman's other books, but this one missed the mark for me. The idea was neat, and I like the mystery surrounding the house, but the dialog between James and Amelia was overly simplistic and clunky. I know the characters are 17, but their conversations seemed stilted and awkward. It ended and I'm still not entirely sure what happened. I think it'd have functioned better as a longer novel with more development and a richer story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

If you're looking for another Bird Box, this isn't it. And that's a good thing. Not everything in life can or should be the same - it would be boring. A House at the Bottom of a Lake is the novella of a boy and a girl falling in love. At the bottom of a lake.

James and Amelia are teenagers who meet when she comes into his father's hardware store looking for a garden hose. He decides to ask her on a date to go canoeing and she accepts.

On their date, James tells Amelia that he's going to take her to the second lake that's connected. While taking in the beauty of the second lake, they discover a concrete tunnel covered in graffiti and they decide to go thru it.

The third lake is not beautiful. It smells bad. There are a few dead fish floating in the water. Though when they see the two-story house underwater, neither one questions it. After both of them have dived down, with only a lung full of air to explore, all they try to figure out is when they can come back with diving equipment.

I really loved this book. But then I love unusual, weird, strange books that take you to different places, that don't seem to make sense and you question everything you read.

I loved the way it was written simply, without any flowery words. I felt like I was there with them, when it was awkward after they ran out of things to talk about. He used colors selectively to describe things. When a color was mentioned, it just seemed to pop for me - her red bikini, the green canoe, the black dress, his yellow swim trunks.

I think when you read this book (and others like it) you have to go into it without any expectations. Think if it as if you're viewing an abstract painting. Free your mind of any preconceived notions of what you expect from a book and let your imagination and heart take over as you read. Don't think, just read.

I'm rating this 4.5 stars rounded up to five. I will definitely read something written by Josh Malerman again. I would recommend this book for fans of magical realism, horror, fantasy and suspense.

Two teenagers go canoeing on the lake - first date style. They discover a hidden lake and ... a house at the bottom of the lake. They go exploring - now - some may say this is not horror but I was creeped the fuck out every time they went exploring in that house. And they went there a lot. This is more of an atmospheric type horror. Something bad could happen at any minute and I felt the anticipation building. This is the perfect novella length because the author took us right there - and then there was a WTF ending - which makes you think. Malerman took me to the brink and then pulled back. It didn't feel good - but I loved the buildup.

Malerman is one of those authors that I do watch out for - although honestly, his books are rather hit-or-miss for me. I thoroughly enjoyed his debut novel, Birdbox - but wished that I had skipped Unburying Carol. This novella's description intrigued me though - a story of teen summer love and the titular house that they discover together. Shorter fiction typically moves quickly and this is no exception to that! But the horror parts really failed to elicit so much as a single goosebump to me... probably because for me successful horror needs to feel at least a little plausible. There can be suspension of disbelief later on, but I prefer some initial grounding in reality that this lacks. James and Amelia just don't feel remotely authentic as 17 year old kids. And without offering some details (maybe to give this a timeless, any place quality), it only serves to make this even more unbelievable. Their comments on first dates also come off as WAY too jade for teenagers - and yet their secretive attitude about the house makes them seem even younger. Because I wasn't convinced by them as characters, their romance and their fear failed to connect with me.

And the head-hopping!! That is a real writing pet peeve of mine, so from the very beginning I just got off on the wrong foot with this one! While the concept itself is pretty neat and leads to some cool visuals, the practicality of this really fails. Scuba is an expensive hobby - and if you spend your year's worth of savings on a canoe, it seems even more implausible that this gear is within their reach. It's just a lot to swallow and toss aside for not any real reward. And while I was curious about the house itself, the ending really satisfied none of that initial curiosity. Looks like this is another one in the "miss" category for me!

I'm still not sure how I feel about this one... It was creepy and cool for a while. And it was also weirdly vague and left me at a bit of a loss. Sure, suspension of disbelief is a major requirement - but that is the case in a lot of what I read, so that doesn't bother me in and of itself. Yes, a vague non-ending is becoming de rigeur in this type of story - but ditto. Neither of those on their own throws me off of a story, but something about the way they played out in this one is why I'm hesitant to recommend it and unsure whether I enjoyed it or not...

Don't get me wrong - I am not sorry I read it and never even considered stopping. Malerman has an easy writing style that doesn't require a lot of effort, which means even if you're not sure about how things are going, it's very easy to stay with the story and keep flipping pages. The characters were left pretty (deliberately, I suspect) undeveloped. This a story about atmosphere and magic, and Malerman did an excellent job establishing both and continuing to ramp things up right until the book ended. But something about the whole read left me feeling like things were unfinished - and not just the way it ended/stopped.

I don't know what that is or how else to explain it, but this one felt like it was a work in progress. Not in the sense of being raw or unedited - but in the sense that even the author wasn't entirely sure what was happening or why... It was disorienting, which may well have been what he was going for, but which left me feeling odd throughout...

I had a hard time with Unbury Carol and have wanted to read Inspection but haven't had the chance - this experience still leaves me curious to try more of his writing, despite my issues with Unbury Carol. Malerman intrigues me, largely because of his unusual plots) and this one was no exception there) but he also confuses me a bit - not necessarily in a bad way, but in a somewhat unsettling one (again, this may be the point). It makes for an unusual read that is definitely NOT going to be for everyone. For me, I suspect it's got to be the right time to read a book like this - you need a headspace that is willing to meander into strangeness and I don't always have that - but when it is, even if it's not a perfect fit as is the case here, the story still entertains. And at the end of the day, that's why I read fiction...

I think after reading this book I've come to the conclusion that horror is just not my genre. Even when it comes to thrillers I'm pretty selective, but I thought I would give this one a try. Unfortunately, I didn't connect well with the characters, the plot was interesting in the beginning, but also I think I was just waiting for something to happen and was a little let down when nothing quite happen. Psychological type thrillers don't click in my brain super well and I feel like that's probably the case when I read this one. People who like horror and thriller type books might really love this one!

I'm convinced I'm going to love everything Josh Malerman will write. This novella is so creepy and the descriptions of the house left my skin crawling. The concept is very original, as well which is a plus! Although the story leaves you with a lot of questions, I think that it really adds to the story overall.

I gave A House at The Bottom of a Lake 3 out of 5 stars (and this was a stretch) by Josh Malerman. I received this book in e-format from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The reader is introduced to two awkward, seventeen year olds, Amelia and James who are preparing for their first date, canoeing on a lake. However, the date takes a thrilling turn when Amelia and James find another lake attached to the lake they are boating on. As they further explore the new discovery, they find a house at the bottom of the lake. Subsequent dates, lead Amelia and James to go deeper and deeper into the house, seeking to uncover the mystery surrounding the house.
I was drawn to this book based off of the description. I wanted to know what was in this house, how the house got there and why, however, this fell completely short of any explanation and I am not sure I even understand what I just read! I only rated this 3 out of 5 because of the descriptive nature of the chapters. I felt I could see what Amelia and James were seeing as they were diving in the house. I felt the goosebumps form when Josh Malerman described the eeriness of the house and what the coldness of the water. I could picture the house being explored and the creepiness of what Amelia and James were experiencing together.
That being said, I felt there really was no high point to this story. It was a fast read that fell short in giving the reader what they for- answers. Maybe that was the point. Amelia and James had no depth and felt more like supporting characters because the real character was the house but even that fell short on depth.
I wouldn’t recommend this unless someone was looking for a quick, descriptive read.

This book was a quick read, and I understand the author's point of describing your first love with the house at the bottom of the lake and how it becomes an obsession. It started very strong, but I feel like the ending fell very short.

A House At The Bottom Of A Lake was my first book by Josh Malerman. After I received my copy from NetGalley, I realized this book was first published in 2016, so I am not sure what, if any, difference there is between my version and the one first published.

I see that it is a polarizing novella. People seem to really love it or be extremely disappointed in it. I fall more to the side of loving it. The imagery in the story really grabbed my interest from the start and held me throughout. This book, being a novella, was a fairly short read, which played to its advantage.

I saw the story as a metaphor for new love. Two seventeen-year-olds, Jack and Amelia, are about to go on their first date, canoeing in the local lake chain. Right out of the gate, we see them internally comparing their rather old fashioned, slow-paced canoe experience with the hard partying, more thrill riding speed boats on the lake, ultimately both deciding they prefer the more quaint experience. The row from the one big lake, to a second slightly smaller lake, just taking things slowly and learning more about each other in the process. While on the second lake, they find an almost hidden tunnel that they force themselves through that takes them to a completely secluded, even smaller third lake. Once on that lake, they feel they are in their own private, undisturbed world. Then they find something surely only they have experienced: A fully intact house sitting on the bottom of this lake. The house seems to defy the laws of nature in that nothing is falling apart. Furniture and knick-knacks are in place. Amelia and Jack become obsessed with this thing only they know about. They get scuba gear and begin exploring this house daily and for longer and longer periods of time. At some point, each of them gets a feeling that something isn't quite right, but they don't share those feelings with each other.

As the reader, I was able to really get carried away with the setting. I was enthralled by the idea of finding a house like the one in this book. As an adult, long past first love, I was also able to see and understand the parallels between Amelia's and Jack's experience with the house and the experience of first love, another thing no one but the two experiencing it can know all the mysteries contained. First love AND the mystery of the house is something Amelia and James are desperate to keep the magic of....but is that possible? If the magic they found together were not there, could their love last? The ending to me was also perfectly appropriate for the metaphor. (I can't explain that or it would be a spoiler, but if you read it and can see the metaphor that this story is, then you will understand what I mean.)

I do not think this novel should be labeled as "horror" as it is not particularly horrific. It is creepy and atmospheric, but I would tend to call it magical realism. Good story, well told without beating a perfectly good metaphor over the reader's head.

A spooky fairytale romance that is vaguely unsatisfying. Maybe that's the point? What I liked about this book was the descriptive prose and beautiful imagery; the successful evocation of the magic of young love; the thick sense of dread. It's a solid story. It just feels like it's trying too hard to be tantalizing and withholding.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

This book was not at all what I expected and yet was also exactly what I expected. It starts off simply enough - a guy and a girl go on a date and find a house at the bottom of a lake. That's about it. There wasn't much of a plot and the ending was definitely not satisfying. Overall, it was 3 stars.

2.5 stars, rounded up to three.... for potential? I think this could have been decent if it was a fully developed story and not a novella.

This is my third book by Josh Malerman and by far my least favorite. He can get away with having a mysterious, unidentified evil once and get away with it. But continuously doing the same thing, it just doesn’t work.

I really am not even sure what to say about this book. It was 118 pages of a whole lot of nothing. Basically two 17 year olds trying to figure out when and where is the best time and place to lose their virginity to each other, which is not at all what I expected or thought this book was about.

The romantic aspect of this story was extremely lacking and unrealistic, even for teenagers. The horror element was missing for being marketed as horror. Nothing about this book really made much sense. And there was never an explanation as to why the house was at the bottom of the lake. Was it a movie set? Was it haunted? Did it fall into a sink hole and just get covered with water? Do aliens live in there?

I really don’t know what else to say about this book other than it was extremely disappointing.

Teenage love & magic beneath a special lake only the two main characters have discovered. 🤗❤️ The perfect combination for a summer romance. Throw in a little mystery and fear and it makes for a great thriller. I enjoyed reading this quick book and as I read it it reminded me of "the good old days" of my younger youth. The ending was unexpected but just goes to prove that Josh Malerman definitely thinks outside the box when creating his masterpieces. Great read!

**Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of The House at the Bottom of the Lake**

The House at the Bottom of the Lake is a book that follows two teens that discover... a house at the bottom of the lake.

I am so torn over this book. It was creepy as hell and the author did such a fantastic job creating a scary af atmosphere that made you feel like you were inside the house with the characters. I finished reading this on NYE in my house alone and I was SCARED. It definitely fits that bill for horror. 

Where it lost me: There's some romance tied in here- and like why? When I'm reading horror I want HORROR. Not a sex scene between minors. I also didn't love the ending as it was rather anticlimactic.

Overall this book sits at a 3.75 stars for me- which I have rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads. It did what it was supposed to do - creep me the hell out and make me afraid to be alone in my own house but had some unneeded fluff. It's a short and sweet book though, and definitely worth picking up. Especially in the summer (because of the setting) or obviously around Halloween!

A House at The Bottom of the Lake was riveting!
Completely unexpected twists and turns drove me crazy! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

The story line was very simple, and since it mentioned sexual intercourse I would not recommend for my sixth grade readers. I like the fact that the reader got to use imagination to help create the backstory for the house. The ending could have been better, but the story did flow nicely.

Blossoming young love as James and Amelia go on a first date. While canoeing from James’ Uncles cabin they discover a house at the bottom of the lake that they just have to explore.
Josh is a great writer, actually giving me butterflies in my stomach at the awkwardness of James asking Amelia out. And while out in the canoe, I felt like I was there with them, seeing the surrounding mountains reflecting off the lake and feeling the warm sun on my back.
After getting some diving gear, they swim down to explore. Lots trigger warnings here if you are afraid of drowning or being deep underwater freaks you out.
I alternated between panic reading, where I couldn’t read fast enough, and fear reading, where I expected something to happen and I didn’t want to read on. Several times I found that I had stood up while reading and was pacing in my living room.
“It suddenly felt possible, no likely, that something dead could come floating through the door he’d entered by.”
There was a bit too much of the kids thinking about young love, “Is this love? Is this happening?” That wasn’t necessary and slowed the pace but as you read about the couple getting closer, the book transforms the house to a home, from just a place to their place, their home.
There were several issues not taken into effect that took me out of the story. 17 year old kids spending the night together alone with no mention of how they got that by their parents, how the refilled their scuba tanks, jumping into the lake wearing tanks and masks; but as they do in the story, things are easier with No Why’s, No How’s.
There was lots left open. Things never explained. I have only read Bird Box and Malorie and I assume that Josh likes the invisible enemy.
This was tense and suspenseful but not a horror at all.
“What do we do now that we’ve experienced the apex of adventure and now have to face boring life ever after?”
Welcome to adulthood