PLACING THAT KEY IN THE LOCK WAS THE LAST ORDINARY MOMENT OF HER LIFE.
Iona Griffri returns home one evening to find her family murdered and her father, Eurov, missing. Her family home is entirely submerged in water, and a strange, unnamed girl lies dead in her bed.
As the police declare her father the main suspect, Iona is forced to confront how much she really knew about the man who raised her. Could he have been capable of such a crime? And who is the mysterious girl left behind?
With the help of the morgue attendant looking after her family’s bodies, Iona goes on a journey to uncover the truth behind those final weeks of her family’s life. Hidden in the fragments of her father’s final manuscript, recovered from the flood, an unimaginable secret slowly rises to the surface. A terrible sin finally revealed…
A haunting, boundary-pushing thriller told through the lens of a lyrical family drama, from a captivating literary talent. The House of Water will rush over you like a torrent from the opening page to the very last.
Book Info: Print length: 286 pages. Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton. Publication Date: 15th May 2025
My Thoughts:
I’m not often left speechless, but The House Of Water has basically left me struggling to write a review that will give this book the praise it deserves.
Firstly, this isn’t like any book I’ve read before. It’s a combination of literary fiction, slow-burn mystery and psychological thriller all wrapped up in beautiful prose.
It’s atmospheric, haunting, emotional, raw and in my opinion simply stunning.
Set in the fictional Welsh town of Sulyn, the story begins when 18 year old Iona Griffri returns home to find her entire family dead, the house submerged in water and a strange girl dead in her bed. Her father is missing and soon becomes the prime suspect in this horrendous and tragic crime.
Throughout the novel, there are chapters from an encyclopaedia of Wales that the father was working on which slowly reveals what may have happened to the Griffri family.
As well as being lyrically beautiful, the author brings the characters to live with real depth and clarity.
There were several times in this book that I gasped out loud, shocked at the unpredictable twists, turns and surprises. Just when you think you know what is happening the author reveals another layer of intrigue.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book and it goes straight into my Top Ten books of the year.
Recommended for:
Readers who enjoy slow-burn mysteries, literary thrillers, and stories rooted in cultural and emotional landscapes.
