This House Will Feed is a superb gothic novel and a damning record of the Irish Potato Famine, told through the eyes of Maggie O’Shaughnessy. Using the medium of Irish folklore, an intriguing supernatural yarn is spun; peppered with the chilling realities of genocide.
The book starts with a long trigger warning and I advise readers to take it seriously. Tureaud pulls no punches and while I’m grateful for the impeccable historical research and accuracy, anyone close to the contents may be badly affected. It starts with sibling cannibalism and only gets bleaker.
Transportation, that feeling of being pulled into a narrative, is Tureaud’s biggest strength. I haven’t been absorbed in a novel like this since I read A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood as a teenager. It wouldn’t surprise me if this became a future classic also.
The plot caught me off-guard. Some aspects I had figured out but the main twist eluded me completely. Throughout, the imagery was harrowing and competently delivered. The characters are mysterious, compelling and believable. While the supernatural premise is far-fetched, the folklore aspects gives it legitimacy and in some ways, the more fanciful elements help to temper the harsh reality of the backdrop. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the ending but it was a logical and satisfactory completion.
At the beginning of each chapter is an epigraph drawn from historical sources. These newspaper clippings and speech excerpts reinforce an awful reality of what the British Empire did to Ireland, along with the contemptuous attitudes of those with the power to prevent such tragedy.
I will not forget this book in a hurry. When my children are old enough, I will encourage them to read it and I hope you will do the same. I believe we all have a moral duty to remember the atrocities so we can prevent them reoccurring. I cannot rate this book highly enough.
| Criteria | Scores | Our Score |
| Artistic Achievement | 1 – 5 | 5 |
| Pacing | 1 – 5 | 5 |
| Characters | 1 – 5 | 5 |
| Writing Style | 1 – 5 | 5 |
| Originality | 1 – 5 | 5 |
Written By: ivetafox
Favourite Game – Long Live the Queen || Favourite Film – Sweeney Todd || Favourite Book – Wuthering Heights
About: Ivy is a disabled, autistic writer from the UK, passionate about inclusive gaming. When not reviewing, she can be found writing short stories and micro fiction or reading the latest gothic novel.
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