The Day Of The Door By Laurel Hightower – Book Review

The Day of the Door sunk its hooks in me right away. I had no knowledge of the plot going in. Hadn’t even read the synopsis. And this story touched on all my deepest cringes.

I’ve never been able to wrap my head around harming a child. The character of Stella is exactly the type of narcissistic, calculating individual who fuels my nightmares because she is 100% real. And that bothers me, a lot! I’ve watched every episode of Evil Lives Here because, even though it breaks my heart to hear first-hand accounts of abuse, I believe that evil exists, and that the only way to control it, is to expose it. That’s exactly the vibe The Day of the Door puts out. I was emotionally invested in the Lasco siblings, who lost their eldest brother, Shawn, to violent events in the household years prior. I felt their grief. I wanted to know more, to hold their hands and see them through the dark.

This tale unfolds at a decent pace. There are creepy visuals throughout, which is something I personally appreciate because if I don’t get a good dose of creepiness every 20 pages or so, I nod off. There’s plenty here for horror fans and mystery/ suspense fans alike.

When I started reading The Day of The Door, I was curious about the author, knowing that her last novel had garnered tons of positive reviews and a Bram Stoker nomination. I still haven’t read Below (an oversight I plan to correct immediately) and figured I’d give this one a try, since it’s her newest release. Boy, did Hightower deliver. 5 out of 5 stars, for sure.

On the surface, The Day of the Door presents itself as a horror story about a dysfunctional family with a traumatic past. But once you dive in, you sink so much deeper. What I ultimately took away was the feeling that nobody ever truly knows what a person has gone through. People look at a situation and draw their own conclusions, and sometimes, a person’s pain grows so much deeper, feeling like nobody sees their life story for what it truly is. But in the end, you can’t waste your life worrying if anyone else understands it. You’ve just got to live it!

Yes, I really did take such deep thoughts away from this little horror novel! It was a darn good one.
I might have known. Ghoulish Books always serves up top-notch fiction. I’ve been a fan of Max and Lori Booth for over a decade now, and everything they do keeps getting better. If you don’t follow Ghoulish Books, you should. If you haven’t read Laurel Hightower, you should!

That is my review! Now go read!

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