Name: Book Frisson's review of Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Item: Catherine House
Rating: 4
Author: Book Frisson

Elisabeth Thomas

"[A] delicious literary Gothic debut." -THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, EDITORS' CHOICE "Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step." - THE WASHINGTON POST A Most Anticipated Novel by Entertainment Weekly * New York magazine * Cosmopolitan * The Atlantic * Forbes * Good Housekeeping * Parade * Better Homes and Gardens * HuffPost * Buzzfeed * Newsweek * Harper's Bazaar * Ms. Magazine * Woman's Day * PopSugar * and more! A gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school's promise of prestige. Trust us, you belong here. Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world's best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years--summers included--completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire. Among this year's incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline--only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the school's enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine. For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she's ever had. But the House's strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, Ines begins to suspect that the school--in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence--might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum. Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky, atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, Catherine House is a devious, deliciously steamy, and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless.

Catherine House

Book Frisson

'Deliciously sinister . . . it's almost impossible not to be seduced' Louise O'Neill During your three years at Catherine House, you will have no contact with those in the outside world. You will not leave the grounds during your time at the college. If we believe you have wandered from the path of learning, you may be sent to the tower. Each of our students has been selected as someone who belongs here at Catherine. You will give to Catherine, and Catherine will give to you. We will not let each other down. Catherine House is a university like no other. Into its celebrated world steps Ines, a young woman who welcomes the school's isolation rather than its illustrious past. As the gates close and Ines finds herself start to be inevitably seduced by its magnetic power, she also begins to realise the question isn't why she chose to come to Catherine House; but why Catherine House chose her. 'Moody and evocative as a fever dream, CATHERINE HOUSE is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step' Washington Post 'Echoes of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go' Daily Mail

'One of the Most Gripping Books I've Read This Year'

ׂ╰┈➤ Short Reason: No plot, no vibes. 

This book has been on my TBR list for about almost a year, and it was highly anticipated. Sadly, to my surprise, I was bored as hell from the first page. However, I thought heyy, let me thug it out, because my resilient ass hoped that just like [book:The Night Circus|9361589], it gets better if you get through the first 150 pages of confusion.

Absolutely nothing to cause one to bite their nails or grip the edges of their beds or seats in anticipation happens. Not even when one of the characters passes. Abso-freakin-lutely nothing. 

The only time it was even remotely interesting was the ceremony thing (or whatever tf it was) when they were doing those chants. 

The cup is in my hands. My hands are in the house.

The house is in the woods. The woods are in my hands

I don't remember there ever being a mention of exactly why this school was founded, or why each character was there. In my defense, I dozed off reading the audiobook so that's that. But we know Ines is from a broken home or whatever, but why would her teacher recommend she go there? 

Also, why was she so insufferable? I mean, it was bad enough that I struggled to find any characters worth caring about. But Ines ate some random boy's sandwich and she's rebelling when she doesn't have a good home to land back on. It's not like she was forced to come here by her parents because of her behaviour. So, if you don't want to go home, why are you acting up to be sent home?? Girl whatever, this book was 2.25 stars and that's that.

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

ׂ╰┈➤ RATING: 2.25 stars

ׂ╰┈➤ STATUS: DNF @ 42%

ׂ╰┈➤ Short Reason: No plot, no vibes. 

ׂ╰┈➤ Thorough Reason: 

This book has been on my TBR list for about almost a year, and it was highly anticipated. Sadly, to my surprise, I was bored as hell from the first page. However, I thought heyy, let me thug it out, because my resilient ass hoped that just like [book:The Night Circus|9361589], it gets better if you get through the first 150 pages of confusion.

Spoiler alert: It doesn't. 

Absolutely nothing to cause one to bite their nails or grip the edges of their beds or seats in anticipation happens. Not even when one of the characters passes. Abso-freakin-lutely nothing. 

The only time it was even remotely interesting was the ceremony thing (or whatever tf it was) when they were doing those chants. 

The cup is in my hands. My hands are in the house.

The house is in the woods. The woods are in my hands

I don't remember there ever being a mention of exactly why this school was founded, or why each character was there. In my defense, I dozed off reading the audiobook so that's that. But we know Ines is from a broken home or whatever, but why would her teacher recommend she go there? 

Also, why was she so insufferable? I mean, it was bad enough that I struggled to find any characters worth caring about. But Ines ate some random boy's sandwich and she's rebelling when she doesn't have a good home to land back on. It's not like she was forced to come here by her parents because of her behaviour. So, if you don't want to go home, why are you acting up to be sent home?? Girl whatever, this book was 2.25 stars and that's that.

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free--but acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years, summers included, completely removed from the outside world. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige. Among this year's incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline, only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. But the House's strange protocols soon make this refuge feel increasingly like a gilded prison.

Well written and captivating! The open ending threw me a bit but I enjoyed it!

hillary pebworth 

This just did not give what I wish it would have. It succeeds in achieving the perfect Gothic and dark-academia atmosphere - and as many have failed here, at creating the atmosphere a central theme demands, the literal step one, my hopes were high. But the novel seems strangely held back by the protagonist's own inactivity.

Ines is not entirely passive but things just sort of happen to her. There is no innate quality of hers that puts her in the situations she is in. She is running away from something but not towards something. There does not appear to be anything that she greatly desires that leads her to make the choices she makes; nor would I say that her curiosity towards the mysteries of Catherine is so strong to the point it would become her downfall. It all feels like it may just be something for her to do or to happen in the novel.

And that could have worked, too. A detached protagonist can be well done when that detachment serves the novel either thematically or as a device, a medium for the story. But in this case it just kind of mutes everything else the novel achieves and stops the reader themself from feeling invested.

This just did not give what I wish it would have. It succeeds in achieving the perfect Gothic and dark-academia atmosphere - and as many have failed here, at creating the atmosphere a central theme demands, the literal step one, my hopes were high. But the novel seems strangely held back by the protagonist's own inactivity.

Ines is not entirely passive but things just sort of happen to her. There is no innate quality of hers that puts her in the situations she is in. She is running away from something but not towards something. There does not appear to be anything that she greatly desires that leads her to make the choices she makes; nor would I say that her curiosity towards the mysteries of Catherine is so strong to the point it would become her downfall. It all feels like it may just be something for her to do or to happen in the novel.

And that could have worked, too. A detached protagonist can be well done when that detachment serves the novel either thematically or as a device, a medium for the story. But in this case it just kind of mutes everything else the novel achieves and stops the reader themself from feeling invested.

Ryan Mateyk

Catherine House tells the story of Ines, an undergraduate at a prestigious, reclusive university that requires students to devote three full years of their life, but essentially promises a successful life at the end of the program. This school provides education in all disciplines, from biology to art history, but the primary focus is around a bizarre substance called plasm, a mysterious material that can heal or fix anything: human, inanimate object, animal, anything. This is general knowledge to most of the world, it seems, but Ines can't help but feel there is more going on beneath the surface when it comes to plasm and experimentation at the university. 

To be blunt... this book was really weird. I found the story compelling and I sped through to get to the big twist but found myself really underwhelmed by the end. The story is populated by strange characters doing incomprehensible things and who seem to literally all be drunk at all hours of the day. And they also never sleep, like, girlies don't you need your 8 hours? I think my biggest issue was how abstractly plasm was explained since this was the main plot point of the book and I still don't really have an idea of what it is or how it really works? As I said, it was compelling and very readable, and I read it in pretty much two sittings, but it had a bunch of issues for me.

“[A] delicious literary Gothic debut.” –THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, EDITORS' CHOICE “Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step.” – THE WASHINGTON POST A Most Anticipated Novel by Entertainment Weekly • New York magazine • Cosmopolitan • The Atlantic • Forbes • Good Housekeeping • Parade • Better Homes and Gardens • HuffPost • Buzzfeed • Newsweek • Harper’s Bazaar • Ms. Magazine • Woman's Day • PopSugar • and more! A gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige. Trust us, you belong here. Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire. Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine. For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had. But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum. Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky, atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Catherine House is a devious, deliciously steamy, and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless.

A Novel

AHNA

3.5 🌟

Aside from the obvious themes, how the story unfolds and the pacing of this book made it clear that it wouldn't be enjoyable for some people. There's not much of a plot going here it was heavily relied on the mood, or the atmosphere that the author were trying to capture.

But I quietly enjoyed this. I think it's just what I need at the moment. At first the main character didn't really stood out to me, but I was still curious to what happened. And as I continue the story, the more mystery I found the more intrigued I am. In the end, I wanted the best for the character and I hope she will be okay.

It was kinda hard for me to understand everything at first. This book makes me work a little to do a bit of research in cults so that I could understand more of it. It was fun.

Nina Verhaaff 

Why.
Everything was so random and didn’t make any sense whatsoever. There was nothing interesting about this.

Lara Engle

This is a weird little book. I'm not even sure what to say about it. In some ways, it reminds me of We Are Okay, with the sad, even depressed, college girl wandering through life trying to find purpose. In other ways, it reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye with the clearly traumatized young person acting out in a vain attempt to feel something while also avoiding everything. There was something unsatisfying about it, but it's still beautiful and haunting. Nothing much happens, but still everything changes. I guess that's how life is sometimes.

Cindi Coan

** spoiler alert **
           I was sent this book by the publisher, but the opinions are my own. 

I will not summarize it here, but I will say I inhaled this book. The writing was smooth and atmospheric which made the book flow and I could really imagine the place. It had all the makings of the kind of story I enjoy: elements of mystery, an unreliable narrator, and a vague feeling something is not as it seems. It was riveting and I had to know how it ended. 

My only negative point is that I like a more explicit ending, but that is just my preference. I was left wanting to know what happened to Ines, did she meet up with YaYa, what really happened to Baby, when did Theo turn on Ines, what was the point of the sessions... but again, that's a preference. Personally, vagueness gives me anxiety, but Catherine House, as a place, was vague and mysterious. Too much explanation wouldn't have made sense, given Ines, as the narrator, couldn't explain those things.

Colleen

3 Stars
 
*An atmospheric but confusing debut novel with a hard-to-like main character*


Catherine House entered my radar earlier this year when I watched an interview with the author. I have been on a huge Gothic binge (both classic and modern), so this one piqued my interest. 

My emotions after reading this book are mixed. The writing totally brought forth the moody, creepy atmosphere of the setting. That was the strongest element of the story. I would recommend it for fans of Modern Gothic / dark academia. The story is about a girl who gets accepted into an elite but secretive prep school. Those who complete the program are almost guaranteed to go onto brilliant success, but Catherine House demands complete devotion from its students. And Ines just might find out the terrible cost of failure at a place like that. And if you guess that a school that requires its students to be completely isolated from the outside world is going to have a cult element, well then you are one smart cookie.


  "Today is not a moment. Today is not a point. Today is an infinite area. Today is forever. Everything that has happened and will happen is now. Everything that has been and will be is here. 
And everything is good. 
Everything is fine."

As I mentioned, the setting and atmosphere were excellent. I could vividly picture everything. The main problem was how unlikable the main character, Ines, was. She was a constant spiral of self-destruction that was suffocating to read about. The story opens with her passed out naked in a bathtub after getting blackout drunk and having dubiously consensual sex with someone she didn’t even remember. The spiral of drugs, alcohol, and unprotected casual sex was tedious to read about. It took me a few days to finish the book because I could only take small doses of the story at a time. It didn’t help that Ines was the 1st person narrator for the whole story. She simply did not have a personality; she was entirely defined by her self-destruction. Her past could have provided some offset to her numbness, but it was revealed too slowly. The revelation (and delivery) of her secrets were underwhelming. And by the time that came around, I disliked Ines too much to be able to garner up much sympathy. 

There were some smaller issues I had with the story. There were elements that could have been explored deeper. And the ending was too vague for my tastes. But the main reason this teetered between two and three stars for me was the unpleasant main character. It was a similar experience to reading The House of Brides last year: I liked the writing and setting but couldn’t stand the main character. I think both debuts show a lot of potential, enough to make me interested in reading what each author comes out with next despite not liking their first leading ladies. The bottom line for Catherine House was that it was an ok story that didn’t quite live up to my expectations.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Rachel Kanyid

Really weird, but enjoyable and well paced.

It’s tough bc I really really loved the end of this book but the main character is so hard to get into at the beginning; maybe I’m just a goody two shoes who took school too seriously but I was screaming girl just study!! also didn’t realize it when I picked this up but the art history vibes were immaculate and the creepy dark academia atmosphere was super interesting. I really enjoyed it, but it was a slow start for me so I bumped it down a star. the twist I did not see coming even though I maybe should have because hello, secret history inspired

fris🐝

sophia n

this was so weird and wonderful, i wasn't expecting to like it as much as i did. the atmosphere was great and it completely fit the “dark academia” bill, and i loved all the characters and how things unfolded. this is sooo not a thriller though, like at all, lmao.

i think my only real criticism is a super specific one to my personal tastes, and that's that i felt like it was missing that edge of tension i was hoping for. i would’ve liked it to get a little more unsettling (like, question-my-existence unsettling LMFAO) overall, or honestly even some horror. that being said, this was such a strong debut and so intriguing. i actually really loved the ending, but i think anyone who hates unanswered questions or open endings definitely won't like this.

this book was so introspective and crushing in a soft way, it felt like it was diving into my head. you know that scene in ‘get out’ when the white lady sends chris to the sunken place for the first time? that’s what this book felt like for me.

Dee B. 

How people sold this book to me: it's creepy and weird. I absolutely loved it.
What this book gave me: it's weird.
I'm so sad. This isn't what I wanted out of this one and maybe if I didn't have such high expectations I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This book is beautifully written following a morally grey character that begs for you to care about her story. I just...didn't. There was a fog of confusion surrounding everything that happened in this house and I'm still not completely sure what was happening. I also will not forgive y'all for letting me fall in love with (view spoiler)[Baby and then have to sit here and watch her die! (hide spoiler)]. 

There was human experimentation which was confusing, but above all of that there was an element of found family that wasn't quite wholesome, it was a perfect replica of the college hall/dorm experience. Thomas wrote about the baseness of human nature and youth: excessive partying, drinking and sex. 

It wasn't necessarily a pleasant experience, feeling quite slow at times, and I still don't know what the point was, but it wasn't a painful experience either.

'Deliciously sinister. It's almost impossible not to be seduced' Louise O'Neill During your three years at Catherine House you will have no contact with those in the outside world. Each of our students has been selected as someone who belongs here. You will give to Catherine and Catherine will give to you. We will not let each other down. Catherine House is a university like no other. Into its celebrated world steps Ines, a young woman who welcomes the school's isolation rather than its illustrious past. As the gates close and Ines finds herself start to be inevitably seduced by its magnetic power, she begins to realise the question isn't why she chose to come to Catherine House; but why Catherine House chose her. 'A brilliantly observed tale brimming with subtle malevolence' Irenosen Okojie 'Echoes of The Secret History and Never Let Me Go' Daily Mail 'Moody and evocative as a fever dream, CATHERINE HOUSE is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step' Washington Post

'A delicious, diverse, genre-bending gothic, as smart as it is spooky' Chloe Benjamin

I loved this book so much but I also didn't actively like it. It's very confusing but I kept aching for all the experiences the characters and I share with all the bitter sweetness of college but I was left with so many questions.

Bambi Ard

3.5/3.75. I ate this book up and loved every vague, pretentious second of it. There were a few things I wasn’t quite sold on, though (namely the romance and Inez’s feelings towards Catherine House), that ultimately prevent me from giving it a solid 4.

Okay so my official rating is 3.5 stars. The idea of this book was AMAZING, but I felt confused most of the time is all.

Anna Price

I loved the slow build up, and couldn't help but fall in love with Ines's character. As another reviewer said, I couldn't help but want the best for her. Honestly, the ending frustrated me. I wanted some sort of closure and that is just not offered.

Stephanie Cox

Strange and interesting, but slow. As books about deeply depressed people tend to be. The spookiness of it stuck with me. The marketing of this as a horror or thriller was a deep disfavor to the book itself.

allie

what a wild ride

trigger warnings: alcohol consumption and abuse, drug use, animal medical experimentation, suicide, slut shaming, vomiting, medical exams, needles, depiction of grief/loss, captivity/forced isolation, animal injury/illness, gaslighting, depression, death of sister (mentioned), and death of friend/classmate

Maya Rice

wowwww. much to unpack here.
first and foremost, this felt like a more palatable ottessa moshfegh and melissa broder writing style. I got from this book what I wanted to get from my year of rest and relaxation.
second, the concept was suuuper interesting and I like how, at the end of the book, the reader still doesn't really know what's happening, just as the students don't. some may be disappointed with the ending (as I am usually disappointed with ambiguous endings) but I think this was a really well done ending that actually fit with the vibe of the book.
I feel like everything happened in the end of the book, which i usually don't like, but it definitely worked for this book.
I can't really explain it, this book just worked and it was enjoyable! I liked it.

daisy

A dark, claustrophobic and compulsive novel, in the vein of THE WATER CURE, NEVER LET ME GO and Ottessa Moshfegh. That was the Catherine experiment: give the house three years - three profound, total years - then become anything or anyone you want to be. Watch all your dreams come true Catherine House is an American college with a difference. Only the most brilliant minds enter, and its graduates earn prestige, wealth and honour. But over the three years they attend the school, they remain within its black gates; they have no contact with their loved ones; no association with the outside world. Those who break these rules will find themselves facing time in the school's infamous tower. Ines enters Catherine House on the run from an incredibly dark secret, and welcomes the school's isolation. Sharing a room with the sweet, damaged Baby, she slowly begins to build the group of friends she never had outside its walls. One day, however, Baby is summoned to the tower - and never returns. Ines is heartbroken, left to uncover the secrets that Catherine House conceals while slowly becoming more and more seduced herself by its dark, magnetic power. Swirling with atmosphere and the subtle tingling of horror, CATHERINE HOUSE is a novel that will steal your heart and swallow you whole.

Sam Pulliam

I know nothing *really* happened but I don't care. This book was so atmospheric and you can definitely take this story as a way to think about academia and the way people are when they're immersed in it. Also it's just weird and wild. A good time!

Book Frisson &
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

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Book Frisson &Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

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Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas