“[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 • … 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.
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Elisabeth Thomas had me mesmerized from the first page. Dreamy and brimming with dread, Catherine House will swallow you whole.
I enjoyed the prose and good character development, but ultimately i just didn’t get it.
Book 282 for the year. 2/5 stars for this Gothic read. I love the cover, and it’s set in a school, so I thought it would be up my alley. I was very wrong. In my opinion it’s way too long. There were aspects that were creepy or interesting, but they never felt flushed out. It was a whole lot of words for nothing much happening plot wise. Can’t say I’d recommend this one, even if you like weird books.
The writing was thoughtful and at times beautiful, and the author did a great job of conjuring the character’s neutral, dreamy, and even depressed state. However, I felt that little occurred by way of plot until the last two chapters. Then the book was over. That said, Thomas is clearly a talented writer, so I’m interested to see what she does next.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas is a very strange debut, but it is also very atmospheric and gothic which I loved. The writing is incredibly unique as well as the book itself, and it is definitely something you need to experience for yourself. I listened to the audiobook, and Inés del Castillo was a really good narrator for Ines, and I thought she matched well to what I would image Ines would sound like. And how random that they have the same name too! She did a great job with the book, and the parts with the chant were made extra creepy by her saying them.
It is incredibly hard to describe Catherine House and it’s not going to be for everyone, in fact, I think a very small population of readers will actually enjoy it just because of how odd it is. The school was a character in itself which I loved, but the human characters were rather elusive, and I didn’t feel like I really got to know any of them, even Ines although all we get is her perspective. We get bits of her past mixed in with her time at Catherine House, and I would have loved to have even more of her previous life mixed in. I really had no idea where the book was going, so I just had to sit back and enjoy the ride. I’m really glad I did the audio, and I would recommend going that route if you can. Catherine House was an interesting debut and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks it sounds good to them. Meanwhile, I will be keeping an eye out for Thomas’s next book and am interested to see what she writes next!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
I do not recommend this book. The entire story is too ethereal, has no substance, and the reveal is not worth investing the time, if you haven’t figured it out chapter’s ahead.
I didn’t want it to end. Hope there might be a sequel
“Catherine House” by Elisabeth Thomas is marketed as a Gothic tale, and although I found Gothic elements in the decay of the elite school, the book didn’t feel Gothic to me. It did, however, feel moody. The lead character has some dark “past” that is never fully explained, but when she’s accepted to a prestigious university, all expenses paid, she jumps at the chance. In exchange for a top-notch education, food, room and board, and clothing, students at Catherine House sever contact with their old lives for their three years of tutelage. For the lead character, Ines, who would rather forget much of her past, Catherine’s restriction allows her to hide.
Ines is a curious character, disinterested in much beyond her own rather hedonistic pursuits. Parties take up most of her involvement at the university, yet despite her lagging grades and atrocious classroom attendance, this young woman is encouraged to “do better” instead of being tossed out of the school. She tends to use people rather than forge real friendships, and when Viktoria, the school’s enigmatic head mistress wants to “experiment” on the students, Ines balks. Yet a few chapters later, without many changes in the plot to expedite her change of heart, Ines agrees to participate. These experiments are never fully explained, which would have been interesting and verged into an almost sci-fi feel. Then, the storyline had Ines’ roommate “pass,” and the young woman’s barely mourned. There are interesting allusions to the food at Catherine, and although it is plentiful and apparently tasty, the freshman class, including Ines, seem to lose weight. There were some really interesting plot points that never really got the attention they deserved, actually. Perhaps Ms. Thomas will write some related tales to supplement this novel. I would be interested to read more of the mysteries of Catherine House.
Did not like this book at all. The protagonist was so insufferable and did not improve at all throughout the book.
Students at Catherine House are all special. They have to be special to give up everything the outside world has to offer to commit themselves to three full years at a selective school hidden in rural Pennsylvania. Catherine House offers its students completely free attendance to its experimental learning and research experience and a promise of success beyond its iron gates.
A new first-year, Ines has come to Catherine as a last resort to escape her boisterous and chaotic life. Instead of strict discipline, she finds a place of higher learning dedicated to revelry and expanding the minds of its members. She finds friendship with her meek but determined roommate, Baby, but Ines doesn’t feel she is experiencing the same enchantment of Catherine as the other students are. When Baby’s time at the school ends in tragedy, Ines’ suspicion of Catherine House rises, and she attempts to understand the mysteries hidden with its gothic architecture and shabby charm.
Catherine House is Elisabeth Thomas’ debut novel; Thomas is a Yale University alumnus who works as an archivist at the Museum of Modern Art. This story is a mix of mystery, thriller, drama, and science fiction. It is unexpected and exhilarating.
The middle dragged, but good writing and interesting characters.
The book started off strong. Ines and other arrive at a College called Catherine House where they will stay for three years studying and isolated from the outside world. The book follows Ines as she struggles to fit in, out run her past and keep up with her studies while drinking and sleeping around. Not much else happens in this book. There are hints of deeper mystery but they remain hidden. When I finished I was disappointed. The book felt unfinished.
A literary novel with suspense and finely wrought characters: such a treat.
Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas was 309 pages of stream of consciousness, almost, a genre not enthralling. It was referred to as horror. Not so much. Coming of age? No, not that either. What was it, exactly? Self-indulgence. A first novel, which shows promise in narration and some in dialogue. There was not plot. There was not conclusion. Both things are necessary for me to enjoy a book I am reading. Am I getting old? Too old to appreciate a cutting-edge novel? Maybe. My one questions is, how can I get those wasted hours back?
I received a free ARC of Catherine House from Goodreads in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own.
This one was, well, weird. And I’m still not sure if I mean that in a good way…
I was highly intrigued by the concept and loved the cover. The beginning drew me in straightaway and I was confident this was going to be a great fit for me. Then about half-way through I found the story drifting away from me and nearly left it altogether. It devolved from a quirky, off-kilter, vaguely menacing tale about something I couldn’t quite figure out into a disconcerting melange of ennui and bizarre inexplicables that left me wanting to shake every single character to see what fell out.
I started skimming a bit at that point, until things started coming to a head about 3/4 of the way through. (I’d like to point out that I had absolutely zero trouble staying with the story doing this, suggesting to me that my irritation at the repetitive nature of the characters’ whining and slogging through every day was, in fact, due to its repetition and not just to my losing interest.) From there I read every word, not so much because I was enraptured with where things were going, but because I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it and felt that the “something” I sensed in the beginning was slipping away without the kind of “AHA!” resolution I was hoping for… I read every word to make sure it wasn’t me missing something, but the story not delivering it.
And then it ended.
For me, the end came with a whimper not a bang, and I was surprisingly disappointed by that, despite the distancing that I’d been feeling from the story for some time at that point. I really liked the way it was set up initially and felt let down that it didn’t wrap up for me with that same sense of dramatic energy. It’s possible this one just wasn’t a good fit for me; I got bored quickly with the tales of promiscuity and free-range drinking and the repetitive and monotonal nature of the interactions between characters (both students and teachers). It felt like I was supposed to be shocked but mostly I was just numbed by it all.
And the characters never really felt like three-dimensional human beings to me; they too felt repetitive and monotonal, and the “quirks” that were supposed to identify the characters as distinctive (YaYa’s clothes, Baby’s obsessions, Ines’ defiance) felt less like colorful individual personality traits and more like adjectives written on a page in black and white with very little fleshing them out. It made it hard to connect to them in a meaningful way, which made the slower bits of the story that much more difficult to work through. At one point, I’d skim a couple of paragraphs (or pages) and it seemed like when I rejoined the “action”, the characters were basically doing the exact same thing on a different day.
There was a very cool idea here, full of dark menace and possibility. For me, those things never felt fully developed. From the reviews I’ve seen, people either connect with this one and love it, or they (like me) never did and don’t. The opening is very strong; if you’re willing to give it a try, it’s worth it for that alone. You can always walk away – or maybe you can’t/won’t. Maybe you’ll find yourself like me (and Ines), unable to walk away until you know what *really* happens at Catherine House. And maybe that’s how (and what) the book ultimately does deliver – that realization that sometimes, even when we don’t want to, we HAVE to see things through to the bitter end…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Catherine House is one of those books that you finish reading and think, what just happened? It is about a school hidden in the woods that is a three year school. A lot of the students have problems in their lives at home. So they come here hoping to get an education. It is a school that there is pretty much free sex and drinking going on and no one seems to care. You do have to get good grades though or you may be asked to leave.
The students are asked to do the three years and have not to contact with the outside world. Period. No tv, no internet, no contact with family or friends. The curriculum is experimental at best. The students are asked to explore their minds, and expand their minds.
Ines Murillo Catherine House is home to her, away from her past. She finds that the house’s protocols are more like a prison than a home/school. She realizes that there is a hidden agenda within the school’s walls.
This book is definitely creepy although I found the ending anti-climatic, wished it had gone a different way.
I did enjoy the book even though I wanted to stop reading a few times. It did eventually peak my interest. If you like a gothic story that does have some twists and turns that will keep the reader wanting more.
I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.
“You must decide what you are doing here.”
This gothic tale is a train wreck of a book. Elizabeth Thomas writes well (hence the three stars), but she gets lost in her words as Ines, the protagonist, gets lost in Catherine House’s maze of corridors.
This is a haunting book, but not a really recommended one by this reviewer. I do appreciate the opportunity to read it, but it’s not going to stay on my shelf as I will be passing it on quickly. I can’t really recommended it at all. For it’s writing alone I give it 3/5
[disclaimer: I won this book and chose to read and review it]
With this astonishing debut, Elisabeth Thomas has conjured an immersive, intoxicating world that left me as reluctant as its characters were to leave it behind. I inhaled the novel in a single, glorious weekend, but Catherine House and its denizens will linger with me for a very long time.
Catherine House is a novel that lingers long after the final page. It’s a haunting, mesmerizing debut — a modern gothic tale that is both profoundly moving and eerily disturbing. Thomas’s novel makes us question our ability to forgive, to accommodate our mistakes and those of others, and the possibility of ever truly finding a place that feels like home.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas has Ines entering the private school a different person from when she applied. An experience changed her leaving her in a precarious position. Catherine House is a unique school of higher learning where you commit to staying for three years. There is no contact with anyone in the outside world, no summer vacations, no music, no television, and no mementoes of your past. You do get the chance for a stellar education that will help them obtain their dreams. Ines is more interested in a place to hide and enjoys the abundance of alcohol provided. After a while, though, Ines begins to wonder about one of the labs and what they are doing in those locked rooms. Ines wants answers. But what will be the cost for obtaining the information she desires?
Catherine House is not what I expected. I struggled to finish this book. I continued to read, though, determined to find out the secret and to see how Ines story plays out. Catherine House is a strange book. A school for people with superior intellects and those who think in different ways (linear is not good enough). The book has an unlikeable main character. Ines’ behavior and attitude were deplorable. There is rampant alcohol drinking, nudity and casual sex (Ines had more partners than a street walker). Foul language is prolific as well (for brainiacs their vocabulary was lacking). There is strange food that I wondered if the school drugged from the way the students behaved.
Some of it is odd and difficult to understand. An example is “You are in the house and the house is in the woods. The woods are in the house. The stairs are in the house. Down the stairs is the hallway, and at the end of the hallway is the ballroom. The ballroom is in the house. You are in the house and the house is in you.” Another example from Catherine House, “Your hands are on the table. The table is in the hall, across the yard, in the house. The house is in the woods. In the woods, across the yard, in your hands, is the cup. The cup is in your hands. Your hands are in the house.”
I did like the dark, Gothic atmosphere the author created. The author is a descriptive writer that allows the reader to visualize the scenes. However, I thought Catherine House moved along at a plodding pace. Nothing really happened. I expected suspense and action which never materialized. I found Catherine House a challenge to finish. Catherine House left me confused, disappointed and anxious for a good book.