The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

The Haunting of Moscow House PDF by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (Author) is a deeply moving and suspenseful novel set in the early days of post-revolutionary Russia. I wasn’t quite sure as what to call this novel: is it a ghost story or is it historical fiction? – but eventually it is a mix of both. The ghostly aspects is more horror-adjacent than actual horror, but there are definitely some unsettling bits.

The Haunting of Moscow House book is written in the present tense, which is normally I don’t like. The rest of the novel, I’m pretty sure I enjoyed it. It’s hard for me to say that I “enjoyed” something that’s so bleak (although it’s not totally devoid of hope or happiness), but after the first 25% read or so I was hooked.

I was fascinated by Imperial Russia as a kid and read a ton about Russian nobility, so it was interesting to hear about what life was like for those same people after the 1917 revolution. And haunted houses are probably one of my favorite tropes in all of literature, so combining a haunted house story with post-revolutionary Russia? Yes, please!

Since this book deals largely with the plight of Russian nobility, be prepared for everyone to have approximately 47 names and titles each. In one paragraph a character is Princess So-and-So, and then in the next they’re Countess So-and-So and in the next they’re The-Same-Person-but-Using-Their-Diminutive.

If you like romance, there’s plenty of that in this story and some semi-gratuitous sex scenes as well. The affection that Irina and Lili have for each other (and their other family members) is also rather endearing and sweet.

Russian folklore also plays a large part in this tale. The Moscow House Domovoy (house spirit) is an important character, especially during the climax. There’s also talk of Baba Yaga and other Russian legends, and it’s all tremendously interesting.

If you enjoy historical Gothic novels mixed with folklore and romance, you should definitely consider giving this one a read. Its expected publication date is September 3, 2024.

About The Haunting of Moscow House PDF