The Mourning House by Ronald Malfi: A 5-Star Haunting Psychological Adventure

I’ve been on a wonderful streak lately of having the pleasure of reading some amazing authors who are blazing the trails of publishing today across many genres. I know reading them makes me a better writer myself and I strive to showcase here only the best literature available today.

Last weekend I read The Mourning House  by Ronald Malifi (published by Delirium Books, an imprint of DarkFuse). Since then I’ve been savoring it, even kicking around the idea of re-reading it, because I know it will be even better a second time.  It’s taken me a week to find the right words for my review. It’s THAT good. It’s more than good. This long fiction novella is phenomenal!!  (review continued after synopsis)

The Mourning House, Synopsis~

Devastated by tragedy, Dr. Sam Hatch is a shadow of his former self. He travels the by roads of America, running away from a past he cannot escape. There is no salvation for him.

And then he sees the house. Like a siren, it calls to him. Yet the house is not what it appears to be. Is it a blessing, a gift…or a curse?

Review continued~

It’s really no wonder that it made the preliminary ballot for the 2012 Bram Stoker Award (announced Jan 2013 by HWA). Even though it didn’t recently make the final five voting list as a nominee, it certainly deserves to be honored for its hauntingly poetic prose.  The Mourning House is literary excellence.  Ronald Malfi is by far one of the best writers across most major categories.

In regards to his December 2012 release of The Mourning House, in no way did I feel that I was left wanting more or that I had even read a novella. It was so superbly structured from character development, to plot, to twists, to emotional connection, to allegory that I felt I had absorbed an entire full-length novel in one sitting. Time evaporated as I read it and I remained awake the entire night brooding over it. 

His nuances within the text that came from the protagonist’s mind, or maybe it was our own mind?….or the house’s banter….I’m not sure, but it’s been playing nonsense in my head since.  It’s wriggled into my brain with its lingering madness. Its subtle haunting seeps into my thoughts. Now, I’m sure I’ll read it again. And I urge you to read it, and then again.

When you read The Mourning House, and I recommend you do, think beyond just the highest plane of the story and the plot of the protagonist. Think about if there are any lessons for life Malfi is referring to. Any allegorical levels. Any emotional dance it tips taps within your head. I promise afterwards you’ll not return the same.

Malfi’s mainstream-style of dark, suspenseful, and eerie fiction will appeal to anybody whose a lover of fine fiction. With novels under his pen to boast about, such as the Gold IPPY awarded and Bram Stoker nominated Floating Staircase, this kudos adorned author is one of the best in the field and The Mourning House is no exception to a long list of must-read works. It’s horror, but to make the distinction, it’s the haunting kind reminiscent for me of eerie Twilight Zone episodes or even Alfred Hitchcock. It’s psychological writing in its best form, with an antiquated feel.

Malfi recently re-released The Fall of Never this week with Samhain Publishing/Horror and will re-release Cradle Lake with Medallion Press in June. He’s releasing December Park in March of 2014 with Medallion Press. I really can’t wait to read everything and anything I can get my hands on by Ronald Malfi.

And I have an interview coming up with him too where I can drain more of his brain power….

Praise For The Mourning House from Publisher’s Weekly~

“Lyrical prose creates an atmosphere of eerie claustrophobia, flawless pacing, and a plot that unfolds into a quietly shattering climax. Fans of literary horror will enjoy this compelling, haunting story.” —Publishers Weekly

The Mourning House Details~

• File Size: 231 KB
• Print Length: 69 pages
• Publisher: Delirium Books (December 12, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English

Purchase it for download here:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Mourning-House-ebook/dp/B00ANW13U6%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAI4TO6S3PL2YRT2YA%26tag%3Ddarkfuseshop-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00ANW13U6

Ronald Malfi, Biography~

Ronald Malfi is the award-winning author of several horror novels, mysteries, and thrillers. In 2009, his crime drama Shamrock Alley won a Silver IPPY Award. In 2011, his ghost story/mystery Floating Staircase was nominated by the Horror Writers Association for best novel; the book also won a Gold IPPY Award for best horror novel. Most recognized for his haunting, literary style and memorable characters, Malfi’s dark fiction has gained acceptance among readers of all genres. He currently lives along the Chesapeake Bay with his wife and daughter, where he is at work on his next book. He can be reached online at www.ronmalfi.com.

Malfi is pictured in his most recent author photo with his super sized smile, but….

But this is my FAVORITE~