When two awkward teens discover a house at the bottom of a lake, their first date becomes sexually charged at the start of this supernatural thriller by Josh Malerman (Birdbox).
Hoping to get to know one another better, 17-year-olds James and Amelia plan a first date canoeing across a series of small lakes. They paddle, take in the sights, picnic and stumble between what they'd like to say and the fear of being misunderstood. Their stilted banter drops when they notice a graffitied, semi-submerged tunnel that connects to a hidden lake. The couple scrape their canoe through to find a smaller body of water--with a two-story house under the surface. The impossibility of the structure's existence draws them beneath the waves, where they find that, unbelievably, the house is intact. Both feel an ominous presence within the walls, but the fear excites them and they suddenly can't keep their hands off each other. They ignore the hows and whys of their find and the voices in their heads coming from the house. The two return with diving equipment, giving themselves over to whatever supernatural entity is drawing them inside the underwater residence.
Just as A House at the Bottom of a Lake reels in James and Amelia, so will Malerman's writing force readers to plunge the depths of this novel. The author perfectly blends magical realism and abject terror to create "don't go in there!" screaming and "what the hell is that?!" curiosity. House may need multiple readings to peel back all the metaphorical layers packed into this scary story. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer