Summary
An Audie Award Finalist
A psychological thriller with supernatural overtones, The Birthing House is a tale of one man’s descent into madness, where fantasy and nightmare share the same bed.
In this brilliantly crafted ghost story, a young couple, Conrad and Joanna Harrison, attempt to save their marriage by starting anew in a rural turn-of-the-century former birthing house. One day, when Jo is away at work, the former owner bequeaths a photo album that “belongs to the house.” Thumbing through the antique photos of miserable midwives and pregnant girls in their nineteenth-century dresses, Conrad is chilled to the bone when he sees his own wife staring back at him with rage.
The Birthing House is a story of possession, sexual obsession, and ultimately murder, as a centuries-old crime is reenacted in the present with devastating consequences.
Editorial Reviews
“Christopher Ransom’s The Birthing House was so all-out scary that it kept me up until the wee hours in a way few novels have since Carrie went to the prom…This book is killer.” —Jacquelyn Mitachard, New York Times bestselling author
“[An] impressive debut…Replete with subtle symbolism that supports the birthing motif (spiders with bulging egg sacs, a moist clutch of snake eggs, etc.), this addictively readable ghost story will keep readers up all night, with the lights on, of course.” —Publishers Weekly
“As much about the terrors of humankind as it is about the supernatural, this is an exceptional debut, full of action-packed gore and carnal imagery. Ransom’s style mimics that of the early Stephen King and Dan Simmons’ horror fiction.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“A stunning debut—swaddling the reader in dread from the very first sentence and spiraling into a heart-stopping climax.” —Michael Marshall, author of The Straw Men
“Author Christopher Ransom provides plenty of chills that will spook even the most dedicated of horror fans, especially as delivered by narrator Edward Herrmann. He reads with a subtle intensity from the very beginning of the story, implanting in listeners a strong sense of foreboding that helps to set the scene for the eventual mayhem. The story is filled with plenty of horror-story clichés but when combined with Herrmann’s skillful performance, the results prove to be compelling. An Audies Finalist.” —AudioFile
“Herrmann captures every disturbing nuance in this evocative debut horror novel…Herrmann perfectly sets the stage, beginning with a pleasant, straightforward recounting of events, before projecting the burgeoning horror as Conrad’s mental state deteriorates…Words and images that might be skimmed over in print reverberate in audio, thanks to Herrmann’s capable reading. He draws listeners in as foreboding builds and clues are revealed. This is all about mood, and Herrmann expertly channels the nightmare.” —Booklist