Customer Reviews

The House on Orchid Street

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, I'm T.M. Wright, and I wrote this book, as well as 29 others: At one time, Amazon.com had a space for the author of a book to include some remarks about it: that doesn't seem to be the case, now. Be that as it may (and it certainly is), I note that some reader/reviewers have complained that the book is "elliptical," or "confusing," or "full of plot holes": hell, it depends on the reader, doesn't it. There are no plot holes, no questions left unanswered in "The House on Orchid Street"--it all depends on how closely you care to read the book. Perhaps some of you find the pacing slow. I understand that. I build atmosphere slowly; my characterization is slow and deliberate; my plotting (when there IS a plot) is, as well, slow and subtle. I've been called a writer of "quiet horror," so if you're expecting Richard Laymon from my books, you'll have to read Richard Laymon (who was, by the way, a wonderful guy), not T.M. Wright.

I'm not here to defend this book. It is its own defense, and that is at it should be. If you hate the book, I'm sorry you wasted your money. If you liked it, loved it--thank you. It spoke to you. As I just did.

I didn't feel like I missed anything with this book, it just didn't appeal to me. I didn't find it scary and I never really cared about the characters. There was some cool imagery and I like the idea of the house being moved and the ghosts from the street coming with it. I also liked the way he told the story. I just never cared about anyone so in the end I felt nothing. It read fine, and as I always say, reading is a personal experience and just because it did not strike a chord with me does not mean it won't strike one with you. If anything I admire the style and quality of the writing. I will probably check out something else by this author in the future.

T.M. Wright has been a favorite author of mine for years. When a new T.M. Wright book hits the stands I know I'm in for a chilling, haunting good time. House on Orchid Street has stayed with me since I read it earlier in the year: a fascinating and complex story of people haunted by ghosts and ghosts haunted by something even worse. The atmosphere, pacing, and character development all work wonderfully. Read it now, and don't stop here. Continue to enjoy the bizarre and beautiful worlds of T.M. Wright.

With Halloween right around the corner, it's time once again to delve deeply into the well of horror. O.k., I don't really need to wait for Halloween to read and watch horror books and movies--I do that pretty much year round--but you get the idea. The end of October should always serve as a reason to try and dig up something special. I decided to look around for something traditional, in this case a good old-fashioned ghost story, so I chose T.M. Wright's "The House on Orchid Street." There's nothing like a scary tale filled with spirits from beyond the grave tormenting the living, right? Even better, such a story would give me the chance to finally read a book by Wright, an author I've heard good things about over the years yet never seemed to find the time to investigate. Sounds like a plan. Well, it SOUNDED like a good plan until I closed the cover of "The House on Orchid Street" after reading the final page. Whew! Wright's book is a prime example of horror written with an eye for the surreal. In other words, a quick pass through the book raises far more questions than answers. Almost nothing in the book leaps out at the reader with concrete answers.

The book starts off in a promising way, quickly introducing us to a young female artist named Katherine Nichols whose personal problems are legion. Nichols has a tough time with the men in her life, primarily her controlling boyfriend Larry, so she decides to turn over a new leaf by moving into a house out in the country near a place called Honeoye. In her initial confrontations with Larry, we discover disturbing things about Katherine. She's quite weak mentally in that she often falls into situations easily avoided had she simply stood up for herself. For instance, she spent some time in a religious cult. Katherine also has a tough time fending off Larry, a master manipulator who understands how to play our heroine's emotions with ease. But now Nichols is finally taking a stand, finally striking out on her own no matter what the monetary, emotional, or physical costs. Sadly, the costs are more than most people can pay. After Katherine's brother arrives on the scene and then mysteriously disappears, very strange things start to happen. Larry agrees to move in and becomes strangely docile. Then there are the strange apparitions that pop up with frightening regularity. What's going on here?

Metaphysical weirdness of the head scratching variety, that's what. A local cop with his own personal conflicts, Kennedy Whelan, pursues Nichols with annoying tenacity. He's convinced she killed her brother due to an ugly childhood secret, and he'll do anything to bring her down. In the midst of learning about Katherine's story, Wright offers us glimpses of the horrors that unfolded in a place called Orchid Street back in the 1930s. Something dark and sinister, something with love in its heart and knowledge of Italian, preyed on numerous denizens of this street back in the day. Then there was a fire that destroyed every house on Orchid Street except for one dwelling, a dwelling that was eventually moved from its original location to its present place. It is the very same house that Katherine Nichols now occupies. Instead of staying behind, the ghosts of Orchid Street decided to tag along, and it is some of these spirits that Katherine and others occasionally spot moving through the surrounding area. Confused yet? Don't worry; you will be once you get into the story. Did Katherine kill her brother? Why? What's up with Larry and Kennedy Whelan? Don't expect the conclusion to provide easy answers!

Yep, "The House on Orchid Street" reeks of the sort of surrealism one might find in another well known horror author's books, namely Tom Piccirilli of "The Deceased" and "The Night Class" fame. And that, my friends, is an enormous problem for me. I gave up reading Piccirilli's horror novels (I liked his western story "Grave Men," however) because I couldn't stand reading such confusing stories. I understood the idea behind his stories, just as I think I understand the idea behind "The House on Orchid Street," but the execution just doesn't work for me. I will say that, surrealism aside, Wright shares several of the positive traits I found in Piccirilli's works. He has, for example, a great ability to write gripping scenes that convey a large number of ideas in few words. The confrontations between Katherine and Kennedy Whalen overflow with all sorts of intriguing subtexts. Another positive for Wright's book is his writing style. He doesn't give us lots of flowery sentences packed full of useless adjectives and adverbs (like my reviews often do), but rather a stripped to the bone narrative that helps move the novel quickly to its confusing denouement. If only the story was easier to fathom! I want to know what happened on Orchid Street!

Oh well. It looks like I'll have to go back to the drawing board for my Halloween horror fix. Perhaps I should revisit the wonderful world of Algernon Blackwood's spectacularly scary "The Wendigo." Maybe I'll just watch Kubrick's "The Shining" again. What I won't likely do is revisit T.M. Wright anytime in the near future. That's probably more my problem than his, though. If you like surrealism in a horror story, you'll probably love "The House on Orchid Street." I, however, need to be in the mood for such challenging propositions, and I definitely was not in that frame of mind when I sat down with this book. Wright's book gets three stars from me for the abovementioned positives.

I always get excited when I see a new T.M. Wright book out on the stands... and this one is no exception. There are a few spelling errors that sometimes pop up throughout the book, but that can't be blamed on the author... fire the copy editor!!!! This novel resonated with me long after I was finished. The mythology was facinating, the characters real, and the pacing of the scenes and dialogue moved wonderfully. I was slightly unsatisfied with the ending, but I still rank T.M. Wright among the top 10 horror authors of the last 2 decades.

Don't like subtle yet bizarre writing that sneaks up behind you and whispers "boo"? No? Well then, I'd advise that you stay away from T.M. Wright's books, because if it's a big, loud, bloody growl you're looking for, he ain't going there.

"The House on Orchid Street" not only whispers, it pants, hisses in your ear, makes you squirm, all without a single beheading, fork in the eye, or demonic baby clawing its way out of Mother. Wright's prose can be deceptively delicate, even pretty as hell sometimes, but make no mistake -- his intent is anything but pretty, and the creep-factor decidedly NOT delicate. And if you don't like to think too hard while reading, Wright most definitely isn't for you, perhaps just as Annie Proulx or Ramsey Campbell isn't to your taste, but if you do enjoy a story that allows you to come to your own conclusion, a story that satisfies nonetheless, then give this one a try.

Oh, and he's funny, too. Rare that an author can make me smile or laugh out loud with one paragraph, make me nervous the next. T.M. Wright likes to catch his reader off guard, and he does that very well.

Others here have recommended "Cold House," so I'll join the chorus. "Cold House" is Wright at his very best. Oh, my God, yes.

In his novel The House On Orchid Street, Wright once again skillfully weaves settings and characters that lend to his unique sense of the surreal. At the end of each chapter readers may find themselves shaking their heads slightly, blinking once or twice, then eagerly attacking the next page.

The novel's main character, Karen, finds herself the proud owner of a house previously located on Orchid Street half a century earlier. After a series of haunting murders, a fire destroys most of the homes on Orchid Street. The last remaining house is relocated to the countryside where she purchases it as part of her plan to gain independence in her life.

Shortly after Karen moves in, the house's reputation for strangeness becomes apparent. In the midst of unfolding the mystery behind her brother's death and strengthening her resolve to become her own woman, Karen encounters forces that have lingered since the house's days on Orchid Street. Wright doesn't easily divulge the answers to all of our questions. That's part of the fun and intrigue of this novel.

We get a strong sense of who the characters in The House On Orchid Street are just through their actions and dialogue. By the end of the novel the reader gets the feeling Karen is at peace with what she has found. Exactly what does she find? That is left for us to intuit. But Wright gives us just enough of a glimpse and incentive to make the discovery process compelling.

My mother bought this book for me for xmas, i was so excited she gave it to me early. What a let down. Im a huge Laymon fan with his tragic passing i am trying to find new horror authors who I can sink my teeth into unfortunatly I dont think I will bother with T.M Wright again. I found this story to be flat and very unexciting. The main character Katherine was not a very likeable girl so I felt nothing for her or anyone else really (I did like Gloria.Im confused about what happened to her ghost)
So what I suppose im trying to say is that this story is just plain flat with nothing to make you jump or be in the least bit frightened. Leave it on the shelf and reread a Richard Laymon instead I guarantee you will Love it!

The House On Orchid Street is a psychological novel. Not confusing and boring, but a thing where a person's mental state has decayed and the paranormal is involved as well. It seems most the novels that I read lately are noteworthy, and this one is no exception. Its ending leaves the reader wondering, but yet knowing. Actually, it's almost like an exploded version of Virginia Wolfe's story, The Haunted House. Creepy, but not gory. Again, as in other works I've read lately, the publisher has done a poor job of proofreading. Again, no big deal. I found this novel to be a satisfying and mellow read.

I neither loved or hated this book. It was entertaining. Not one I would keep on my shelf but I got into it and read it in a couple days. I would check out others by this author. That is what I thought I was doing when I purchased this book. I had already read it a week before under it's original title Carlisle Street. I was disappointed that not only had the title changed but also had some of the character names. Does anyone know why the name change. I don't see anywhere where this is stated or mentioned. It is confusing. Not a highly memorable story for my taste but It is worth the read.