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Fiction Suspense

We Used to Live Here

A Novel

by (author) Marcus Kliewer

Publisher
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Initial publish date
Jun 2024
Category
Suspense, Supernatural, Horror
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781982198787
    Publish Date
    Jun 2024
    List Price
    $34.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781982198800
    Publish Date
    Jun 2024
    List Price
    $14.99 USD
  • Downloadable audio file

    ISBN
    9781797181288
    Publish Date
    Jun 2024
    List Price
    $34.99

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Description

From an author “destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a haunting debut—soon to be a Netflix original movie—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit.

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it” (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh).

About the author

Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won the Scariest Story of 2021 award on the NoSleep forum (eighteen million members). Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster in the US for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Marcus Kliewer's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"WE USED TO LIVE HERE is a gem of contemporary horror that explores the places we call home with deft and terrifying command that will leave you shaken long after turning the final page."

<B>— Matt and Harrison Query, authors of <i>Wilderness Reform</i></B>

"Full of unease and stomach-churning dread, WE USED TO LIVE HERE creeps up to you like a sly shadow. I wanted to look away. I absolutely could not. Marcus Kliewer is destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling. Read this with every single light on."

<b>—Erin A. Craig, #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>House of Salt and Sorrows</i></b>

"A simply riveting read from start to finish, WE USED TO LIVE HERE will prove to be a prized pick for community library collections."

<b>—  John Burroughs, Midwest Book Review</b>

"Kliewer’s debut is an atmospheric nightmare in all the best ways. This is recommended for fans of intricately plotted psychological novels, such as those by Stephen King, Ruth Ware, and Sarah Pinborough."

<i><b>— Booklist</b></i>

"This book is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. WE USED TO LIVE HERE will haunt you even after you have finished it."

<B>— Agustina Bazterrica, bestselling author of Tender is the Flesh</B>

"[A] devilish debut...What begins as mildly uncomfortable grows full-tilt terrifying...Stringing the whole thing together is Kliewer's gift for atmosphere and wicked sense of humor. This is a winner."

<B>— <I>Publishers Weekly</I></B>

*Most Anticipated Horror and Thriller Books Coming out in June 2024*

<b><i>— Screen Rant Roundup</i></b>

“Original and extremely scary . . . A frighteningly good debut.”

— <I><b>Kirkus Reviews</b></I>

“Inventive and genuinely scary, WE USED TO LIVE HERE is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.”

<B>—</B><B>Alma Katsu, author of <I>The Fervor</I></B>

“There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until you almost wish you could stop reading—but of course, it’s too late. You’re in its grip. WE USED TO LIVE HERE is one of those rare books.”

<B>—Nick Cutter, national bestselling author of <I>The Troop</I></B>

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