Catherine House: A Novel

Catherine House is not what I expected. I struggled to finish this book. I continued to read, though, determined to find out the secret and to see how Ines story plays out. Catherine House is a strange book. A school for people with superior intellects and those who think in different ways (linear is not good enough). The book has an unlikeable main character. Ines' behavior and attitude were deplorable. There is rampant alcohol drinking, nudity and casual sex (Ines had more partners than a street walker). Foul language is prolific as well (for brainiacs their vocabulary was lacking). There is strange food that I wondered if the school drugged from the way the students behaved. Some of it is odd and difficult to understand. An example is "You are in the house and the house is in the woods. The woods are in the house. The stairs are in the house. Down the stairs is the hallway, and at the end of the hallway is the ballroom. The ballroom is in the house. You are in the house and the house is in you." Another example from Catherine House, "Your hands are on the table. The table is in the hall, across the yard, in the house. The house is in the woods. In the woods, across the yard, in your hands, is the cup. The cup is in your hands. Your hands are in the house." I did like the dark, Gothic atmosphere the author created. The author is a descriptive writer that allows the reader to visualize the scenes. However, I thought Catherine House moved along at a plodding pace. Nothing really happened. I expected suspense and action which never materialized. I found Catherine House a challenge to finish. Catherine House left me confused, disappointed and anxious for a good book.