Horror Book Review: Doll House by John Hunt

 

This week’s horror book of the week is Doll House by John Hunt. The book was published in January 2017 and has since then been on the bestsellers list of Horror Fiction Classics and Horror Suspense. 

The book is the first part in a series called Doll House. The second book, Olivia, was published in October 2022. 

Reviews for Doll House has been positive with many reviewers calling it the book of the year. They have also described the book as dark and gruesome, and not for the faint of heart. 

Readers were pleased to find that the author did not try too hard to throw in a twist in the end. In fact, they revealed that a twist takes place somewhere in the beginning itself. They found the story thrilling and were full of praise for the protagonist. 

The only negatives were that the author still needed to polish his writing skill as it could have made the book more enjoyable. 

Quick Book Review of Doll House by John Hunt

Olivia is heading off to college, and has just broken up with her boyfriend Dale as she is moving far away from home. Her father, Harry, is going to terribly miss his daughter since he has raised her all alone. Deep inside, he hopes Olivia will be so bored at the university that she comes to visit him regularly. He is afraid that since his daughter, who is good looking, unlike him, might be too popular to want to hang out with him anymore. 

The father-daughter close relationship is established and so the story moves on to the next chapter which comes as a jolt. 

Five years has passed and as it turns out, Olivia was taken. Harry has pushed himself into his work and drinks since no one has been able to find his daughter. He imagines the worst has happened to her which makes him want to drink more. At work, he is almost fired but he suspects he’s been given leniency because of what happened to his daughter. One evening, he receives a phone call which he thinks is a telemarketer. Except, it is his daughter. 

We then get a chapter told from Olivia’s point of view. She had barely settled in her new room when she decided to explore the new city she was in. Unfortunately, distracted because she was texting her friend Sara, she doesn’t realize that a van has stopped behind her. A man she had seen before, one that she calls Gorilla Man, abducts her. 

Olivia finds herself in a van and tries to put up a good fight but is easily subdued. When the van stops, Olivia finds herself in a place that is pink, top to bottom. There’s pink everywhere and even pink furniture. 

No doubt this is the doll house. 

The premise of the book suggests that Olivia will fight back and it remains to be seen how she will accomplish that considering the sample ends right here. 

The book is fast-paced and the writing is engaging enough to pull you into the story. You do feel bad for Harry who initially faces empty nest syndrome, and then faces the loss of his daughter. For him, Olivia has been lost for five years and there is no chance of her survival. He has almost given up and the phone call gives him hope. 

In chapter three, we already see a spark of courage shown by Olivia. She is scared that she is taken but she is also desperate to fight back. And she does. 

It will be interesting to read Olivia’s journey as she manages to defeat her abductors and come home. Will Harry also be able to assist his daughter?

To Read or Not to Read?

John Hunt writes an interesting tale that will keep you on your toes. The book will especially be enjoyed by new adults and Olivia has the potential to be a protagonist everyone is rooting for. 

I would enjoy reading this book to find out just how Olivia will take down those violent kidnappers. 

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