I grew up in an old house, and when I grew up there, I was always thinking about the people who must have lived there before and the people who lived there afterwards. In an elegant blend of real and supernatural worlds, the story takes place entirely within the walls of one house, moving from room to room and unfolding through the voices of seven different narrators-including two ghosts. Her first novel for adults, Rooms, is a ghost story, but is completely unlike any we’ve read before. 'A chilling ghost story, and much, much more: Rooms is a magnificent gothic fugue on the themes of longing and buried secrets.Lauren Oliver is well known and quite beloved for her young adult and children’s books. At times humorous, at times heartbreaking, Rooms is always emotionally resonant and, despite the presence of ghosts, very, very real.' - Ivy Pochoda author of Visitation Street 'A sensational novel that easily glides between the normal and the paranormal.

In the end, patient readers will find the story as haunting as it is haunted.' - Booklist 'Without much in the way of action, however, the pace of the story is slow, though it does pick up appreciably near the conclusion as closely guarded secrets and surprising connections are revealed. This satisfying novel will be enjoyed by Oliver's fans and bring new ones to the fold.' - Kirkus 'With poetic prose, Oliver weaves a satisfying story arc for each character, and readers will be left with a feeling of peaceful acceptance?' - Library Journal The house's breathing residents and ghosts alike find freedom, and the story culminates with an ending that arrives in dramatic and surprising ways.' - Publishers Weekly When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide - with cataclysmic results.Įlegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant. The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself - in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. His estranged family - bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna - have arrived for their inheritance.īut the Walkers are not alone.

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime.

Rooms by lauren oliver