Thriller

Girl in the Walls

Girl in the Walls

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-24 08:51:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：A.J. Gnuse
  • ISBN：000838102X
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Summary

Girl in the Walls is a story of overcoming grief， of unconventional friendships and learning that we shouldn’t always fear what we don’t understand。 It is about understanding the difference between a house and a home and what it means to lose both。

She doesn’t exist。 She can’t exist。

Elise knows every inch of the house。 She knows which boards will creak。 She knows where the gaps are in the walls。 She knows which parts can take her in， hide her away。 It’s home， after all。 The home her parents made for her。 And home is where you stay， no matter what。

Eddie is a teenager now， almost a grown-up。 He must no longer believe in the girl he sometimes sees out of the corner of his eye。 He needs her to disappear。 But when his fierce older brother senses her， too， they are faced with the question of how to get rid of someone they aren’t sure even exists。

And， if they cast her out， what other threats might they invite into their home？

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Reviews

Cayla Eagon ，

An eleven-year-old girl lives in the walls of her old home after her parents’ death and observes all the private moments of another family inhabiting the house。 This compelling premise could become a suspenseful thriller （as the cover art suggests）， a “uniquely gothic tale” （as Jess Kidd described it）， or a literary meditation on home and family。 Unfortunately， A。 J。 Gnuse’s debut novel doesn’t fulfill any of these possibilities。 Told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator focused on the An eleven-year-old girl lives in the walls of her old home after her parents’ death and observes all the private moments of another family inhabiting the house。 This compelling premise could become a suspenseful thriller （as the cover art suggests）， a “uniquely gothic tale” （as Jess Kidd described it）， or a literary meditation on home and family。 Unfortunately， A。 J。 Gnuse’s debut novel doesn’t fulfill any of these possibilities。 Told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator focused on the titular girl， this supposed coming-of-age story is one of the most boring pieces of fiction I’ve read in a long time。 Despite being young and newly orphaned， Gnuse’s protagonist failed to stir my empathy。 Elise is as flat as the walls she lives between， with very few memories， no longing or desire， and no apparent motivations。The most interesting aspect of this story was the relationship between the two Mason brothers， which develops as they become aware of each other’s suspicions that someone or something is living in their house。 But the brotherly connection receives little attention as it advances quickly and with little overall purpose outside of bringing the primary antagonist into the story。 This antagonist proves to be another character that lacks any clear motivation for behavior that suggests some intense psychological trauma which is never explored。 A lack of depth and development in both character and plot is the primary thread that runs through this story。 Gnuse spends much more energy in describing settings that serve little or no purpose to the rest of the story rather than in imbuing his characters with actual human thoughts， feelings， and motivations。 The novel is painfully overwritten with these descriptions as well as unnecessary metaphors， some of which simply make no sense。 Regardless of one’s expectations when picking up this novel， I suspect most readers will be severely disappointed。 。。。more

Jeanine ，

This is very different from most books。 I haven't read anything like it。 That being said I was ready for the ending long before it was over。 I am still thinking about the characters （ that's a good thing） but I don't know how I feel about them。 （ that's a bad thing）。 I worried about this little girl crawling around though the walls and attic and had to know what the author planned for her。 This is very different from most books。 I haven't read anything like it。 That being said I was ready for the ending long before it was over。 I am still thinking about the characters （ that's a good thing） but I don't know how I feel about them。 （ that's a bad thing）。 I worried about this little girl crawling around though the walls and attic and had to know what the author planned for her。 。。。more

Tara Hyatt ，

I struggled with this one initially but it improved for me as the story went on。 A mystery/suspense novel about a family who lives in a big house and the girl who lives within the walls。 Is she real？ Is she a ghost？ Is she a figment if the younger sons imagination？ Who is JT and why is he is menacing？ Going too much into them storyline will reveal secrets you would be best to discover for yourself。

Piper Harris ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I think there were a lot of really good parts in this book， especially any sequences with Mr Traust， and the moment when you realise a hurricane is going to hit - that was especially affecting due to the place in the US that this is set （Louisiana， I think， where Katrina hit）。 However the book itself was really slow and I don't think it went emotionally nearly as far as it should have。 The r/ship between the brothers was solved too easily， and Eddie just "got better" without acknowledging his au I think there were a lot of really good parts in this book， especially any sequences with Mr Traust， and the moment when you realise a hurricane is going to hit - that was especially affecting due to the place in the US that this is set （Louisiana， I think， where Katrina hit）。 However the book itself was really slow and I don't think it went emotionally nearly as far as it should have。 The r/ship between the brothers was solved too easily， and Eddie just "got better" without acknowledging his autism & other issues。 Plus I found the writing style a little difficult。 But the setting was great， and there were some proper intense scenes。 It just wasn't the "tense and terrifying" thriller advertised on the front， and it didn't hit that hard at all。 。。。more

Pennie Folmar ，

I didn't find this book really scary as stated by Clyde Edgerton。 I really wanted to give this 4 stars， but it took to nearly the end in part 4 to really draw me in。 I didn't find this book really scary as stated by Clyde Edgerton。 I really wanted to give this 4 stars， but it took to nearly the end in part 4 to really draw me in。 。。。more

Emma Battcock ，

Honestly， I thought it might be aimed at young adults。 I didn’t find it scary， it was a quick read but itye book had been donated to charity now， sorry。

Dawn Castor ，

I was unprepared for how anxious this book would make me。 I was heartbroken for this little girl and when the stranger showed up to “fix” the house I was terrorized along with the kids。 Also the ending was too sudden after all that emotional trauma。

Constance ，

Beautifully written and a real page turner

Nuala Hadley ，

Not really what I was expecting。 The reviews were that it was 'tense and terrifying' and that it would 'leave you entranced long after it's covers are closed' none of which I felt。 The actual idea behind the story is excellent but it just didn't deliver for me。 Not really what I was expecting。 The reviews were that it was 'tense and terrifying' and that it would 'leave you entranced long after it's covers are closed' none of which I felt。 The actual idea behind the story is excellent but it just didn't deliver for me。 。。。more

Laura Porto ，

Hm， such an odd mix of mystery and adventure and coming of age。 The idea is so horrifying - I didn't listen after dark。 I felt that some of the characters were too lightly touched to fit into the rest of the cast。 It's one I'd love to talk to other people about - new views may change my sense of the book overall。 Hm， such an odd mix of mystery and adventure and coming of age。 The idea is so horrifying - I didn't listen after dark。 I felt that some of the characters were too lightly touched to fit into the rest of the cast。 It's one I'd love to talk to other people about - new views may change my sense of the book overall。 。。。more

Hannah O'Donnell ，

This book really couldn't decide what it wanted to be， and I can't wait to give allll of my thoughts during the Lamentable Library Live Stream。 This book really couldn't decide what it wanted to be， and I can't wait to give allll of my thoughts during the Lamentable Library Live Stream。 。。。more

Shereen Lang ，

Elise is an orphan who watched her parents die， and has come back to what is basically the only home she’s ever known。 It’s been remodelled several times over， and has MANY hidden layers。。。so many that she is literally able to find entranceways into the walls and above/below the rooms。The Mason Family lives in the house now: Father， mother， older teenaged son， and younger teenaged son。 The children think they have felt a presence， and not sure if those noises belong to the old house， are they su Elise is an orphan who watched her parents die， and has come back to what is basically the only home she’s ever known。 It’s been remodelled several times over， and has MANY hidden layers。。。so many that she is literally able to find entranceways into the walls and above/below the rooms。The Mason Family lives in the house now: Father， mother， older teenaged son， and younger teenaged son。 The children think they have felt a presence， and not sure if those noises belong to the old house， are they sure they have seen Elise from time to time or not。。Well that’s the premise of Girl in the Walls。 There’s literally a little girl living in the walls of a house。 Nothing-paranormal here！ So if you looking for a ghost story think again。。Its a very different read to what I have read。。 。。。more

William Falo ，

Girl in the Walls was one of the most original books I ever read。 That is refreshing and the writing， characters， and story all come together to make it a compelling book that I couldn't put down。 This is one of my favorite books now。 I can't wait to read more by the author。 Girl in the Walls was one of the most original books I ever read。 That is refreshing and the writing， characters， and story all come together to make it a compelling book that I couldn't put down。 This is one of my favorite books now。 I can't wait to read more by the author。 。。。more

Aly Biron ，

Let me start by saying I do not normally rate dnfs， but upon scrolling through reviews I was shocked to see the lack of mention of the uncomfortable way the character of Eddie was dealt with。I made it nearly halfway through this book and it was a slog， but I’ll get to that in a moment。 It quickly became obvious in this book that the character of Eddie is neurodivergent （possibly autistic， but it’s never stated that I’m aware of）。 The way other characters react to him and interact with him is jus Let me start by saying I do not normally rate dnfs， but upon scrolling through reviews I was shocked to see the lack of mention of the uncomfortable way the character of Eddie was dealt with。I made it nearly halfway through this book and it was a slog， but I’ll get to that in a moment。 It quickly became obvious in this book that the character of Eddie is neurodivergent （possibly autistic， but it’s never stated that I’m aware of）。 The way other characters react to him and interact with him is just kind of gross and I felt uncomfortable with it through everything I read。I was reading this for a book club and according to others who continued reading it doesn’t get better and the r word is used as well。Beyond just the uncomfortable grossness written into this book the story itself is boring and not at all what it claims to be。I do not at all recommend picking up this book。 。。。more

Hannah ，

I couldn't put this down！ So many layers of story to this book and the short chapters meant that the pages just kept turning。 Loved it。 I couldn't put this down！ So many layers of story to this book and the short chapters meant that the pages just kept turning。 Loved it。 。。。more

Bradley ，

I have never read a book quite like this。 This book had me on the edge of my seat。

Rebecca Tait ，

3。5 stars I'm in two minds about this book。 I enjoyed it but it wasn't what I was expecting at all。 It is pitched as a gothic novel but I just didn't get those vibes at all。 It is the tale of loss， survival， acceptance， family， friendship & what makes a home。 I was hoping for tension， darkness， chills and thrills but it didn't really have that。 There were a couple of decent twists， a good bad guy to rally against & Elise， our main character， is good if a little frustrating。 It's a slow & steady 3。5 stars I'm in two minds about this book。 I enjoyed it but it wasn't what I was expecting at all。 It is pitched as a gothic novel but I just didn't get those vibes at all。 It is the tale of loss， survival， acceptance， family， friendship & what makes a home。 I was hoping for tension， darkness， chills and thrills but it didn't really have that。 There were a couple of decent twists， a good bad guy to rally against & Elise， our main character， is good if a little frustrating。 It's a slow & steady story with the main action coming in the final third， I was engaged enough to keep reading despite the shift in what I was expecting genre wise。 A lesson in never judging a book by its cover， or its blurb apparently。 。。。more

Sheena ，

An original idea and nicely written。 I loved the short chapters for a change; they suited the story。 Felt it was aimed at teenagers however。 Was engaged with the creepy idea of someone living in the walls of your 'secure' home， a sort of 'Borrowers' which fascinated me as a child。 Luckily this time it was a benign and unthreatening small sad girl。 I found the part when Elise was in danger nail biting。 The storm which I believe was tied in with Hurricane Catrina was also full of tension。 The stea An original idea and nicely written。 I loved the short chapters for a change; they suited the story。 Felt it was aimed at teenagers however。 Was engaged with the creepy idea of someone living in the walls of your 'secure' home， a sort of 'Borrowers' which fascinated me as a child。 Luckily this time it was a benign and unthreatening small sad girl。 I found the part when Elise was in danger nail biting。 The storm which I believe was tied in with Hurricane Catrina was also full of tension。 The steamy humid atmosphere of Louisiana was well portrayed and the vegetation was almost another slightly unnerving character。 I thought it was a bit too long and therefore samey in places。 I did like the ending when there was closure for one of the characters。 Love the cover too。 。。。more

Brianne ，

I was expecting more from this book， which is why I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it more。I mean， I don’t think it was BAD exactly， but I personally didn’t like it。 There was really nothing special or exciting about it to me。It started pretty slow and didn’t really pick up until a little over halfway through。 Even then， I never got hooked。 Sure there were some interesting parts， but nothing that made me say “I need to keep reading！！”It did have a really interesting writing style！It’s also I was expecting more from this book， which is why I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it more。I mean， I don’t think it was BAD exactly， but I personally didn’t like it。 There was really nothing special or exciting about it to me。It started pretty slow and didn’t really pick up until a little over halfway through。 Even then， I never got hooked。 Sure there were some interesting parts， but nothing that made me say “I need to keep reading！！”It did have a really interesting writing style！It’s also set in Louisiana and， as a Louisiana citizen， I can say that the descriptions are very accurate。Oddly enough， there were a lot of descriptions of bugs and it made me cringe。 I truely hate all bugs。The ending was pretty good though。 I can’t think of a better way it could have gone。Anyway， even though I didn’t enjoy it， that doesn’t mean you won’t。 If it sounds interesting to you， give it a try！ 。。。more

Marybeth ，

Cannot finish。 Very slow paced， not a “gothic” novel as marketed。

Barb Martin ，

That certainly didn't end the way I expected it to。We've all heard the tales of people hiding behind the walls in houses。 There have been movies。 There have been newspaper articles。 There have been rumors。 Generally， the hidden intruder is a young man， perhaps perversely watching the women in the house as they undress， or perhaps a criminal hiding from the law。In "Girl in the Walls，" the intruder is 11-year-old Elise whose parents are killed in a car crash。 She escapes the wreckage and a foster That certainly didn't end the way I expected it to。We've all heard the tales of people hiding behind the walls in houses。 There have been movies。 There have been newspaper articles。 There have been rumors。 Generally， the hidden intruder is a young man， perhaps perversely watching the women in the house as they undress， or perhaps a criminal hiding from the law。In "Girl in the Walls，" the intruder is 11-year-old Elise whose parents are killed in a car crash。 She escapes the wreckage and a foster home to flee to the house that most feels like home。 Other people live there now， so Elise hides in the walls， behind the furniture， in the shadows。No one knows she's there 。 。 。 until the 13- and 16-year-old brothers who live there sense her presence。 Then， the world goes crazy， and everyone is in danger。Chapters are short。 Chapters are dark。 Chapters are hard to read。Once the boys become aware that "someone" is there， the book takes a major turn， which I did not enjoy。 I already felt so sorry for Elise。 I didn't need the added stress of worrying about boys， too。The ending， although a relief in many respects， did not answer many questions。 。。。more

Justine ，

I got to page 50 of this then asked myself， do I want to read the next 310 pages， and the answer was a firm no。

Cyndi ，

This was above and beyond one of the most unique plots I’ve read。 It was definitely different。 I just never really got drawn into the story that much and I did not become invested in the characters。 Perhaps there was some symbolism going on that I did not connect with， but this just wasn’t my favorite。Many thanks to Netgalley， Edelweiss， Ecco and A。 J。 Gnuse for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。

Frank ，

This is the Author's First Novel。 And， as the Title indicates， there really is a Girl in the walls。 A fun and suspenseful read which will cause you to remember the noises you heard in your home in the dark of night when you were a child。 This is the Author's First Novel。 And， as the Title indicates， there really is a Girl in the walls。 A fun and suspenseful read which will cause you to remember the noises you heard in your home in the dark of night when you were a child。 。。。more

Brenda Waworga ，

The story was just not what in expected， I expected an adult story with a touch of dark gothic vibe on it。。 and what I got was… a middle grade story （most of the characters in this book are teenagers around 12-17 years old） and boring story with very descriptive writing style that feels like a filler to make the narration and book longer… plus characters that got no developmentThis is a story about Elise， an orphan who sneak into her childhood big house and live with the Masons family in the att The story was just not what in expected， I expected an adult story with a touch of dark gothic vibe on it。。 and what I got was… a middle grade story （most of the characters in this book are teenagers around 12-17 years old） and boring story with very descriptive writing style that feels like a filler to make the narration and book longer… plus characters that got no developmentThis is a story about Elise， an orphan who sneak into her childhood big house and live with the Masons family in the attic， so obviously the family esp the children （Eddie & Marshal ） started to notice things disappeared like food， books ect ect。。 at first Eddie thought it was a ghost but then they started to feel someone else live inside their house and they want to investigate itSo if you are looking for an adult gothic book， this book is NOT one of themThe book is super pretty tho （I bought the Waterstones editon） so maybe I can keep it a while before unhaul it 。。。more

Lauren ，

This was a lovely book， slow burn to begin。 I really fell in love with little Eddie and enjoyed the blossoming relationship between Eddie and his brother， also the book was written so well， detail was brilliant， I felt like I was in the Walls with Elise。

Kati Polodna ，

It’s hard to describe what this book is but I couldn’t stop reading it， and that’s what I wanted for a summer book。 A bit creepy， very compelling。

Ali ，

This was a great read！ Just a word of warning: this is blurbed as a gothic story， but while there is a claustrophobic and suspenseful feel， in my opinion， it does not fit the bill。 However， this is a beautiful contemporary story about belonging， and the lengths we'll go to feel safe。 I found the Louisiana summer atmosphere very vivid and oppressive。 Elise， as the main character， is wonderful to see grow in how she deals with her experience。 I went through some emotional moments reminding me of m This was a great read！ Just a word of warning: this is blurbed as a gothic story， but while there is a claustrophobic and suspenseful feel， in my opinion， it does not fit the bill。 However， this is a beautiful contemporary story about belonging， and the lengths we'll go to feel safe。 I found the Louisiana summer atmosphere very vivid and oppressive。 Elise， as the main character， is wonderful to see grow in how she deals with her experience。 I went through some emotional moments reminding me of my own experience with loss and grief。 I found some of the pacing a bit offputting but I absolutely loved the ending。 Bonus points for the excellent autistic representation in Eddie's character， I really connected with him。 。。。more

Dancingsocks ，

Such a good read。 I need more closure though。

Marfil Lanson ，

Girl in the Walls de AJ Gnuse es un nuevo thriller。 Ambientada en la actualidad， seguimos a Elise （también conocida como la 'niña en las paredes'） y sus aventuras dentro de la casa del Mason。 Elise conoce cada centímetro de la casa， cada hueco en las paredes y qué tablas del suelo crujen y cuáles no。 Porque Elise sabe cómo vivir silenciosamente dentro de la casa del masón， porque una vez también fue suya 。。。Desde el principio， me enganché。 ¿Quién es Elise？ ¿Es ella un fantasma？ ¿Algo paranormal？ Girl in the Walls de AJ Gnuse es un nuevo thriller。 Ambientada en la actualidad， seguimos a Elise （también conocida como la 'niña en las paredes'） y sus aventuras dentro de la casa del Mason。 Elise conoce cada centímetro de la casa， cada hueco en las paredes y qué tablas del suelo crujen y cuáles no。 Porque Elise sabe cómo vivir silenciosamente dentro de la casa del masón， porque una vez también fue suya 。。。Desde el principio， me enganché。 ¿Quién es Elise？ ¿Es ella un fantasma？ ¿Algo paranormal？ Tenía tantas preguntas sobre la chica de las paredes y cómo vivía。 Es una historia tan original y apasionante， con una multitud de temas que la atraviesan， incluida la soledad， el miedo y la amistad。 No estoy muy seguro de lo que esperaba antes de leer。 De la sinopsis de NetGalley， sugiere que habría algunos elementos de misterio y suspenso que definitivamente había。 Me encantó descubrir más sobre Elise， sus antecedentes y su futuro。La caracterización fue interesante y única。 Pronto se revela que Elise es humana y que， de hecho， es una niña huérfana que se escapó de su hogar de acogida temporal。 A una edad temprana， se escapó al único lugar con el que sintió alguna conexión emocional: el hogar de su infancia。 El único problema es que la familia Mason vive allí ahora。 Los padres Nick y Laura， y dos hermanos Eddie y Marshall no saben sobre Elise。 Sin embargo， después de que Eddie comienza a notar que sus juguetes se mueven y los niveles de cereal se agotan， él y su hermano comienzan a preguntarse si están realmente solos。Chica en las paredes， AJ GnuseMe encantó la relación entre Eddie y Marshall。 Eddie es el chico más joven y tímido de los dos， mientras que Marshall es más confiado y atrevido。 Sin embargo， a pesar de sus diferencias， ambos se unen para descubrir qué （o quién） está causando los misteriosos ruidos en la noche。 Marshall decide poner sus preocupaciones en un foro en línea， donde el Sr。 Traust se ofrece a "resolver" el problema。 Una vez que sus padres salen por la noche y el Sr。 Traust visita la casa de Mason， los hermanos descubren que es posible que el Sr。 Traust no tenga las mejores intenciones después de todo。 El desarrollo del personaje y la relación entre Eddie y Marshall es dulce y reconfortante， lo que realmente me encantó。Encontré el estilo de escritura de AJ Gnuse apasionante。 Hay tantos altibajos y giros dramáticos que te mantienen leyendo， ¡especialmente después de que llega el Sr。 Traust！ A pesar de haber sido nombrada como una novela 'gótica'， en realidad no siento que fuera como estaba ambientada en la actualidad y no presentaba particularmente ningún tropo gótico。 Sin embargo， definitivamente funciona como un libro de misterio / suspenso， ya que está lleno de suspenso y asombro。Realmente disfruté este libro y lo calificaría con cuatro estrellas en general， ya que creo que el final podría haberse explorado un poco más。 No voy a revelar ningún spoiler， pero siento que tuvo un final muy repentino y hubiera preferido saber más。 Además， encontré el diseño de la casa （¡y sus paredes！） Confuso a veces， por lo que quizás un plano / imagen del piso sería útil y facilitaría al lector imaginar lo que está sucediendo， particularmente cuando el Sr。 Traust lo visita。 Sin embargo， en general， lo disfruté y recomendaría este libro a los fanáticos del thriller y el misterio， ya que es una lectura atractiva con una historia interesante。Gracias nuevamente al autor AJ Gnuse y Netgalley por esta oportunidad。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Girl in the Walls

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Girl in the Walls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Girl in the Walls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0