Spoiler-free review of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin.
My Synopsis:
Sarah Slade is a little bit desperate. Desperate for likes on social media. Desperate for her husband’s love. Desperate for the renovations on her newly purchased murder house to be successful, and desperate to be accepted by her new neighbors in Beacon.
Not long after moving into Black Wood House with her husband Joe, Best-selling author Sarah Slade and her cat Reaper begin to sense something strange coming from the attic. Sarah and Joe are running from something in their home town, and it’s clear there is some animosity between them. Desperate for a new beginning and at Sarah’s behest, they purchase Black Wood House, and it’s a great deal, because well… it’s the sight of a former murder and a disappearance.
As the renovations continue, so do strange happenings within the house. Sarah struggles with her day job as a therapist, with her own marriage and with gaining the acceptance of her disapproving neighbors. When Sarah finds out that her home’s previous owner went missing, she makes it her mission to find out what happened to her. As she get’s closer to solving the mystery, it becomes clear that she may be in danger herself, but is the house haunted or is there someone inside the house that Sarah should be afraid of?
My Review:
A spooky psychological thriller, with an atmospheric chill and a bit of wicked humor, I just had to know what was going on and couldn’t put it down. I was pleasantly surprised with a couple of things once I received this thriller in my Book of the Month box.
First, was that it takes place in Australia, and if you know me, you know that I am obsessed with anything Australia ever since studying abroad there broke me. I’ve never gotten over having to leave, and I will take any chance I can get to relive the experience.
Second, was that based on the dedication “With no thanks to: Everyone who thought I should get a real job instead of writing my stories. HAHAHAHAHHAHA suckers!” and the thoughtful and personal author’s note. Lisa M. Matlin seems like a delightful person, and someone I would love to be friends with.
Back to the book itself, we are presented with several mysteries throughout the story, that all smoothly come together in the end. Most everything is solved but I’m still not sure if Black Wood House is actually haunted or not. You’ll have to decide that for yourself.
While Sarah is by no means a likable character, or a reliable narrator, she is quite funny at times and if we’re being honest, I think most of us can relate to her, at least a tiny bit. A true psychological thriller, The Stranger Upstairs plays with the idea that everyone, is a little ugly inside. As the title might suggest, we can never fully know ourselves or truly understand what’s going on in our own minds at times.
With the conspiratorial vibes courtesy of Beacon and it’s residents, Sarah’s experience with Black Wood House and her standoff-ish neighbors felt very reminiscent of The Watcher to me. While I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the series, I really enjoyed the suspicious tension between Sarah and her neighbors in this thriller. In regards to some of Sarah’s concerning behaviors, I couldn’t help but think of the Netflix series You, as well and more specifically of Joe Goldberg.
If you liked either of those series, true crime, or spooky – boardering on supernatural thrillers, I think you’ll enjoy Matlin’s debut novel. If you especially like unreliable narrators and enjoy rooting for the anti-hero, I think you will love The Stranger Upstairs.
I myself am excited to see what this author puts out next and to see her develop as a writer. This debut was a 4/5 star read for me.
As always check content warnings. This novel deals with mental health and there is mention of suicide and depression. There are also mentions of animal poisoning, murder, alcoholism and infidelity.