Of the three novels by John Darnielle that I have read, Devil House felt the most like a Mountain Goats song. Devil House is Darnielle’s most ambitious novel (so far) and it didn’t always land for me. There is a bizarre interlude in sort-of old English about a king named Gorbonian, multiple interweaved lurid true crime-style tales, and a lot of stuff thrown at you from odd angles as you go.
I’m glad I read this one, but it took me about a hundred pages to get into the groove of the story and get comfortable just living in the book’s world.