Play Nice
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison is a thrilling horror novel with scares coming from both the literal and figurative demons.
Clio appears to have a perfect life as a stylist and influencer, careful never to mention her less than perfect childhood with her parents’ messy divorce and a haunted house.
When Clio’s mother Alex dies, she learns that the “haunted” house she and her two sisters had lived in with her when they were children had not been sold, and Clio decides she wants to flip it before selling.
Between her mother’s funeral, the house itself, and finding a copy of the book about the house her mother had written (and their father had made them promise never to read), “Demon of Edgewood Drive”, Clio starts to question some memories of her childhood, recover others, and uncover secrets kept and lies told by seemingly everyone in her family - including her sisters and her father.
The more time Clio spends in the house - and the more she reads of her mother’s book - the more she remembers about the house, her mother, and her own experiences - and the more she realizes it’s time to face her inner and outer demons, no matter how much her family urges her not to.
As much as I enjoy a good possessed house/demonic entity story - and this is a good one - what I like best about Play Nice is
That the characters feel like real people (they are not always likeable - some LOL moments for me are when Clio matter of factly narrates her selfish tendencies)
The relationships feel real (especially between the sisters - it’s hard to imagine a relationship that can be so vicious and so loyal at the same time) and
It is funny, in a dark, dry, witty way - aka the best way.
I listened to the audiobook, and Alex Finke as Clio was perfect, her tone snarky and sardonic when appropriate. During moments of heightened emotion, she portrayed it in a way that suggested it was an unwilling betrayal of the emotion which perfectly matched the writing and the character. The pages of “The Demon of Edgewood Drive”, i.e., Clio’s mother Alex’s perspective, were performed by Natasha Soudek whose rich, warm tones made it impossible not to sympathize with that character.
Play Nice is a perfect example of the reason Rachel Harrison has become an auto-read author for me.
Support your favorite indie bookstore (and me) by using my link to order the audiobook from https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm60355 OR if you prefer using your eyes to read, support your favorite indie (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.
