My Two Cents (Book Review): A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home by Jason Arnopp

In A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home by Jason Arnopp, the narrator speaks through a mysterious and anonymous letter meant as both confessional and warning. Through it, we learn that the narrator (an ambiguous character never identified as male or female) once lived in the same home the reader now occupies, and suffered a series of misfortunes and horrors because of it. At first, the narrator tells us the purpose of this disclosure is simply to warn us, because if we haven't yet started to experience similar events, we soon will. As the letter progresses, however, the narrator resolves to tell us more about the origin of these horrific occurrences, and finally, the drastic, terrifying solution they found as the only way to escape.

"A Sincere Warning..." is a short read, but expertly told, with a steady buildup of dread that keeps you glued to the page. Epistolary stories are difficult, if only because most people don't actually write letters anymore, but the premise works perfectly in this instance. It feels like you're reading something personal and intimate, a confessional more than a correspondence. The truth behind the titular haunting, and the desperate lengths to which the narrator goes to break free are truly disturbing. You may not believe it really happened in your own home, per se, but you'll definitely think twice the next time you wake in the middle of the night for unknown reasons.

Arnopp includes a bonus short story, "A Letter from Your Twin," that's equally chilling (if not more so). I was previously unfamiliar with this author, but he has several titles on his backlist, according to Amazon, and based on how much I enjoyed this introduction to his work, I'll definitely be reading more.

A Sincere Warning About The Entity in Your Home is available here.