Solace House - by Will MacLean (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

You are about to enter a place of strange genius, possible madness, and timeless love . . .

"The Secret History meets The Haunting of Hill House . . . rich, thoughtful, terrifying."--Nicholas Binge, author of Dissolution

An addictive and brilliant puzzle box of a novel following a group of university students who discover an astonishing secret while clearing out a neglected Victorian mansion

For Alex Lane's wealthy university friends, the summer break stretches out before them, full of promise and fabulous plans. But for Alex, broke as usual, going home is not an option. So when the university offers him an unusual summer job clearing out a dilapidated Victorian mansion, Solace House, he jumps at the chance.

Alex joins an unlikely crew of students, from stoner Clive to uptight, short-tempered Helen, and the extremely peculiar Adam. Alex is particularly drawn to mercurial, red-headed Ella, and as the students begin sorting through piles of old newspapers and magazines, dusty antiques, and esoteric junk, Alex and Ella become enthralled by the elaborate and eerie journals of the house's former owner, Edwin Flayne. In these diaries, Flayne details his obsession with his missing mother and his belief in a mysterious realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.

As the students gradually uncover the house's secrets, the rift between those who want to delve further and those who believe they've already gone too far grows ever wider.

Review Quotes

Praise for Solace House:

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year

An Indie Next Pick for October 2026

A LibraryReads Pick for October 2026

An Amazon Editors' Pick for October 2026

A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2026

A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2026

An Apple Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2026

A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2026

A New York Post Best New Book

"If you're missing Donna Tartt, read this . . . With Solace House, [Maclean] has taken the shackles off. A quite mad book about madness, it most resembles Stephen King's The Shining . . . There are horrors here that you will not get out of your head."--The Telegraph

"An immensely fun brew of magic, mystery and mushrooms . . . If this stuff is your jam, you'll love it."--The Guardian

"Spooky and mind-bending."--Town And Country

"[A] world which touches on mystery, intrigue and fantasy, and a creepiness that slowly seeps into the reader. This is one to immerse yourself in and enjoy."--The Irish News

"A decaying Victorian mansion becomes the focal point of a novel that blends Gothic unease with cosmic horror, using its haunted spaces to explore grief, obsession and the fragile boundary between reality and imagination . . . Thoughtful, unsettling and ambitious, it is less interested in delivering conventional scares than in evoking a slow, disorientating collapse of reality itself."--Irish Times

"In this exceptional new novel, a group of university students have an unusual summer job, cleaning out an old Victorian house that, they soon learn, contains more secrets than anyone has guessed. Maclean handles the action skillfully, with just the right combination of suspense and suggestion, and with a cast of characters that brings to mind some of the high water marks of dark academia."--CrimeReads

"One of the buzziest new horror books . . . A classic haunted house tale with a touch of campus novel."--The Chicago Tribune

"As unnerving as anything dreamed up by Stephen King. Solace House is an impressive work."--BookPage

"All the disturbing components of Shirley Jackson or Stephen King are in evidence in Maclean's spooky novel."--The Center for Fiction

"What's indisputable is Maclean's ability to spin a compelling yarn that raises serious questions about how we process trauma and grief. This sprawling, ambitious tale seems destined to become a cult favorite."--Bookreporter

"This thing split my head open."--Behind The Stack Podcast

"An intricate story that reflects the concept of time existing all at once."--LibraryReads

"Dark academia meets haunted house horror in this gripping novel."--Marie Claire Magazine

"A wildly imaginative firework of a novel."--Waterstones

"A gothic nightmare of missing people, strange rituals, and dangerous secrets."--Turtula

"Maclean proves to be a master at pacing, creating suspense with ease; nothing is predictable in this novel, least of all the shocking conclusion. His characters are beautifully drawn . . . While the mood is both psychedelic and gothic, with unmistakable Lovecraft-ian overtones, it's very much anchored in the early 1990s, an era Maclean brings to life flawlessly. Brilliantly written and scary as hell, this is a masterwork of horror fiction. Original, mind-bending, terrifying fun."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Visceral details are presented stroke by masterful stroke, capturing the eeriness of Alex's empty residence hall, the loneliness of the asylum, and, most of all, the claustrophobic clutter of Solace House, where small but unsettling incidents build to a frightening crescendo . . . A chilling novel set in a haunted house, Solace House is about the fine line between grief and madness."--Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"[An] inspired blend of dark academia, gothic horror, and fantasy . . . Maclean elegantly sustains a creepy vibe, and the lengthy final section ties everything together. This prodigious novel is a worthy homage to horror classics of the past."--Publishers Weekly

"Solace House, one of the buzziest new horror books, is author Will Maclean's inspired homage to Shirley Jackson, by way of The Shining, a classic haunted house tale with a touch of campus novel."--Chris Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

"University students are tasked with cleaning up an abandoned asylum--if the premise doesn't scare you off, this literary horror may well delight you."--Woman's World

"Nothing is what it seems to be through in this amazing tale, and soon all the students there begin to wonder -- just like the reader will -- if these mind-bending events, this madness and this evil that they have uncovered in Solace House are truly happening or if it simply all some form of mass insanity . . . Filled with unique mystery, intrigue, fantasy and horror, Solace House takes the reader on a wildly memorable psychedelic trip that won't soon be forgotten."--BookTrib

"It's been a long time since I've been this enthralled by a story. I knew Solace House had me when I found myself obsessively checking how many pages were left--not because I was in a hurry to finish, but because I wanted it to last."--Matt Ruff, author of Lovecraft Country

"An instant classic . . . It's the most gripping book I've read for months."--Alison Rumfitt, author of Brainwyrms

"A lot of people have compared Solace House to The Secret History--this is the first book I've read that lives up to that promise. It's a Gothic novel, a campus novel, and a puzzle all rolled into one. Will Maclean perfectly captures grief, obsession, the nostalgia of college days passed with friends, and the thin line between magic and madness. It's eerie and surprising, the kind of novel that will keep you turning pages late at night. Be warned: Solace House will cast a spell on you, reader: I couldn't put it down, and now I can't stop talking about it!"--Katie Yee, author of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar

"I adored it. The Secret History meets The Haunting of Hill House meets cosmic horror . . . A beautifully crafted book--rich, thoughtful, terrifying. I can't wait for people to read it."--Nicholas Binge, author of Dissolution

"Solace House is a sprawling, mind-bending, immersive mansion of a novel. Perfect for fans of David Mitchell and Ruth Ozeki, this is a definite must-read and must re-read."--Cailean Steed, author of Home

"There are moments of intense revelation in Solace House so vivid that I can still see them. This strange, surprising house is a hallucinatory delight."--Aliya Whiteley, author of Skyward Inn

"Precise, masterful and electric, Solace House sets the gold standard for contemporary speculative fiction . . . A triumphant mystery that will keep you gripped right to the very last page."--Rebecca Ferrier, author of The Salt Bind

"Delightfully sinister . . . The best part is that you'll not realize you are lost until it's far too late to escape."--Hiron Ennes, author of The Works of Vermin

"A delight . . . A wonderful sense of creeping dread, but the characters twinkle and pop off the page."--Adam S. Leslie, author of Lost in the Garden

"Nothing is what it seems in screenwriter Maclean's labyrinthine second novel . . . A mind-bending mystery of young love and friendship forged in the search for forbidden knowledge, studded with secrets and coded clues. This puzzle-box quality imbues a cult allure -- but its winning blend of vivid characters, eerie setting and beautiful writing bestows an appeal that will extend far beyond the corners of Reddit . . . Like The Secret History, it feels revelatory, and makes you want to spread the word."--The Bookseller

Praise for The Apparition Phase:

Shortlisted for the 2021 McKitterick Prize

"Wonderful . . . A genuinely spine-tingling ghost story--one of my colleagues didn't sleep for two nights after reading it!--and an unexpected repository of equally spooky tips."--New York Times

"A wild rural gothic with some slick plotting . . . the perfect novel for our phantom present."--The Guardian

"Clear your diary, switch off your phone, and get lost in this atmospheric and madly gripping ghost story."--Daily Mirror

"A gripping commentary on the English obsession with class and how they deal with grief--and a nostalgic delight for those who devoured the popular paperback ghost stories of the 1970s and 80s."--Irish Independent

"Outstanding . . . ideal for fans of Andrew Michael Hurley."--Metro

About the Author

Will Maclean is a screenwriter whose first novel, The Apparition Phase, was shortlisted for The McKitterick Prize. Solace House is his American debut. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.