Philip Le Roy’s new youth novel, *Dans la maison*, was published last March by Éditions Rageot. This terrifying closed environment will give you a good moment of suspense, making you jump at the slightest noise…
Eight students — Camille, Marie, Léa, Mathilde, Mehdi, Julien, Quentin, and Maxime — from the Applied Arts section of Matisse High School in Vence are organizing a fright night. In an isolated house, they start playing to scare each other. Each time a member of the group gets scared, they must drink… but gradually the atmosphere becomes heavier, and the teenagers struggle to distinguish between imagination and reality…
With *Dans la maison*, Philip Le Roy delivers a perfectly executed horror thriller. We follow a group of very creative high schoolers who stand somewhat apart from the other students in their institution. Without being pretentious, they are quite unique and stand out from the rest, provoking envy and jealousy. Yet the author succeeds in making them likable, despite their flaws, offering characters that are not one-dimensional and in whom many teenagers may find themselves reflected.
In terms of atmosphere, the setting is incredibly gripping and conducive to fear: an isolated house in the middle of nature, a storm breaking out, the elements unleashing, cut-off communication with the outside world. The author uses the mysteries of the Col de Vence, a well-known hotspot for paranormal phenomena, to heighten this context. The novel is built around numerous horror movie references that will resonate with both teenagers and adults.
Thanks to the creative and quirky personalities of the characters, the story is enriched by a fertile imagination. Philip Le Roy’s fluid and modern writing does the rest, and readers will eagerly turn the pages of this thriller, with plenty of moments of fear, jumps, and worried glances toward a dark window…
Dans la maison is a compelling read, as one lets themselves get caught in the trap of this fright night where Philip Le Roy skillfully plays with the readers’ nerves!
