THE DEATH HOUSE
Sarah Pinborough
Gollancz
FOR Toby and the other inhabitants of The Death House, their greatest fear is the moment they too will be wheeled into the lift to make the one-way trip to the Sanatorium. Over the past few weeks, sickly children have been taken away in the night, never to return. They try not to think of their lives before they were brought to the house, all that concerns them now is what will happen when it’s their turn to get sick.
Despite a smattering of flashbacks to the day Toby was taken, this intriguing tale plays out in and around the old house. Each dorm fends for itself, but a couple of new arrivals threaten to disturb the status quo. It’s an absorbing story, but I was left craving a few more hints as to what led to the children being quarantined in the first place.
– Terri Dunbar-Curran