Review: The Number of the Pages Isn't Much More Than 13!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
“The Number of the House is 13” by T.R. Sutherland is a story about a night spent in a haunted house, told in an almost academic style. It was actually quite interesting, I thought. Although there was a lot of frightening activity to entertain the two cousins during their ill-advised escapade, the story reads more like a news account or even a diary written well after the fact. Somehow that gave the whole short story an aura of truth, whereas a first-person, as-it-is-happening, haunted house story often reads more like a feeble attempt to frighten the reader. Sometimes that method works, sometimes it doesn’t. But Sutherland’s effort works.“The Number of the House is 13” is a tale related by an unidentified person, gender unknown, who is tricked into watching a troublesome cousin overnight. As soon as his parents left the house, Jett dangled a set of house keys in front of his keeper, and announced his intention to spend the night at the haunted house down the street. Of course, his cousin must accompany him, or he might get himself into more trouble than usual.They left the house at midnight in good humor, walking toward the haunted house. However, as soon as the haunted house was in sight, and moreso when they climbed the porch steps, a foreboding miasma of evil intent seemed to embrace them. Their overnight experience proved to be far worse than their wildest imaginings could conceive. If you want to find out what happens, “The Number of the House is 13” by T.R. Sutherland is a very brief, quick read; that’s the only way you’re going to find out!