The House of Lost Spirits

by Einat Shimshoni

Thoughts of death are natural when life is pretty depressing, but what happens when accidentally, the intention becomes a reality? The 16-year-old Noga is an intelligent young woman, though a bit depressive, who feels contempt for her parents and their bourgeois way of life. These confusing emotions lead her to make a decision from where there is no way back. She finds herself in an abandoned house where her steps leave no marks nor can her fingers wipe the dust off the antique furniture. Very soon she discovers there are five spirits living in the house, who all share something in common. The reason they are there, and have not moved on, is the direct result of their own choices. Now however, their choices are being put to the test. Will the residents of the house manage to free themselves from the ties that bind them and move on, or will those walls continue to be their fortress? The House of Lost Spirits is an original, ecstatic bildungsroman which oscillates between the surreal and the mystic-fantastic all the while touching in a deliberate, witty and sad way upon life and death and the extremes between fate and choice, this world and the afterworld, and above all, the story of a journey of self-exploration. This book will leave you with thoughts about death, but most of all, about life.

289 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2020

About the author

Einat Shimshoni is a graphic designer, illustrator, design teacher at two colleges, writer, and blogger. She wrote her first book at the age of ten, but it was pretty bad and thankfully, never published. Her later books, in fact, were much better and have won critical acclaim.
Einat lives in the tiny town of Katzrin in the Golan Heights together with her husband and their five children who share a love of fantasy books, reggae music, and red shoes.

Reviews

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The thing you desire so much is within yourself."
"We each have a road to follow."

This was a beautifully written book that immediately drew me in when I first started reading it. Noga is a teenage girl who really doesn't see much purpose in living. She decides to hang herself, but changes her mind at the last minute. "He who risks nothing, gains nothing." But something goes wrong and she soon finds herself in an abandoned house along with several unusual "people".

Noga tries to figure out where she is and what is happening, but the more she questions, the more she is confused. The book follows the stories of each of the other "lost spirits" and the author does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to each character. Noga tries to learn if she is in heaven or somewhere else. "Heaven is a concept on which people tend to impose their heart's desire."

The house is threatened with destruction by a group of entrepreneurs and the occupants have to decide where they should move. Noga starts to talk to each of them and one by one, they disappear.
"Stop wanting what you can never have. Then you can move on."

I think that each person has wondered what happens after you die and this book explores one possibility. Each of the so-called lost spirits is stuck in a kind of limbo due to their life on Earth. The author does a great job in entertaining the reader with her take on the afterlife.

Noga is a great character and her thoughts and musings were humorous yet poignant. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining yet thought-provoking book, you will enjoy this book. I was given the chance to read this book by the author/publisher and chose to review it.

[Gregoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai été agréablement surpris par l'auteur qui a choisi de rendre les fantômes hantant cette bâtisse abandonnée et condamnée à la destruction à la fois impuissants (ils n'ont aucun pouvoir sur le monde réel) et touchants par leurs histoires passées, histoires ni tout à fait noires ni tout à fait achevées mais humaines par leurs travers et leurs aspirations (ce ne sont ni des anges ni des démons... )
L'arrivée de Noga, fantôme d'une jeune ado (parfois agaçante comme seuls les ados peuvent l'être !) va forcer ce groupe d'esprits à faire le point sur leur passé et leur réelle nature pour ne pas dire leur destinée...
Par rapport à mes récentes lectures sur ce thème plutôt décevantes et convenus, j'ai trouvé la façon d'aborder le problème de la vie après la mort en dehors de tout contexte religieux mais vu par les fantômes eux-mêmes bien amenée et prenante La psychologie, la vie passée des 5 fantômes sont parfaitement décrits , l'auteur sachant alterner les flash backs et les réactions du moment
Même si on se doute en lisant que Noga plus que la destruction du manoir va être le grain de sable qui va faire avancer l'histoire, tout est fait pour nous tenir en haleine jusqu'à la fin
Cela m'a fait penser au film LES AUTRES de Alejandro AMENABAR qui m'avait impressionné pour son atmosphère très particulière ...

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so much fun.. interesting and creepy.. it had a mysterious house.. and interesting characters... kept me interesting in figuring out death and life... good writing to keep me interested as well.. i really liked it

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mysterious house – and a splendid story!

Israeli author Einat Shimshoni is an artist, not only in the literary sense, but also in the visual realm. She teaches design at the college level, and is a prolific graphic designer and illustrator in the commercial world. THE HOUSE OF LOST SPIRITS appears to be her initial publication in English, the book having been translated from the Hebrew by Judith Yacov.

The scope of Einat’s imagination appears endless as she opens her novel with a fascinating character contemplation of suicide by hanging, and instead of painting a darkly ominous scene she elects to share thoughts about death and life and the interstices between. For example, ‘Death is something beautiful to think about when life is depressing enough…I let my thoughts wander to where I feel at ease. I begin thinking of dead film stars, then move on to dead musicians, and from there land straight on the consoling thought of dead authors...I put my head in the noose and shut my eyes…A question bubbles up and fills my head – why am I doing this? The answer comes immediately. Why not? Am I having fun? No. The world is depressing. Can we expect some improvement? I saw Al Gore’s film on global warming. Things are going to get a lot worse. Am I needed here? The fact that mankind has existed for millions of years without my presence proves that it can certainly continue just fine without it.’

Why reflect on that opening of a book that is a ghost story? Because the quality of writing is so fine that the novel establishes significance within a few pages. Einat lists her book as a bildungsroman (a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character), and how better to introduce her primary character than with this scene. The plot (reflective of the title) – ‘The 16-year-old Noga is an intelligent young woman, though a bit depressive, who feels contempt for her parents and their bourgeois way of life. These confusing emotions lead her to make a decision from where there is no way back. She finds herself in an abandoned house where her steps leave no marks nor can her fingers wipe the dust off the antique furniture. Very soon she discovers there are five spirits living in the house, who all share something in common. The reason they are there, and have not moved on, is the direct result of their own choices. Now however, their choices are being put to the test. Will the residents of the house manage to free themselves from the ties that bind them and move on, or will those walls continue to be their fortress?’

This is a beautifully sculpted, highly imaginative tale that involves the reader from page one to the end. Clever, thoughtful, creative and satisfying – this is a novel that deserves a large audience. Highly recommended.

[Jessica Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me lots of food for thought. Especially on after life or being a spirit trapped in the in-between and not dying all the way.
Noga is a very intelligent sixteen year old child who did something bad in life and is now paying the conquences of those actions she did. The house she walks into have its own ghosts "lost spirits" stuck in their own despair of what happened to them. There are twists, turns and lots of things that will keep you on your toes somewhat. And wondering if these lost spirits will find a way out to a better place, then the fortress they surrounded themselves in.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was something completely different for me. I was not sure what to expect as I began to read. It did get a bit confusing at times with the different point views as we learned about each inhabitant of the house. There was quite a range of histories as well. I did enjoy Noga's determination to figure a way out and how she accidentally helped the others take a new look at their current situation. The journey was a bit long but an interesting out.

I received a copy of this story through CBR Services, and this is my unsolicited review.

[Judy]

I didn't read enough of this story to rate it, but enough of it to know I didn't like it.

[Cathey Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanging

I feel as though the book left me wanting to know more. I was caught off guard and left unsatisfied.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty much sucks. Sorry

[Brenda L Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and thought provoking.