What Hides in the Cupboards by Cassondra Windwalker is a masterwork of modern gothic horror that deftly unpacks the emotional baggage of a woman living on the edge of sanity and fearlessly exposes the raw nerves of her regret, grief, and self-loathing.
The novel is set for release by horror and crime publisher Unnerving on Jan. 30 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
In What Hides in the Cupboards, we meet the main character, the aptly named Hesper Dunn, as she unpacks her belongings after a recent move from Chicago to New Mexico with her schoolteacher husband Richard. She is recovering from months of therapy following an accident that affected the function of her hands.
Of course, the new house has a morbid history. The previous owner, an artist named Leon Oberman, died there and apparently left behind a series of intense portraits of a boy painted inside the cabinets and closets.
Hesper is immediately affected by the art, telling Richard, “Something feels unfinished here. The boy in the paintings — it’s like he’s waiting for something. I don’t know if I want to be here when it arrives.”
Her practical husband laughs off the suggestion, saying, “Curses aren’t real, Hesper.”
Soon, Hesper sees a taunting shadow-boy who sings “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.” Then, she sees the haunting wraith of Leon in an empty mirror frame.
Hesper tries to remain rational.
“I’m my own ghost, Hesper told herself as sternly as she could. … Her imagination was working overtime, fabricating images to match what she’d uncovered. Probably some clumsy attempt to distract herself from her own story. Pathetic, really.”
That’s often the question in gothic horror: Are the ghosts real or imagined?
Hesper becomes obsessed with learning what truly happened to Leon and discovers the emotions of his tragedy – guilt, regret, self-loathing – parallel her own. She feels an obligation to help Leon’s trapped spirit, a mission she hopes will free her from the torment of the shadow-child and put to rest her own demons. The truth, however, is more horrifying than she could imagine.
Windwalker is a gifted storyteller, beautifully executing the revelations about the paintings of the boy, the ghosts in the house, and Hesper’s relationship with her husband. Nothing is as it seems, yet it all makes sense at the end when the shocking climax arrives.
Her ability to navigate the emotional terrain of betrayal, heartbreak, and tragedy is impressive, but the attention to detail in the narrative structure of the story is nothing short of remarkable. The characterization and imagery are exceptional, too.
The marriage of Hesper and Richard is anchored by substantive conversations about how their goals, careers, and past behaviors impacted their union. Other details like Richard’s amusing influence on Hesper’s use of profanity (“son of a cinnamon stick,” “mastodon-muncher”) are nice touches that add depth to the relationship.
Windwalker’s description of the shadow-boy is especially haunting. My favorite scene is the encounter where Hesper challenges the “hollowed-eyed” entity with the “mouthless face” and “cat-like tilt of its head.” The image of that creature trilling the old-timey tune “You Are My Sunshine” is chilling.
Other details like the “melodious quiet of the desert” featuring “the occasional chirrup of a lizard” add to the atmosphere of dread. Windwalker also weaves a fascinating bit of 16th century art history into the plot with The Lady and the Unicorn series of tapestries.
I appreciated how Windwalker used triggers to logically propel the story forward. For example, Hesper’s encounter with a hairdresser nearly triggers a panic attack and leads to a pivotal conversation with her husband and to this perfect juxtaposition: “Now, the pain running through her veins felt almost like love itself.”
Windwalker’s overarching theme in the novel is “to forgive yourself.” The tragic irony of the story is that Hesper tells Leon’s ghost to do that very thing, yet she struggles to take her own advice.
What Hides in the Cupboards is an eloquent metaphor for the emotions that people suppress in their grief following tragedy. It’s also an early contender for one of the best horror novels released in 2024.
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