The Midnight Review

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Catherine House
Elisabeth Thomas

Quick review:

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas is a dark academia novel that nails dark, atmospheric and uncomfortable vibes. It follows Ines, a troubled teen who makes it into the very prestigious and highly experimental college called Catherine House, and in her time there she discovers the House’s controversy is valid, and there’s far more to the building and the staff than meets the eye.

It’s a relatively slow-paced novel that jumps between elaborately detailed scenes and completely skimming over important details, leaving the reader feeling like they’ve barely breached the surface of the worldbuilding. I think this is intentional, but I do wish I had more context for our main character’s past.

Ultimately the characters are mysterious and somewhat two-dimensional, but once again I think this is on purpose?

The plot is slow-building, and I think I was hoping for more from the very end. But ultimately I really appreciated the existential dread, the teenage angst, and the personification of Catherine House itself.

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