Overview

In a series of dispatches, McOuat explores with humour and pathos a period of her life spent living in a haunted house under renovation. She stirs together the ingredients required to conjure an unsettled spirit: motherhood, grief, the supernatural, ruminating on the past, near-miss moments, truth denied, and the unexplained moments in life that leave you haunted. Through her own life experiences, various tall tales, urban myths, and true crime stories, McOuat uncovers how as a mother, woman, and 'invisible Femme' she has been persistently asked to question her own reality, truth, and intentions. This induced a special kind of self-violence - a mistrust of her own mind. To finally move on to a better place she will have to first face the frightening experiences from her past, forgive herself for failing to advocate for herself, and exorcise a stubborn attachment to a phantom heteronormative nuclear family structure.

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9781770417557

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Reviews

"""I count myself much more of a fiction than a nonfiction reader, so when I tell you that Allyson McOuat's debut essay collection The Call Is Coming From Inside The House is one of the best books I've read in years, it means a lot. With feminist insights reminiscent of Melissa Febo's Girlhood and horror film analysis on par with Carmen Maria Machado's brilliant essay on Jennifer's Body, McOuat's writing effortlessly weaves together personal narrative and (pop) cultural criticism. Touching on themes of motherhood and pregnancy to true crime and horror movies, this collection is a dream for any reader looking for queer feminist essays that will intellectually thrill you, scare you, and make you laugh."" -- Autostraddle ""Reading The Call Is Coming from Inside the House feels like sitting at a kitchen table and listening to a range of issues. While the essays may tell eerie or heartbreaking stories, they are gently glazed with humor, and the reader can take solace here, despite all of the problems in the world. So, why not pause from the rush of the world, walk inside, and answer McOuat's call?"" -- The Chicago Review of Books ""The analysis of horror and true crime is accessible for those not familiar with the genres, while still fresh and nuanced enough for those who are. With a candid, humorous tone, McOuat's essays expose terror in the ordinary and vice versa."" -- Maisonneuve Magazine ""The Call Is Coming from Inside the House is at once tender and surprising, smart and funny. It is the life of the party: each essay sings for its supper in a most engaging and touching way. Smart Stories for Queer Girls is a possible subtitle for this lovely wonder of a book."" -- Laurie Petrou, author of the bestselling book Stargazing"

"""The Call Is Coming from Inside the House is at once tender and surprising, smart and funny. It is the life of the party: each essay sings for its supper in a most engaging and touching way. Smart Stories for Queer Girls is a possible subtitle for this lovely wonder of a book."" -- Laurie Petrou, author of the bestselling book Stargazing"

Author Information

Allyson McOuat (she/her) is a queer writer from Toronto who has been published in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, Broadview Magazine, and Plenitude Magazine. McOuat's Modern Love essay was adapted for television by Modern Love Amsterdam on Amazon Prime. She is a mom of two amazing daughters.

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