The Birthing House

evenflow

I remember a while back there was a thread started by a guy who was celebrating that he just got his first novel published. He went on to talk about how much of an influence PJ was to his life and writing.

Fast forward to last Monday. I stopped by Books-a-Million just to browse for a second, whenever I noticed a familiar title on the new releases shelf. It was called "The Birthing House" by Christopher Ransom. Now I couldn't remember the guy's name that made the original post, but the name of the book had always stuck with me. Anyways, I purchased it, and after I finish the book I'm currently reading I'm going to start this one.

I'm guessing this is the same book the guy was talking about. I just thought it was really cool that a fellow Pit member had a published novel that made it to the front shelf of a national chain.

Christopher, if you're still on here and reading this then congratulations. As a fellow writer hopefully one day I can join you in your success, but until then I'm going to enjoy reading your story.

_

That's so cool! Does anyone remember the guy's name on the board?

evenflow

Bounce to the top so others can read it and hopefully help out.

genevieve

I read a book called The Birth House. Very good but written by a female canadian author.
What is The Birthing House about?

evenflow

I haven't started it yet, but from what the synopsis on the book jacket say's it's a horror story about a guy and his wife who move into this old Victorian style house that was used as a birthing house back at the turn of the century. I'm guessing the ghosts of previous tenants still haunt it or something.

Not something I'd normally read, but like I said, since it was written by a fellow Pit'er I'm more than willing to give it a go and help support him in his work.

evenflow

Alright, I started this book two days ago, and although it took me a little while to get into it, I'm really digging it now.

And I'm pretty sure the author is the same guy that posted on here because on page 183 it says and I quote;

"I believed in her the way one comes to believe in any other God, a work of genius, a fact of life, that song. All five horizons revolved around her soul as the Earth to the Sun."

Sounds like to me some pretty damning evidence that the author has been influenced by PJ, at least in some capacity or another.

iluvcats

google the birthing house and you will see CHRIS ransom's website. he gives his email address. the only writer i remember was a poet but i thought he was single. then there was a female author on the old board named myhandsbound. my husband gave me her book the last 5 days at mt. calvary (i think! it was great) can't remember the poet's username...

iluvcats

never mind

iluvcats

was I ever confused. I'm sorry. Had the wrong name in mind :(

luxpjamer

http://www.ransomesque.com/inspiration.html

here it is !

The book looks great if I'd have found it in a bookstore I'd have bought even without knowing that a Pit member wrote it. I'm waiting for a german or french translation !

luxpjamer

Don't need to wait there's already a german translation. It's called : "das Haus der vergessenen Kinder".
I also read that the autor moved from NY to Wisconsin and is living in an old victorian Birthhouse. The spooky atmosphere inspired him to write this book. To be honest I couldn't live in there !

surfanddestroy

I read this book a few months back, I had no idea it was by someone on here.

Was a really good book.

evenflow

surfanddestroy wrote:

I read this book a few months back, I had no idea it was by someone on here.

Was a really good book.

Did you catch the quote from Black when you were reading it?

surfanddestroy

evenflow wrote:

Did you catch the quote from Black when you were reading it?

Yeah I did, I was reading it on the train and had to point that line out to my boyfriend.

Wobbie

From Publishers Weekly
A blend of supernatural horror and psychological thriller, Ransom's impressive debut chronicles a couple's descent into madness after they purchase a 140-year-old Victorian house in rural Wisconsin. Failed L.A. screenwriter Conrad Harrison, whose marriage is on the rocks and who's still coming to grips with the sudden death of his estranged father, decides it's time for a change and, on a whim, buys a turn-of-the-century birthing house he fatefully found after driving the wrong way out of Chicago. But the sprawling structure has a dark history, and after his wife lands a new job and leaves for a few weeks of training in Detroit, Harrison begins to unravel the house's bloody past, even as his own sanity is unraveling. Replete with subtle symbolism that supports the birthing motif (spiders with bulging egg sacs, a moist clutch of snake eggs, etc.), this addictively readable ghost story will keep readers up all night, with the lights on, of course.

Wow, Pit member makes good. How cool is that??

Chris?? Are you out there? You might have to convince me this isn't a rip-off of The Shining. I kid, but the "descent into madness" brings that book to mind.

evenflow

imalive wrote:

Chris?? Are you out there? You might have to convince me this isn't a rip-off of The Shining. I kid, but the "descent into madness" brings that book to mind.

At first I thought you meant me because my name is also Kris, but then I wondered how you knew that. That's when I remembered that the authors name is Chris.

I can't speak for the other Chris, but I can say it's nothing like the shining in plot or story, but his writing is very reminsent of the King (author, not musician). It kinda starts slow and takes a few chapters to build, but once it gets going it stays strong through the end, which I can't say is always the case with King's work.