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In Brenda Iijima’s second book, Shelter is Necessary for Existence (October 27), Sue, her husband Luke, and their two children move into a highly coveted Brooklyn neighborhood, intent on renovating their home. From the outside, Sue’s new brownstone exemplifies everything she has ever wanted—a beautiful home, a successful family, and a place among the people she has long envied. Inside, everything is beginning to come apart: old voices and phantom noises stir in the silence, blood appears on the walls, and Sue’s children begin exhibiting disturbing changes. As she becomes consumed by the house and the secrets left behind by its former occupants, her perfect life starts to resemble something far more frightening. Perhaps the house isn’t haunted by what happened there. Perhaps it’s waiting for history to repeat itself. Part social commentary, part psychological thriller, the book’s cynical tone doesn’t diminish the mounting dread readers feel watching Sue’s descent into a domestic nightmare of her own making; it enhances it. Thematically reminiscent of The Shining, Iijima’s book is definitely worth a look.