Model Home, A Novel By Rivers Solomon

Welcome to Rivers Solomon's Model Home, a haunting and innovative take on the haunted-house genre. The story centers on the Maxwell siblings, who have long distanced themselves from the lily-white gated community outside Dallas where they grew up as the only Black family. From the moment their family moved in, they faced a barrage of unsettling and unexplainable occurrences, suggesting that their home was cursed by some cosmic trial or demonic rite of passage into the upper-middle class. Steered by their formidable mother, the Maxwells refused to abandon their home despite the terrors that plagued them.

As adults, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle escape the horrors of their childhood, leaving their parents behind. However, when news of their parents' mysterious deaths arrives, Ezri is compelled to return to Texas with their sisters to confront their family’s tumultuous past and uncover the truth about what transpired in their absence. The deaths were anything but “natural,” prompting questions about the supernatural forces at play.

In Model Home, Solomon subverts traditional haunted-house narratives, illuminating the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. This unflinching, raw, and daring novel delves into secret histories and the struggles of a queer family fighting for their right to live, grieve, and heal in a world rife with contemporary terrors. Through a blend of horror and poignant social commentary, Solomon crafts a powerful story of resilience and confrontation. 📚❤️