The Water House - Hardcover

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by Nneoma Ike-Njoku (Author)

"Creepy and atmospheric...gives the gothic novel an intriguingly fresh twist." --Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

An unexplained tragedy. A handsome stranger. A house of ghosts and memories. In this fresh take on the Gothic tale, a young Nigerian woman returns to the family mansion where her brother died--only to find the past ready to consume her--perfect for readers of Tananarive Due and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

1967, Nigeria. Celia has been estranged from her family since they banished her to St. Agnes's reform school after her brother's death. When the school closes down, she has nowhere to go and no one to write for help.

She secures a job as a typist, marking the beginning of a new chapter; she hopes to leave behind the demons of her past and become a normal, happier person. And when a charismatic yet secretive aspiring politician hires her to be his fiancé, Celia begins to dream of a possible new future. But when everything falls apart, Celia, in desperation, returns to her childhood home--the Water House.

There, Celia is confronted by her hostile mother, a past love, and the horrors that the house holds deep in its walls. As a civil war brews in the outside world, Celia begins to suspect that the truth behind her brother's death might be more sinister than she imagined.

In a twist on Jane Eyre and Rebecca, Nneoma Ife-Njoku weaves a mesmerizing story of a woman confronting a home where the past refuses to stay buried.

Author Biography

Nneoma Ike-Njoku, PhD, was born in Lagos, Nigeria. A MacDowell Fellow, she was commissioned in 2022 to create an original short story for the Newman Wetlands Center, and is the recipient of a Betty Trask Award, as well as grants and residencies from Kimbilio, the Miles Morland Foundation, and Millay Arts, among others. She received her BA in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, where she studied literature, mathematics, and music, her MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University, and her PhD in English Literature from the University of Georgia. The Water House is her first novel.

Number of Pages: 256

Dimensions: 1.1 x 8.5 x 5.8 IN

Publication Date: October 13, 2026