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Diavola

Diavola

HorrorGothic
Pages
296
Published
2024
Language
English

Synopsis

Diavola is Jennifer Marie Thorne's gothic haunted-house novel — a sharp, unnervingly funny twist on the classic ghost story, set against a family vacation from hell.

Every year the Pace family, whose surname ironically means "peace" in Italian, descends on some idyllic destination, and every year Anna, the black sheep, follows her two survival rules: tread lightly and get out alive. This summer they rent a remote villa in Monteperso, a place the locals fear and avoid. It doesn't take long to understand why.

As unsettling warnings pile up and the house's dark history stirs, Anna begins to suspect that the villa isn't merely the backdrop to her family's dysfunction — it may be feeding on it, or something far worse. Blending folk and gothic horror with the specific torment of being trapped with relatives who never listen, Diavola is atmospheric, mordantly witty, and steadily terrifying.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

DarkAtmosphericTenseCreepy

Genres

Horror Gothic Haunted House Mystery Thriller Paranormal Paranormal Horror Literary Fiction

About the author

J
Jennifer Thorne

Jennifer Thorne is an American writer living in England. Born in a small town in Tennessee, she studied drama at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and began her career in young adult fiction under the name Jenn Marie Thorne, publishing The Wrong Side of Right (2015) and The Inside of Out. After moving to rural England she turned to adult horror, writing the folk horror novel Lute (2022) and Diavola (2024), a haunted-house story and USA Today bestseller. She also co-writes historical fiction with Le...

Characters

Anna PaceProtagonist

The family black sheep—single, creative, sharp-tongued—who becomes the focus of the villa's haunting.

Benny PaceSupporting

Anna's easygoing twin brother, who goes with the family flow.

Nicole PaceSupporting

Anna's controlling older sister, used to everyone falling in line.

All characters in Diavola

Frequently asked questions

  • Is this book based on any real-world events or locations?

    The author drew inspiration from her own experiences with family travel to craft the narrative, though the specific villa and its history are fictional creations.

  • Does the story rely on a specific narrative structure?

    The novel utilizes a perspective centered on the protagonist's internal observations, which often contrast sharply with the external, often chaotic, behavior of her family members.

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