You may have seen the family in a gas station, or the grocery store, or the library. You didn’t ever run into the kids in school, because they were homeschooled. You certainly never talked to them.
The girls all had long skirts and long hair, and before 19 Kids and Counting went mainstream, you could have been forgiven for wondering what the heck their deal was. These are the families on the fringe of the Evangelical church, and there are more of them than you might think.
Women in these sects are instructed to be silent and submissive; author April Boulware is anything but. In her forthcoming novel The House’s Daughter, she explores the trauma of growing up isolated in a cult-like environment, haunted by the sins of the past.
Emily Lyles is the daughter of a pastor-turned-contractor who, despite his obvious incompetence, is the “head of the house.” He and his wife rule their two daughters with an iron fist. While both know their only purpose in life is to marry the man god chooses for them, finding him is going to be hard when they’re only allowed to go work on houses with their parents, get coffee from the drive-thru, and, in Emily’s case, go to the library. The rest of the world is closed to them, each church they join deemed insufficiently orthodox.
But beyond the obvious abuse, something is wrong in the Lyle family home. Despite assurance that ghosts aren’t real and her fears are lies whispered by the devil, Emily is plagued by scratching and tapping in the walls of her room at night. As she huddles in the glow of her nightlight, puzzling over the mystery of a missing girl who once lived in her home, Emily begins to question her life, her family, and even, by degrees, her faith.
Soon, Emily’s life becomes a fever dream of time skips, her sister’s confessions (and subsequent memory gaps), a secret room, and documents that show her family’s history just doesn’t hold up. Most confusing of all are memories that make no sense, like the taste of French fries when she’s never been allowed in a fast-food restaurant.
Despite the constant message that women can’t and shouldn’t think, Emily begins to dig. But these shadows have teeth, and there are those who might do anything to prevent the truth from coming out.
Boulware is an indie author who lives in South Carolina. She draws on her own upbringing in a cult-like home (which she details on Instagram @aprilboulwareauthor). Anyone with a history of fundamentalist religious trauma will get at least one gut-punch of familiarity, with an authenticity that can’t be faked.
This book is disturbing. The page of trigger warnings in the beginning don’t go amiss, and no matter who you are, you’ll find something in The House’s Daughter to make your skin crawl. There are screaming corpses, thinly veiled sexual abuse, and white supremacy wrapped in religion. But the reason this book is so messed up is the same reason it’s so good, and the same reason it matters.
Like the protagonist, readers are forced to look head-on at something horrific. Boulware doesn’t pull punches. Because families like Emily’s isolate themselves, it’s easy to ignore them or pretend what’s happening isn’t anyone’s business. The House’s Daughter refuses to let us.
The first part of a planned duology, this book is worth waiting for. A spine-tingling ghost story, it explores relevant themes through the eyes of a compelling character. It’s one to keep your eye out for.
The House’s Daughter comes out August 23, 2025.