In her book House of Hearts, Skyla Arndt cleverly uses naming as a form of allusion and symbolism. This strategy emerges most obviously in names like Oleander and Violet. Arndt’s most often used word, however, is splayed. And after the death of her best friend Emoree Hale, Violet Harper’s grief is the most on display.
Violet has “always lived in a black-and-white word, worshipped at the altar of knowledge, and kept [her] heart in a box under lock and key” (225); her bestie was the ray of sunshine to Violet’s own Eeyore mood. Both young women are from trailer park homes, but Em wanted more from life and decided to enroll at Hart Academy, a boarding school for wealthy families in upstate New York. Here, Em falls in love with Percy Lockwell, and when that love story meets a tragic end with Em’s death, Violet feels compelled to follow Em’s directive to find Percy and to solve the mystery of what could be murder, suicide, or an accident.
So, Violet applies for a scholarship to Hart Academy and achieves admission. As Violet retraces Em’s steps and attempts to make sense of the cryptic clues she uncovers, the enigma deepens. Determined to make the world believe she is stronger than she really is, Violet dons a false confidence “honed from years of customer service—shoulders back, chin up, arms crossed” (4). With this persona, Violet has been a rock for those adrift, but now she’s the one lost at sea.
Violet’s roommate, Birdie Kennedy, was also Em’s roommate, but is she a key to the mystery? And exactly what is Calvin Lockwell’s motive with his duplicitous actions? Perhaps the secret student organization, the Cards has the answer. So, Violet gains membership.
As Violet moves through the maze of mystery, she also ends up traversing a literal maze and encountering dark magic, complete with curses.
From Arndt, readers not only get a creative horror romance but also rich allusions to Ovid and Shakespeare and inspired morals like “before you can be a player, you have to be a pawn” (61) or human realities about how heartbreak often drives us to violence. Ultimately, this novel reveals deep family secrets, fairy tale components, and haunting attractions while also unveiling several truths about love.
- Donna