Book Review: “The Gray House”

Once, a friend gave me a copy of the “The Gray House” to pass the time during especially cold evenings in Russia. “Don’t read it too fast,” she said. “You won’t want to leave.” She talked about the book as if it were a living thing. When I finished the first chapter, I understood why. Mariam Petrosyan, a talented Armenian author, created a world where the notion of reality does not exist. There are just too many of them.

“Life does not go in a straight line.” Tabaqui

At first, the House appears to be a rundown board school for young adults with disabilities. As you enter inside though, it instantly transforms. The graffiti-covered hallways are never quiet. All day, different tribes fight for leadership, racing around the House in wheelchairs. They follow strict internal laws that even teachers have no control over and hide a lot of secrets.

Petrosyan never identifies the main protagonist. Everyone, forsaken by the Outside, is equally important in the House. After you learn more about the inhabitants, their nicknames and backgrounds, you begin to understand what is happening. But not for long. Under strange circumstances teenagers continue dying before graduation. Frightened, the Outside decides to demolish the building and relocate its residents. 

While panic takes over the House, kids turn to narcotics, alcohol and violence searching for comfort. Fear of the Outside makes them shut down in denial, or worse, intentionally fall into a drug-induced coma. For some, staying among delusions is better than going back to a “normal” life and being labeled “handicapped” again. It’s a chance to have an identity and dreams.

The meaning behind

Using the House as a complex metaphor with elements of personification, Petrosyan defines various challenges of marginalized social groups. Besides describing the nature of their behavior, she deeply analyzes relationships within the community. Above all, Petrosyan erases the line between the conscious and unconscious mind, inviting her readers to explore the inner self and open up to new possibilities.

Reading “The Gray House” is like solving a puzzle. It might take a few tries before things come together. That’s why the book remains one of the top Russian bestsellers since 2009. People love to immerse themselves in it again and again. Translated to Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Spanish and French, this fantasy novel is finally available in English as well.

Find more book recommendations in this section of my blog. Happy reading!