The Doll's House: A Short Story

4 4 out of 5 stars | 2,909 ratings

Price: 0.99

Last update: 01-01-2025


About this item

A widowed mother, ready to give love another chance, moves into her fiancé’s old family home with her teenage daughter. But as they try to build a future together, the past refuses to let go in this haunting short story from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.

Scout’s sullenness begins to fade, though, when she finds a beautiful handmade doll in one of the many empty rooms in the house. Kirin says that the doll belonged to his late sister and he’d like Scout to have it. Scout’s hopeful for a connection over their shared grief, but as she grows more curious about Kirin’s sister, she can’t escape the feeling that a danger lurks in the house…and its gaze is fixed on her mother.


From the Publisher

THE ART OF KEEPING SECRETS

Top reviews from the United States

Victoria Andrews
5.0 out of 5 stars a perfect short spooky story for October !
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024
This was a good , well written short story! A mother and daughter start a new life with the mother’s new boyfriend after the death of her husband and Scout (the daughter) father. BIG RED FLAG OFF THE RIP ABOUT KIRIN! ???? keep your suspicions high with him. It’s creepy and kind of reminds me of an adult version of a goosebumps book. I was skeptical at first how only 97 pages was going to be a story but the writer does a great job of putting just enough in those 97 pages. I don’t want to give spoilers away but if you like a good thriller , investigative type of story this is for you! I’ll definitely be diving into other short stories. They’re good fillers to read or listen to in between some of my heavier reads.
LynnS77
4.0 out of 5 stars Reality or Imagination
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2024
Jules was mourning her deceased husband and still imagines that she sees him, but has moved on with a charming puppet artist name Kirin. Her daughter Scout is slow to adapt, but makes friends at her new school.

Strange things happen and Kirin starts to get creepy and Jules has experiences she can’t tell whether or not they happened or happened as Kirin explains them.

Scout meets the family of the man who love Kirin’s missing sister. He has been searching for the sister Emma for years.

This is an excellent psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes and makes you wonder how much of the crazy things are really happening or if stress makes people see things. I enjoyed this very much and it was a quick read.
sapr
3.0 out of 5 stars Quick read
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2024
3.5 stars. This was a quick and easy book. I don't usually read short stories but I enjoyed this brief step into this genre. There were places where this felt very rushed and I think the story only spanned a few days which made it sometimes a bit unbelievable.

However, it was a spooky read with some supernatural elements. A perfect halloween read.

I alternated between listening and reading and both experiences were good. Id recommend this one to anyone who likes horror/thrillers and wants a quick read.
Melody
5.0 out of 5 stars Great little story
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
If you want a short solid thriller this be the book! All the characters are so well done and likeable. The ending is solid and gives closure.
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
Very suspenseful but leaves you wanting more. I couldn't stop reading it once I started. Definitely going to read more from this author.
Catherine Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars The dolls house
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2024
For a short story, this sure attention there was quite a bit going on. This was a really good little book. I really enjoyed it. I am going to look into more of Lisa Unger’s books.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good short read
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2024
This was fun and super short. Creepy, I listened to the audiobook and no complaints with that. Multiple points of view. Kept me captivated enough to listen a few days in a Row til I finished. I’ll definitely check out more of Lisa Unger’s books.
Zeanna
3.0 out of 5 stars Creepy? No, not really
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
I didnt get horror vibes from this, but it may still give me nightmares because of dolls and ghost children. I think the issue with this story is that some of the plot was explained to us after the fact. This means we were told something (like Doug dying) only to be told the reason during a moment when it wasn't called for. Jules was having an inner monologue moment about how crappy her marriage was and how it was different than her current marriage. I feel as though this would have worked better as a discussion between her and her new husband or her and someone else within the home—instead, she trauma dumps, and it ended up being an awkward read. I could even feel for us because I was more concerned with what was going on around her.

Also, this story is quick. I don't mean that it is short, because it is, but this happens in the span of what feels like a day. Maybe two if we are being generous. I am sure more time has passed, but that doesn't seem true. It made the ending rather underwhelming because it brought up the question of how this all played out as it did. And as sad as it may seem, that is my only question. How exactly was this able to take place? Not why the ghost or what was with the dolls. I didn't care about Emma and if the story Jules wrote was an extra replica of what had taken place or if she had taken some creative liberties. Nope, I want to know how and why this happened with no one catching on.

This is because we weren't given the time and space necessary to care about asking those other questions. I think this could work as a short story, but there was too much going on and not enough focus on what was truly important.

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