House: good foundation, flawed floor plan

In rural Alabama, two couples find themselves in a fight for survival. Running from a maniac bent on killing them, they flee deep into the woods and seek refuge in a house. They soon realize the killer has purposely lured them to this house and that they are now trapped. As they huddle around an old fireplace, a tin can falls through the chimney.

Technically, this is the first book I’ve read that squarely goes in the horror genre. It’s an appropriate approach considering the subject

The narrative is designed to show how sin lies within each human heart. I believe it is a point well worth making. Salvation isn’t amazing if we don’t truly understand how bad the bad news really is. For years, I didn’t understand the depth of my own depravity and thus wasn’t all that amazed by grace. So I’m thankful for the message of House. It’s not very often you see human depravity displayed from a Biblical standpoint, even by most Christians. Peretti and Dekker drive home the truth that evil is not just about sins, it’s about the heart. It’s not just what you do, it’s who you are that is the problem. This point is made almost flawlessly. I say “almost” because there are a couple short sentences that slip into humanistic, “free will” thinking—i.e., you have to change who you are. The biblical standpoint is that we cannot change who we are, and that it’s not the choice of a supposed “free will” that saves us but the free grace of God. However, the overriding theme of depravity has a strong doctrinal foundation. And considering Dekker’s semi-Pelagian theology (as revealed in his other books) this is quite an accomplishment.
That being said, the story as a whole is a disappointment. It starts out fabulously. I was hooked from the first page. Unfortunately, the book degrades in quality as the story progresses. Halfway through, I was tempted to put the book down without finishing it—something I’m almost never tempted to do. At that point, there isn’t really a plot as much as there is just running around the house for two hundred pages. And I’m pretty liberal when it comes to allowing a lot of suspension of disbelief in a story, but plot elements in this book went from weird to bizarre to just plain stupid, to the point that I didn’t believe what I was reading. True, everything is explained in the end, but not before the story loses too much credibility. It also didn’t help matters that a couple of the plot elements directly copied those of Peretti’s book Nightmare Academy.
House is already being made into a movie, which will be released sometime next year. Of all Peretti’s novels, I’m not sure why they’re wasting film stock on this one. I’d rather see The Oath made into a movie (even though House does a better job of illustrating the doctrine of original sin).
“The only way to win is to lose. The only way out is in.” I’ll admit, that’s a great tag for the storyline, with deep theological implications. Too bad the story doesn’t match the strength of its theology.
Comments
I haven't read "House", though, and it sounds like Peretti is dealing more with the unbeliever in this story, but it still sounds like Peretti's flawed theology impacts his alegory. It also sounds like his attempt to create an agenda-driven allegory interfered with just plain good writing.
I think sometimes Christian writers are so focused on getting a particular message across that they lose sight of elements of good writing. This tendency doesn't really serve their message well, and therefore the whole purpose is defeated. Just take a gander at how many Christian writers have crossed over to mainstream culture due to good writing skills--not too many. It's too bad, really, but I have faith that it can be done. C.S. Lewis, and Tolkein are great examples. Good literature should have universal points that stretch across a wide variety of people types.
ha! i guess we see what brings me out of my shell to comment...post about a book, and I just can't resist putting my two cense in! my comment rivals your post in length--sorry!
And was it the Cooper Kids Adventure Series you and Casey read? I absolutely LOVE those books! Indiana Jones pales "albino fashion" in comparison to the masterful stories of the Cooper family. I think they need to be made into movies more than anything else—especially The Tombs of Anak, Escape from the Island Of Aquarius , and The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey.
And even though Nightmare Academy (from the Veritas Project series) has an overtly blatant message, I don’t care because I absolutely love the story AND the message. It’s actually one of my ten favorite fiction stories of all time!