What we keep
By Jason McIlrath
Some houses are inherited.
Some collections are curated.
Some things are kept because they refuse to let go.
When Sarah Whitmore inherits her reclusive great-aunt's Victorian house, she expects dust, antiques, and memories she never asked for. What she finds instead is a vast, meticulously arranged collection of dolls-hundreds of them-each one unnervingly detailed, impossibly lifelike, and watching.
At first, the house is only wrong in subtle ways. The silence lingers too long. The air feels thick with perfume and decay. The dolls seem to shift when she isn't looking. But as Sarah begins to explore the house-and attempts to pack the collection away-the truth reveals itself piece by piece: these are not toys, not art, not even replicas.
They are keepsakes.
Bound to the house is a legacy of preservation that goes far beyond porcelain and glass. The dolls remember. They observe. They move when they believe they're unseen. And they are always searching for the next thing worth keeping.
As the walls begin to breathe, the house awakens, and the collection spreads, Sarah is forced to confront the horrifying purpose behind her inheritance-and the price demanded of anyone who tries to leave.
What We Keep is a slow-burn horror novel steeped in atmosphere, dread, and obsession, blending haunted-house terror with the uncanny horror of living objects. It explores grief, legacy, and the terrifying idea that some collections don't exist to preserve memories-but to imprison them.
Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, and Gothic psychological horror, this novel lingers long after the final page-like the feeling of being watched when the room is empty.
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