I had not known what I was in for. From the eerie, highly contrasted image of a girl on the cover, I mistook the book for a Children of the Corn ripoff, which is a direct reference from its Goodreads synopsis. Then I started reading it and plunged into a strangely surreal world of madness, gossip, lust, and murder. Stefan Kiesbye grabbed me by the throat and dragged me to his own version of hell--Hemmersmoor, a small (German?) town that I am utterly unsure whether fictional or real, but whichever may it be, has stunned me just the same. 
 Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone is a story of a town told in a memoir-type of alternating voices by four of its old inhabitants--Martin, Christian, Linde, and Anke, each recounting his/her terrible past in a fresh, astounding writing that left my mouth gaping as each chapter ended. It was one of the honest stories I have ever read that portrayed exactly how hostile people are in small towns. The characters had the sort of nastiness one could find in Gillian Flynn's works. It delivered the violence violently; it painted the harsh small-town life harshly. The suspense was ceaseless. 
 It is not your typical horror novel; it doesn't scare you like Stephen King does. Instead, the story dives into your system and surfaces up--but not without cause. It will bring up the ugliest memories in your childhood that you had long forgotten. That good friend you run into the street every day -- do you remember back when you and him/her used to play at the backyard, and when nobody was watching, showed each other's young genitals out of curiosity? How do you feel now that you have grown up and address each other civilly like nothing sexual ever passed between you? Is it awkward? 
 Such questions are raised in the story. In a way, it is a coming-of-age tale of four children. You will witness their processes of losing innocence, reflect on yours, and continue reading on, caught in its spell that never lets go until the end. An achievement! Will definitely be cheching out Stefan Kiesbye's other works.