House of Margins is a horror thriller novel written by Tlotlo Tsamaase, published by Erewhon Books. An experimental novel that mashups together true crime podcasts with a more classical gothic haunt to deliver a story that has much to say about racism and the pressure to adapt voices in order to make them more "palatable" to the general public, while also taking the opportunity to explore the suffering caused by colonialism, all accompanied by excellent imagery.

Anaya Sebeya has gone missing after a prestigious writing residency at Günter Huis, a colonial mansion with a hidden past; her sister, Ranewa, is trying to reconstruct the case behind her sister's disappearing when a true crime podcast appears and starts covering it from a sensationalized perspective, but showing more about how that residency was for Anaya, and the sinister motivations behind the own Günter Huis. Through this interactive podcast and Ranewa's investigation, we will get the opportunity to put together all the pieces and understand what happened.

Tsamaase takes the maximum advantage of that mixed media format that is the basis of this novel, allowing the reader to get a full picture of the story while balancing the narrative tension at all moments; the more intimate we get, the more suffocating the atmosphere woven around Anaya becomes.
Said that, if there's an aspect of this book that especially shines over the rest, is how Tsamaase decides to tackle certain themes from an Afro-centric perspective (probably drawing from her own experiences): the pressure from the editorial market to tame certain themes and voices to make it more acceptable for the mainstream public, how some ideas are a no-go if you want success and even how racism still plays a role nowadays. Colonialism and its consequences are also treated, trying to understand how they still permeates until our days.

Said all, pacing is a bit irregular, especially with how this novel can feel as a slowburn, dragging at certain points; it could have been more tightly written, but it also contributes to the own story.

Overall, House of Margins is a brilliant experimental horror thriller, a perfect choice if you are looking for something different, brave to explore difficult themes while also delivering a compelling story. A worthy sophomore novel by Tlotlo Tsamaase!