The Caretaker

Marcus Kliewer is a stop-motion animator who made a name for himself in 2024. His debut novel, We Used to Live Here, began as a serialized short horror story on Reddit before being compiled into a full-length book. Now, Kliewer returns with his much-anticipated novel, The Caretaker. It is available in both digital and physical editions through Simon & Schuster.

The Caretaker has an initial setup that reminds me of the gothic-suspense paperbacks of the 1960s and 1970s. A young woman is employed by a mysterious family to temporarily live in their robust house. Of course, there's an air of mystery that surrounds the dwelling, from odd instructions about the various duties involved to a prevalent threat that looms over the house's property lines. Although void of some key gothic staples, like romance, an inheritance, and closed off sections of the home, it does possess some of the components - a vulnerable woman in the clutches of a supernatural threat while in the confines of a large house in a remote area. 

 

Kliewer does an excellent job making the reader care about Macy Mullins. She and her sister were both raised by their single father. He died years ago in a car accident, and since then, Macy has played the part of responsible parent for her sister. But broke, jobless, and on the verge of eviction, Macy accepts a rather unusual job interview to temporarily house sit for a weekend. 

During the interview, which takes place at the house, the owner explains some rather odd duties involved. She also provides a VHS tape for Macy to watch on her own that provides further instructions. Initially, these orders are very odd, but completely doable. Macy leaves the interview to ponder why this simple chore pays a whopping $9K. Despite her sister's best efforts to throw up the cautionary red flags, Macy accepts the job. She doesn't realize that in doing so, she is teetering at the gates of world collapse.

The Caretaker's first half is one of the most effective things I've read in years. As various rooms are discovered, intricate details of this family are exposed, and mistakes are made, the novel comes alive with a dense, stirring tension that's unrivaled. Kliewer drapes the house and the surrounding forest with a menacing supernatural threat. But, at the same time, Macy also has this innate ability to second-guess herself, fueled by voices she hears in her head from her sister – things she knows her sister would yell and scream about in precarious situations. These conversations make it seem as though Macy AND her sister are in the house, when in reality, these are just conversations Macy is having with herself. It makes the scenes come alive in what would normally be a dull one-person narration or perspective.  

As good as The Caretaker is, the second half wasn't quite as effective. As things continued happening in the house, and these bizarre little patterns snowballed, I felt that the ending left something to be desired. The novel has tremendous support from readers and fans, but much of the criticism is pointing at the ending, which some people refer to as a “nothingburger”. I'm okay with the ending simply because I couldn't come up with anything any different. It had to end that way, and I haven't lost any sleep over it.

If you enjoy these atmospheric, tight mysteries, then The Caretaker is highly recommended. It will probably be in my Top 10 reads of 2026. 

Get the book HERE.