The Dark House
by I. A. R. Wylie (1885–1959)
- Free to read
- 6 hours to read
- 44 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Dark House" by I. A. R. Wylie is a novel written in the early 20th century. The book introduces us to Robert Stonehouse, a sensitive boy entangled in a turbulent family life marked by the absence of his deceased mother and the difficulties with his father, Dr. James Stonehouse, and his father's new wife, Edith. The story unfolds as Robert navigates his feelings of disappointment and sorrow surrounding his neglected birthday and the challenges of growing up in a harsh and chaotic environment. At the start of the narrative, we find Robert grappling with complex emotions on his eighth birthday, feeling forgotten and alone. His memories of his mother linger while he is stuck in a disintegrating household where his father's erratic behavior exacerbates the tension. As Robert’s frustrations with his father’s temper and his stepmother's disdain grow, so does his bond with Christine, the housekeeper, who becomes a source of comfort amid chaos. The opening segment establishes the bleak emotional landscape of Robert's life, marked by childhood innocence mingled with early experiences of grief and alienation, setting the stage for the deeper explorations of his character and relationships to come.
Read the opening
Chapter 1
I
The cigar was a large one and Robert Stonehouse was small. At the precise moment, in fact, when he leant out of the upstairs bedroom window, instinctively seeking fresh air, he became eight years old. He did not know this, though he did know that it was his birthday and that a birthday was a great and presumably auspicious occasion. His conception of what a birthday ought to be was based primarily on one particular event when he had danced on his mother's bed, shouting, "I'm five—I'm five!" in unreasonable triumph. His mother had greeted him gravely, one might say respectfully, and his father, who when he did anything at all did it in style, had given him a toy fort fully garrisoned with resplendent Highland soldiers. And there had been a party of children whom, as a single child, he disliked and despised and whom he had ordered about unreproved. From start to finish the day had been his very own.
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About this edition
This free edition of The Dark House by I. A. R. Wylie comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #13546, released 2004-09-27. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels.
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