The house by the church-yard cover

The house by the church-yard

by Sheridan Le Fanu

Sheridan Le Fanu's historical mystery novel The House by the Churchyard was written in 1863. A skull unearthed in a churchyard show signs of violent blows to the head and, even more disturbingly, the small hole caused by trepanning. One hundred years before, a coffin is buried secretly, "R.D." the only identification on its brass plague. The House by the Churchyard was a major source of inspiration for James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

More by Sheridan Le Fanu

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?