If you’ve been scrolling through the “Best of 2026” lists, you’ve likely seen “The Night Stairs” by Erin Kelly popping up everywhere. The premise is the kind of Gothic, atmospheric catnip that usually flies off the shelves: a “now and then” mystery centered around a strict religious boarding school and a local legend about a staircase that makes you dizzy, or worse.
But having just turned the final page, I’m left with some seriously mixed feelings. Here is the lowdown on why this might be the most polarizing book of the year.
“Sesquipedalian” is the Word
To use a word the book itself might favor, the prose is incredibly sesquipedalian (which is just a fancy way of saying “full of long words”).
It feels as though Kelly was trying to make the reading experience intentionally difficult. There’s a fine line between “atmospheric” and “pretentious,” and this one leans heavily into the latter. The language is dense and adult, yet the core storyline, a boarding school drama about adolescent friendship feels much more suited to a Young Adult or New Adult audience. It’s a strange friction; the vocabulary says “literary fiction,” but the plot beats say “teen thriller.”
Faith, Fainting, and Friction
The book jumps between the past and the present, unraveling the mystery of the “Night Stairs.”
- The Legend: The school has a lore about a specific set of stairs that causes a physical, dizzying reaction. It’s a great hook that promises a supernatural or psychological payoff.
- The Hidden Layer: Beneath the religious rigidity, there is an LGBTQ+ storyline. It starts as a whisper, almost hidden in the subtext and gradually becomes more obvious as the book progresses.
- The Theme: At its heart, this should have been a poignant exploration of jealousy within female friendships and the hurdles we overcome to find ourselves.
The “Overwritten” Hurdle
Despite liking the underlying story, the execution makes it a slog. Because every sentence is so heavily ornamented, it takes forever to get through. It’s the kind of book where you read five pages and feel like you’ve read fifty.
More frustratingly, the portrayal of the female leads felt a bit pointed. Instead of feeling like a nuanced look at emotional growth, some of the character arcs felt like a dig at how women handle their emotions portraying them as overly hysterical or volatile rather than complex.
Final Thoughts: Love It or Hate It?
This is not a “middle of the road” book.
- You’ll love it if you enjoy “Dark Academia,” don’t mind a slow burn, and love prose that requires a dictionary by your side.
- You’ll hate it if you want a fast-paced thriller or find “try-hard” literary writing to be a distraction from the plot.
It’s an ambitious book, but one that seems to be having an identity crisis. It’s trying to be a scholarly tome and a twisty school drama at the same time, and I’m not sure it quite sticks the landing.
The Night Stairs is out on 9 July 2026
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