[ Overall Thoughts ]
This is not a book that is easily summarized or reviewed, so I've been working to write this for most of the month and the best I could come up with was this vague hand-waving at it. If it piques your interest at all, I'd encourage you to check the book out for yourself; if it seems like a bunch of nonsense, well, maybe still check the book out for yourself.

The Gray House is a large standalone novel, split internally into three books. Originally written in Russian and translated to English by Yuri Machkasov, it is an eccentric tale following a group of students in the titular Gray House - a sort of boarding school that prioritizes admission for students with disabilities. The House is more than it appears, though, as we learn more about some fantastical goings-on from several POVs. Piecing together what's going on is an endeavor that will take the entirety of the 700+ pages and then some. It's intriguing and strange, wholly engrossing and really enjoyable, if it's your sort of thing.

[ The World ]
Though set in something that is essentially our world, it is mostly only vaguely referred to as the Outsides and this book's true setting is almost entirely the House - on the mundane side, a boarding school; on the fantastical side, something much more. The students in the House have varying knowledge of the House and its nature.

[ The Characters ]
The Gray House is told from multiple perspectives, some first-person and some close third-person, of several of the students and faculty. Each perspective is interesting in its own way, as each character has differing interpretations and beliefs about the House and its domains. Each student, though each is a bit deranged in their own way, is surprisingly charismatic and I found myself always caring about (and often concerned for) them. They are compelling in a way that makes this very long book read pretty quickly.

[ Suggested Audience ]
Readers who enjoy character-driven stories and aren't put off by small-scale plots.
Readers who like some weirdness and mysteriousness, and enjoy books with room for interpretation from the reader rather than explaining everything.

[ TL;DR ]
The Gray House is weird and compelling, at times charming and at others rather disconcerting. Reading it is something of an experience, and it lingers with what-ifs and intriguing possibilities even after its final page.