Home Before Dark

The narrative flash-forwards to when the adult Maggie enters a legal office and realizes that the receptionist—a woman named Wendy Davenport—obviously knows about what Maggie refers to as “the Book” (9) throughout the story. She says she’s there to see Arthur Rosenfield. Like most people, Wendy notices the scar on her left cheek. When Wendy mentions the Book—the actual title is House of Horrors—Maggie says her father wrote it.

Wendy asks what it was like to live in the house—the question Maggie always dreads. She says she was only five and doesn’t remember (her boilerplate answer). When Wendy presses her, Maggie says that none of it happened and that her father invented the story.

The public story—recounted in House of Horrors—is that they moved into Baneberry Hall, in Bartleby, Vermont, on June 26 but left on July 15. It only took 20 days to frighten them off. Maggie’s father told police the family was in danger, menaced by an evil spirit, and swore they’d never return. A local journalist saw his quote and published it. The quote spread, and soon Ewan received a book offer. During a month in a hotel with the family, he wrote the memoir. It quickly became the best-selling paranormal book since The Amityville Horror, and Baneberry Hall was instantly famous. Maggie and her parents were on magazine covers and television, but she has no real memories of the house.

Many believe the story is a hoax. Maggie knows the house isn’t haunted but doesn’t know why they left so abruptly. She thinks the fact that she remembers nothing proves that nothing happened. A figure like Mister Shadow would have been unforgettable. The Book made Maggie an outcast for most of her life. Dating is difficult for her, and she never trusts anyone’s intentions, since most people who claim to want to get to know her are merely fishing for details about her story.

The attorney, Arthur, tells Maggie that she’ll receive approximately $400,000 as part of Ewan’s estate. Ewan died several weeks earlier. Her mother, Jessica, who divorced him, refuses her half of the profits, so they’ll go to Maggie. Additionally, Arthur reveals that Ewan never sold Baneberry Hall: Maggie will inherit it too. As he gives her the keys, Maggie remembers her father’s words on his death bed: He said the house wasn’t safe for her.

The narrative shifts to Ewan’s point of view as he, Jessica, and young Maggie take a tour of Baneberry Hall. Ewan already knows much of what their realtor, Janie June, tells them. A lumber mogul named William Garson owned it. Later, it became a bed-and-breakfast, and a handful of celebrities, including Clark Gable, stayed there occasionally. The previous owners left after less than a year, but Janie dodges their questions when they press for details. On the drive past the gate, they see foliage cluttered with baneberries, which Janie says are poisonous, and two cottages for the housekeeper and caretaker, who still help as needed.

Ewan and Jessica frequently argue about money. When her grandfather died, he left her $250,000. She then began teaching at a private school in Bartleby. Ewan planned to stay home and write a novel. When they began house-hunting, Baneberry Hall’s low price shocked them.

Janie says the fence and gate help with curious sightseers: The house’s history attracts tourists. Ewan notices that Janie crosses herself before letting them in.

The house is drafty, and a massive chandelier hangs in the open room. In the great room, a portrait of William Garson hangs over a fireplace. Ewan thinks he looks “haughty, almost scornful” (25). The painting frightens Maggie, and Jessica says they’ll have to get rid of it. Janie says that would be expensive because it’s painted onto the stone. No one would argue, however. She says the Historical Society avoids anything to do with Baneberry Hall but refuses to elaborate.

In the room, 24 bells—once used to summon servants—attach to different parts of the house. Ewan thinks Janie seems desperate to sell the place—or possibly to leave it—but he’s intrigued by the house’s quirks. When they return to the great room, the chandelier is lit. They enter the Indigo Room—named after Garson’s daughter, Indigo—which is painted green. Above the fireplace is a portrait of Indigo. She looks lovely and kind. Garson’s only daughter, she died at age 16.

Seeing a covered picture in the room, Jessica removes the cloth. In the picture, a family of three stands in front of the house: two parents and a daughter. The father is handsome but looks distant. Janie says they’re the Carvers—the last owners—and hurries to show the other rooms. They’re impressed by the ornate armoire in what will be Maggie’s room. Janie says Garson commissioned the piece for Indigo. Maggie says the room is cold and she doesn’t like the armoire. On the third floor is Garson’s study, which Ewan imagines as his writing room.

When they’re done, Ewan asks Janie whether something’s wrong with the house. Its low price doesn’t make sense. Janie says it’s “stigmatized property” (33) because Curtis Carver killed his daughter Katie and then died by suicide in the house. The wife, Marta Carver, never returned. Jessica seems relieved to know the truth. Ewan writes that Jessica doesn’t know how close she’d come to that situation. Even though Jessica worries that the tragedy will influence their lives, they agree to buy the house.

The adult Maggie is anxious after leaving Arthur’s office. She has no idea what she’ll do with the house or what condition it might be in. Her business partner, Allie, texts her about a duplex.

Maggie meets her mother at a restaurant. Before Ewan’s death, he and Jessica were divorced for 22 years. Jessica asks whether Maggie is sleeping, and Maggie admits that she still has night terrors at least once a week. When Maggie asks why they left Baneberry Hall, her mother refuses to talk about it, as usual. Maggie remembers her mother slapping her once after she skipped school. She didn’t like being punished for lying given that—even back then—she thought her parents lied about the Book. That was the last time Maggie mentioned House of Horrors to Jessica until today.

Maggie periodically asked her father for answers, but he always said that the Book was true. She asked him again before he died. He only repeated that she wasn’t safe there, and she promised not to go back. When she asked him one final time to tell the truth, he said, “So. Sorry” (44). Maggie took this as a confession.

Her mother says that Ewan was a great writer but struggled with writer’s block. He got the idea for a novel about a haunted house after they moved. She says the Carver family’s story was true, however, as was the part about “the kitchen ceiling” (46). However, Jessica thinks the ghosts were fake, even though that was when Maggie’s night terrors began. These small revelations don’t help Maggie feel any relief. Jessica says they never told her the entire truth because they didn’t want to disappoint her. Maggie thought the divorce was her fault. Jessica says she’s telling her now because she wants to be free of the guilt and is tired of lying.

At the end of lunch, Jessica says she and her boyfriend, Carl, want to buy Baneberry Hall from Maggie at full price. They’ll handle everything, and Maggie won’t have to return to the house. Now Maggie thinks they’re hiding something and wonders why her parents were so adamant about her staying away if nothing happened. Feeling the keys to the house in her pocket, Maggie promises to consider it while Jessica and Carl vacation for a month in Capri.

When they close on the house, Jessica makes Ewan promise not to tell young Maggie about the Carvers. She doesn’t want his investigative compulsions sending him into the Carvers’ fascinating, if morbid, story. They meet the caretaker, Walt Hibbets, who goes by Hibbs, and Elsa Ditmer, the housekeeper. Hibbs says to call if they need him, particularly during the “witching hour” (54). He pulls Ewan aside and says the Carvers didn’t understand the house. When Ewan wonders aloud to Jessica if something else happened there, she reminds him that the past must stay in the past. Ewan carries her across the threshold and remembers their courtship. They married six months after meeting. The chandelier is lit again. He and Jessica look for a room to make love in, and Ewan writes that he had no idea what the house would do to them.