After a falling out with and the subsequent death of her lover, successful author Sarah Crowe fled Atlanta, Georgia for the solitude of the Rhode Island countryside. She is hopelessly behind on her latest manuscript and already spent most of the advance but hasn’t penned a word. In an attempt to break through a massive case of writers block, Sarah begins journaling her recurring nightmares and exploring the cellar of the old rental house. She discovers the typewritten missive left by parapsychologist Dr. Harvey who was obsessed with the history of a giant red oak tree growing just out of sight of the house.
As Sarah copes with worsening nightmares and a return of seizures, she digs deeper into the history of the red tree and the mystery surrounding Dr. Harvey’s suicide. Even the appearance of an upstairs lodger does little to slow Sarah’s slide into despair and madness.
Kiernan’s latest is a dark, compelling gothic novel that plays more on tricks of the mind then gore, a thoroughly enjoyable read with a chilling conclusion that will linger long after the last paragraph. The “editor” notes interspersed with passages from Dr. Harvey’s manuscript add a nice sense of depth and additional insights to the tale although the font used for the “typewritten” pages can be hard to read.
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