Mrs God
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub, the tale of a literary sojourn that turns into something far more sinister.
Esswood House. Home and estate of the Seneschal family, aristocratic patrons of the literary arts for well over a hundred years. D. H. Lawrence, T. S. Eliot, Ford Madox Ford, and Henry James were privileged to call themselves guests. There was always talk of a hidden secret in Esswood’s past, and the Seneschal children were often so pale and sickly, but don’t all English manor houses have a few ghost stories to call their own?
When Professor William Standish receives the rare honor of an Esswood Fellowship, and the chance to study the estate's private manuscripts at close hand, he is thrilled beyond his wildest ambitions. But something seems amiss at Esswood House. He hears faint laughter in the halls, the pitter-pattering of small feet in the night; strange faces appear in the windows of the library, and there are those giant dollhouses in the basement . . .
Never before published as a separate volume, Mrs. God is a very different kind of ghost story from one of America’s most celebrated authors.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Originally released in 1990 as a limited edition, this atmospheric and understated novella may not be one of Straub's most original or compelling works, but it does exemplify his supreme ability to transform a relatively pedestrian story line into one of nightmare-inducing terror through imagery, symbolism, and motif. When English professor William Standish is awarded a prestigious three-week fellowship at an English estate with a rich history of legendary literary guests, he all but abandons his pregnant wife for the opportunity to study the obscure works of his grandfather's first wife, poet Isobel Standish. The idyllic manor harbors more than a few sinister secrets, and Standish is soon drawn into its darkness. The unconventional conclusion may leave some horror aficionados less than satisfied, but hardcore Straub fans will applaud the downright creepy revelations at story's end.