June 15, 2020
Pyper (The Homecoming) spins a fascinating horror novel centered on Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. President and one of the least effectual, proposing supernatural causes behind the man’s failure. Right after Franklin’s 1852 election, the death of his 11-year-old son, Bennie, in a train wreck sends Franklin’s wife, Jane, into a frenzy of mourning. Since her youth, Jane has been under the influence of “Sir,” a malignant, supernatural entity she accidentally summoned. Now she lives in the White House as a bitter recluse and establishes a private “Grief Room” where Bennie’s toys and clothing can be kept inviolate—and where a shadowy creature that looks like Bennie can gain substance as it feeds on her grief and love. Franklin, meanwhile, knows he should be working to hold the Union together but can’t find the gumption to stand firm. Pyper does a good job of haunting the White House but is less successful at incorporating the real historical horrors of slavery and the looming Civil War. History buffs might take issue with some of the minutiae, but this eerie ghost story is sure to please horror fans. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.
August 1, 2020
Haunted house stories are a dime a dozen, but haunted White House stories are a bit harder to find. Pyper (The Homecoming, 2019) reimagines life in the Franklin Pierce White House, beginning shortly after his inauguration and the death of his last living son in a bizarre train accident. First Lady Jane Pierce is reticent about joining him at the residence but eventually acquiesces, and sets up a replica of their son's bedroom down the hall from her own. Shortly after the furniture is placed, Mrs. Pierce invites the Fox Sisters, world renowned for their spiritual s�ances (though they were later unmasked as frauds), to attempt to contact her son. A portal is opened and soon the White House and its inhabitants are surrounded by unexplainable activity with frightening implications. Pyper weaves traditional?and legitimately creepy?horror tropes with a larger examination of the complexities of marriage, and to a lesser degree, the direction and morality of the country at the time of its impending split. Recommended for fans of historical fiction with a bite, like that of Alma Katsu.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)