First published 2023
Louise gets the call she's been dreading. Her parents are dead, and she must fly from her current life to Charleston to handle their estate. The family home overwhelms her with its clutter of academic papers from her father's career and countless puppets and dolls her mother collected. Louise faces this task alongside her brother Mark, who never left town and cycles through jobs while harboring resentment about her achievements. Together they must prepare the house for sale, but the work proves more complex than simple repairs and cleanup. The siblings discover their childhood home resists their efforts to put it on the market. As Louise confronts the loss of the two people who understood her completely, she must also navigate her fractured relationship with Mark. The house itself seems determined to keep them there, forcing Louise to reckon with family bonds, childhood memories, and the question of whether some places choose their own fate.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, ghost-stories, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-drama, haunted-house
Setting: Charleston
419 pages · Hardcover · Berkley
Content warnings: mental-illness