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When Jason Smith purchases a four-story villa for his wife, Susan, the married couple is excited about building their new life together in this dream house. But from the first day in their new home, strange incidents happen, making Susan uneasy. The live-in caretaker, Norton, seems to be of no help either. After further encounters with restless spirits, Susan realizes the villa is haunted and is determined to try and put the supernatural entities to rest. Will she succeed in exorcising the ghosts, or will the Smiths be driven from their new home?
This novel is a classic ghost story where the traumas of the dead haunt the living. The Smiths did not bring these paranormal instances upon themselves but are just the unfortunate new owners of the villa. The story leans heavily on classic gothic horror elements but also inverts them as well, providing a fresh take within the genre. The atmosphere of the novel is suspenseful as well as a little tragic as the story dives deeper into the past of the ghosts and the villa, and readers can’t help but feel sympathetic like Susan does for the spectral occupants.
The author does a great job of building out the mystery of the villa and its past, while also suggesting that the same tragedy could befall the house’s current occupants. Through the use of the journals found in the attic, the author manages to build a connection between the past and current residents of the villa, which emphasizes empathy and understanding when dealing with the ghosts.