It’s like the main character of The Invited has never seen a scary movie. Or, knows nothing about Lorraine and Ed Warren’s Occult Museum. Or, seen an episode of — or even a commercial for — the Haunted Collector.
Okay, okay. I realize many of you are scratching your heads right about now, and I acknowledge that I have a niche knowledge of all things supernatural thanks to my life-long obsession with the paranormal. But, still. I think we can all agree on this: if something has a creepy-ass history attached to it, you do not want to drag into your nice, new home. Or, your crappy, old home, for that matter.
NO HAUNTED ITEMS. IN ANY KIND OF HOME.
I used to date a guy who mocked the haunted house movies that I love so much. “It’s all the same,” he’d say. “A family moves into a new house, they hear strange things, the house ends up being haunted, blah blah blah.”
While he wasn’t necessarily wrong, I don’t mind this time-honored trope. This is mainly because that’s pretty much how it works when it comes to real-life hauntings: the current homeowners are scared shitless and move out, and the new homeowners move in, only to have the same events occur to them and scare them shitless. Repeat process ad nauseum with all new owners.
This is why I greatly admire author Jennifer McMahon for putting a twist on a classic. Instead of buying a haunted house, main characters Helen and Nate build a haunted house. Granted, it’s unwittingly done, aided largely by Helen, a historian with a worrying penchant for purchasing bric-a-brac connected to violent crimes and lovingly placing them in the house she and her husband are building. Helen doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into…
Buuuuuuut, she also kinda does. I mean, when the ghost of a woman appears under the wooden beam from which she was hanged to death, one can make the necessary correlation, yes? Haunted objects = haunted house. That’s a “D’OH!” moment right there. If I were Helen, I would have hightailed it to my nearest Target for the rest of my shopping. But, no, she continues on her merry little way to buy all the haunted things to fill her new (haunted) house.
To be fair, though, it isn’t just the objects that are haunted; it’s the land the couple buys on which to build their dream home. It has a dark and tragic past linked to Hattie, the historical town “witch,” and the spirits are already a-stirrin’ when Helen and Nate park themselves there. Combine the haunted land with objects that act like conduits for the dead, and you’ve got yourself a prime setup for a ghost story.
And, yes, people, this is a ghost story. We’re definitely dealing with the paranormal here. It kicks off from the very first page when we learn about Hattie’s “premonitions,” which are described in unsettling detail.
However, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a scary ghost story. Not like MacMahon’s previous novel, The Winter People, which thoroughly creeped me out, or like Ahlborn’s The Bird Eater, which scared the buhjeezus outta me for weeks on end. The ghosts in The Invited, while perhaps a bit miffed at being dead, are relatively benign; they really just want to be seen and receive help, and even to give help. Contrary to most popular hauntings, these ghosts are not hell-bent on scaring the living daylights out of, well, the living.
The Invited also contains a fair amount of mystery. Helen’s trying to piece together Hattie’s family tree, and there’s a local girl, Olive, who gets involved with Nate and Helen’s building, as well as their ghost adventures. I liked the history that Helen immerses herself in while trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Hattie’s family, and I was deeply touched by the predicament that Olive’s family is in.
However, the end result of all this mystery is disappointingly predictable — so much so that I wonder if McMahon purposely left it transparent so the focus of the story remained on the hauntings, and not on the mystery to be solved. I’m not the greatest sleuth, so if I saw The Big Reveal coming a mile away, I think almost everyone could. It’s all still very entertaining, though, so I don’t count this as a negative aspect of the novel.
I admit, I was hoping for a scarier story than was delivered in The Invited. However, as a novel with a steadily mounting mystery and solid ghostly foundation, it’s really very good. Especially for this time of year, when the dark nights draw in close and your imagination is already getting the better of you. If you’re looking for a ghost story mixed with good suspense and great historical fiction, you should give The Invited a whirl.
What are your favorite Jennifer McMahon novels? I hope you’ll share in the comments below!
And, stay tuned for my book-inspired recipe: Blueberry Molasses Cake.
This sounds quite gently spooky, if you know what I mean! Talking about haunted objects, I would recommend Our Last Night by Taylor Adams – it revolves around a cursed rifle that kills its owners 😱
Yes! Gently spooky is a great way to describe it! There are some scenes that are creepier than others, but I think overall it’s quite gentle. I guess compared to so much else I’ve read, lol. Thanks for the recommendation for Our Last Night! Cursed objects always make for some great stories! Adding this one to my TBR list. 😁
I am SO glad you said straight up you wouldn’t be surprised if I was scratching my head – you had me worried for a minute there! 😅😅😅 I’m interested in the idea of making the mystery kind of obvious, so that the reader has the bandwidth to focus on other elements of the story – I wonder if that really was the approach she took?
Also, just for funsies/out of curiosity, do you listen to the My Favorite Murder podcast? They’ve been reading a lot of listener emails lately, a lot of them themed around spooky haunty stuff for Halloween. Always great, always hilarious – sometimes truly creepy!
I am juuuuuust starting to listen to podcasts. Right now, I’m listening to My Dad Wrote a Porno, lol. My Favorite Murder sounds like it would be right up my alley, though! Thanks for the suggestion!
I have juuuuuuust started to get into podcasts. Right now, I’m listening to My Dad Wrote A Porno, which is HILARIOUS. Maybe I’ll try My Favorite Murder next! It sounds like I’ll miss the spooky Halloween stuff, but I’m sure it will come around again. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion!
Sheree!! I swear I remember replying to your comment months ago, lol. It must have not gone through. 🙁 Sorry about that! Thanks for the recommendation about My Favorite Murder. Y’know, when you posted this comment, I wasn’t listening to podcasts yet. Recently, I’ve gotten really into them — My Father Wrote a Porno is a fave (ha!), and my friend just got me into The Magnus Archives, which is FABULOUSL. I’m running through the episodes, though, so I think My Favorite Murder woud be a good one to check out next! Thanks! 🙂