Book Review: The Myrtles Plantation

Last month I was given an ultimatum, I was told by my girlfriend that I was not allowed to order any more eBooks on the Amazon Kindle until I had read the eight that were already on there. I suppose it wasn't really an ultimatum, but it did inspire me to start reading the books I downloaded over nine months ago. After reading some depressing books, I thought that I would go for something light. So I chose The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America's Most Haunted House. I have always loved scary books and movies though I do get timid at night when I have to turn the lights out (I usually end up leaving the TV on...just in case). I thought that this book would give me enough chills without any heavy lifting on my part. Well, I was right on one of those.

The Myrtles Plantation is an actual plantation located in Louisiana that has had a documented history of being haunted almost since it was built in the late 1700s. Frances and her husband Jim bought the plantation while on vacation in the 1980s. Since the first time they set foot on the premise, Frances knew that there was something wrong with the house. Yet, they still went through with the purchase and eventually opened the house to the public as a bed and breakfast. From the first night, Frances saw and felt ghosts in the house. Some had an ambiguous presence and others were more malevolent and eventually caused damage to Frances' loved ones. The ghosts ranged from slaves to children to locally prominent men. Frances spent many nights running from the ghosts and seeking residence in other people's houses in order to get out of the clutches of the spirits. Still, she refused to sell the house. Her best friend, Charles,  moved into the house to help her restore and run the property. After a couple of years, Charles became a belligerent alcoholic who went from being a good willed and high spirited man to a depressed and pessimistic burden. Similarly, Frances' once faithful husband began to waver in his affections after living in the house for a period of time. Lastly, was Frances' "adopted" daughter Joanie who Frances took in and cared for like her own. Under the Myrtles' roof, Joanie became disobedient and betrayed Frances in ways that she never thought possible. Overall, the house took prisoner all of its residents and left their lives changed forever.

In the beginning, Frances wove an incredibly enthralling tale. The ghostly appearances gave me the precise chills that I was looking for. For nights on end, I had to sleep with my TV on for fear that the ghosts would come through the Kindle and plague me where I sleep. Once I got through half of the book, it seemed that Frances began to run out of steam. The story changed from the ghostly encounters at the Myrtles to Frances' trite memoir. I was extremely sadden by this change because Frances' own story was not nearly as exciting a that of the Myrtles. In addition, her entire tone changed and became blaming and sorrowful. She was judgmental of each character that she presented and described in great detail all of their flaws. Yet, she never turned the introspection on herself. Numerous times she told the same story about how she made her own money to pay for the place and yet was never accepted into the clique in town. This was not the only story in which she complained about situations in which she placed herself. It is for this reason that I don't recommend this book to any horror fan. Instead, reread your old copy of The Shining, grab a used copy of Amityville Horror, or check out the much neglected but extremely well-told Grave's End: A True Ghost Story.

-DLP