Grave's End by Mercado
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Never did I once find myself wondering about the truth to this novel. Mercado tells a real story, one from experience. It is not overwhelming but is terrifying for those who have experienced paranormal phenomena in their life. Why? Because what Mercado writes feels as real as she said it. She goes back and forth in skepticism and open-minded on "hauntings" throughout this. She and her children's reactions felt real and as if I was someone in the home with them. Her first husband, yeah, we won't comment on that shit. Though, I do genuinely wonder if they ever contacted about these outcomes or if he merely disappeared from her life and stayed in his children's lives only.
I also find myself wondering how her eldest daughter, Karin, is doing. I wonder if she ever decided to pursue some sort of study in the paranormal. Sadly, my Google FBI senses are off searching for her. She was the one who was angry that the spirits got help. I felt sad here as they needed and wanted the support to pass along. It almost came off as selfish she tried to just keep them around for purely experimental purposes. I do understand her perspective on that. We all want to know more about the afterlife. I just feel that her anger to keep them around was misplaced in her thinking they were not tortured being stuck the way they were.
This real account actually barely has a total 3-star rating on most reviews websites. I find that sad. As someone who has experienced paranormal happenings, this felt all too real to me. You can claim to be so open-minded and unafraid, but it is much different than actually experiencing it. You will, at times, think you are crazy, doubt yourself, doubt what happens around you, and doubt others experiencing it too. That is how the mind works to calm you down. Mercado was sincere in her novel.
There were so many iconic things she stated in this book. I want to pull some out.
One of my favorite parts was towards the end when Marisa was cleansing the house and told her the story of the souls stuck in the basement. "I had no idea how to react to this information. It was so unexpected, so unnerving, that I said and did absolutely nothing. I simply listened" (Mercado, (Kindle Locations 1812-1813)). You find answers, only some. We know not everything will ever be answered. That is another authentic aspect Mercado displayed. She wanted a solution for every single thing they experienced in the house. Sadly, that is just impossible to narrow down. But here, they got an answer to some of the experiences. People died in what was their basement. Unfortunately, they still believed to some extent, they were alive and trapped under the cave in. Instead of questioning anything, Mercado's reaction was to just freeze and listen. Hard truths are often initially reactionless by nature. Many times we all freeze and just feel blank when we get hit with one. I felt this really hit the nail on the head with living in a haunted house and finally getting some sort of knowledge behind what is going on there.
She also celebrates little victories when it is all said and done. "I even slept in pajamas, with my feet sticking out of the covers, for the first time in years. It might have been a small victory for some, but for me to let my feet show out of the blanket, without fear that a spirit would touch one of my toes, was a major accomplishment. It was indicative of a sense of relaxation" (Mercado, (Kindle Locations 1999-2001)). Plus the fact she was no longer feeling the need to put off laundry and go to the laundromat. These little victories seem so plain to most people. But, she literally lived in fear of her basement, and much of her home, for years to the point she had adapted her life around the fear. When it was finally gone, she had to readapt in a new way, living off the memories. Overall the cleanse ends their troubles, except for that strange officer spirit she and her later husband helped pass in the end.
This novel does not overbear or overbeat the paranormal as we see in The Amityville Horror. It truly feels real (I cannot stress this point enough). I think that alone is one of the reasons I really loved every second of this read. We watch a woman struggling with herself and her family, trapped in a bad marriage, and then finally break free from it all. She remarries, her kids are assumed successful, and her life goes on.
My final remark, if you have ever experienced anything paranormal, what was your take on this account? Did you feel the same as me or not?
I think I had a very different take to this book because I've never had any paranormal experiences myself. This book and Amityville were similar yet different to me. Both were a lot of ghostly tropes, but one was very Hollywood and the other was very realistic. But both of them didn't feel quite like what I wanted. One was too over the top and the other, this book, was a little too slow for me. It felt like a real life pacing, but for a novel versus a story it was difficult for me to read the receptiveness without some action to keep the plot going.
ReplyDeleteAlexis, you are so right when you say, "She wanted a solution for every single thing they experienced in the house." This must be the scientist in Ms. Mercado. But we can never have all the answers. I hope she has made her peace over the years with those things she may never know.
ReplyDeleteYou mention how "I even slept in pajamas, with my feet sticking out of the covers, for the first time in years. It might have been a small victory for some, but for me to let my feet show out of the blanket, without fear that a spirit would touch one of my toes, was a major accomplishment." I thought this celebration of her accomplishment was delightful. However, even after vanquishing ghosts I could never, ever, sleep with my feet out of the covers or one of my hands dangling over the edge of the bed. Everyone knows that's where monsters or aliens are hiding!
I loved this book too, for the reasons you state. The truthfulness of Mercado's account was obvious. And it compared very favorably to the overbearing *The Amityville Horror*.
Oh, forgot to mention that the paranormal "ghost" experiences I have had have been minor and rare. They don't frighten me at all. But her suffocating dreams really reminded me of the sleep paralysis that I used to have. They were terrifying!
DeleteAlexis - Yes, yes, and YASSS! I also thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author's depiction of haunted phenomena echoed my own experiences in a visceral way, putting me right back in my childhood basement while footsteps echoed up and down the staircase with no other living person in the house.(However, I will say my family's long-term residence at the same haunted address and matter-of-fact acceptance of the paranormal resulted in much less terror/shame in the short-term and very little PTSD in the long-term.) Like you, I also felt the story was 100% genuine and honest. I believe her. If the author told me to my face she made it all up, I'd still say she's a master at depicting real-life experience with otherworldly mysteries. (However, if this story isn't true, she's a terrible novelist. Just saying.) My tiny way of fighting back against the negative reviews on Amazon was to click the "not helpful" button for every review that missed the point of True Reality vs. Hollywood Razzle-Dazzle.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I didn't understand Karin's anger when the spirits were released and got a little disgusted with her pouting. I've been trying and trying to understand her point of view. Maybe it's as simple as wanting the chance to say goodbye? Or maybe it's a little more complex. I've been researching hoarder psychology for the past few years. Even though some hoarders understand they have a problem and claim to want help with cleaning/organizing their homes, if you go in and forcefully clean up without their assistance there's an escalation in the behavior. Maybe it's something like that? Anxiety over loss of control? (Side note: Oh! A hoarder of ghosts! I'm adding that to my ghost story idea notebook!)
Now as for this statement: "Her first husband, yeah, we won't comment on that shit." What's this "we" shit? I'm going in for the comment. Nasty 1st husband's role in the story was KEY to my understanding of the narrator's psychology. I believe her relationship of resentment, denial, and victimology with her 1st husband mirrors her struggle with facing the truth and asking for help with the haunting. At one point, I set aside the book, looked at my husband, and said something corny like, "I'm so happy you're you." Both of us have experienced hauntings and both of us believe there's a sort of echo or parallel between a person's relationships with the living and how/if they experience a haunting. Most people don't want to hear that. It can be misinterpreted as blaming the victim. It's truly not intended as a blaming/shaming sort of judgement. Just ... a personal, first-hand observation.