Haunted Ground (Paperback)

Ted O'Dell lives with his family on their farm in Saddle Rock, Kansas in the mid 1950s. Teddy's family is a model of contrasts: his father is a stoic farmer/mechanic whose primary role is holding the line in this troublesome clan. Ted's mother is a strange lady, prone to deep depressions that only grow greater with the arrival of Teddy's cousin Ilona (who prefers to call herself Judith). Teddy's two brothers are holy terrors, dedicated to making his life a living nightmare. Judith's arrival presents several problems that will ultimately exacerbate the simmering problems in the O'Dell household. She has a medical problem that resembles polio, a condition requiring Judith to wear cumbersome leg braces wherever she goes. Then there is the first few words she says to Teddy upon her arrival, a statement to the effect that she sometimes wakes up the dead. I don't know about you, but if I heard anyone remotely related to me say something along these lines, I would head for the hills as fast as my feet would carry me. Teddy doesn't flee because he finds himself tremendously intrigued by this beautiful and exotic relative. Young Ted soon considers himself the protector of this frail creature, and the two embark on numerous adventures around the farm.

Teddy has more problems to deal with than a semi-invalid cousin. For starters, there is his relationship with his brothers Jack and Norman. These two guys give troublesome a whole new meaning. One should look no further than the experience with the grease gun in the barn to recognize the utter sadism of these two figures. Even worse, Jack will eventually develop feelings for Judith, a situation that causes Teddy no end of worries. Another problem with Ted's life concerns his best friend, David, a budding homosexual who sets his sights on his good friend. Fortunately for Teddy, David is out of town for a significant part of the summer and therefore moves into the background of young O'Dell's life. Still, this complicated relationship occasionally arises in our narrator's mind, as Teddy is unsure of his sexual orientation and in some ways craves David's attentions. Finally, the matriarch of the O'Dell clan constitutes an enormous problem in Teddy's life. This woman despises the mere sight of Judith because she is jealous of the influence this girl plays in her son's life. Mother Dell schemes and plots against Judith throughout the story. All of these problems drive Teddy to the point of distraction that only his love for Judith seems to ease, and even then only occasionally.

What about waking up the dead? Well, the abandoned Trogler farmhouse next door to the Dell property neatly fits into the story and eventually provides the horrific elements at the book's conclusion. A terrible incident at the Trogler place years before resulted in the deaths of that family while instilling a whole lot of guilt among several citizens in the region. Occasional visits to the ramshackle farm convince Teddy that the Trogler's have indeed returned from the dead. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but the Trogler situation provides the novel with an astonishing series of twists and turns towards the end of the story. While the book spends more time discussing Teddy's various moral dilemmas, rest easy in the knowledge that several supernatural themes run throughout the story. "Haunted Ground" is an accurate title for this book.

I found the character of Judith the most compelling figure in the narrative. Even though Teddy is the protagonist here, his cousin usurps most of the reader's attention. This girl is entertaining to read about because she lives in a fascinating interior fantasy world full of fiery angels and the belief that she can see her past lives. Teddy (and the reader, for that matter) doesn't believe in most of Judith's quirky thoughts, at least not at first, but he loves her just the same and usually goes along with whatever she wants to do. Considering Judith's seemingly incurable medical condition, it is not surprising that the girl believes in things that are not real. But are her beliefs mere illusions? Teddy eventually discovers that Judith's ideas may not be too far off the mark. Overall, I enjoyed "Haunted Ground." The novel often moves at a snail's pace but is rarely boring. If you are looking for an all out horror assault, however, look somewhere else. If you want to read a book with character development as deep as an ocean, guilty secrets, and a satisfying conclusion, look no further than Stephen Gresham's "Haunted Ground."