This was something weird and way out there. It is the story of Eleanor Zarrin, who runs away from her Catholic boarding school after a mysterious "incident." With nowhere else to go, she runs home. Due to her strangeness and odd appearance, she is bullied non stop. The school apparently never tries tracking her down; it would seem the administration is happy to wash their hands of her. She reminds me of the title character in the Stephen King novel Carrie, but at least this "Carrie" finds a home and family by the end. She may or may not be a lesbian, judging by the actions of Lucy, the main school bully/Mean Girl. There is a L/G thread running through the book. Her Grandma Persephone dies early on, and she haunts the house until the end. When Persephone speaks, her words are italicized. FYI, Persephone in Greek mythology is the daughter of Demeter and the unwilling eventual bride of Hades. The house itself is a kind of character and could be a sort of "Hades," as everyone is unhappy and the sins of the past are felt by the next generation. The house is similar to the sentient house in "The fall of the house of Usher." Both houses in both stories take on the personalities of their inhabitants. The story reminded me of Poe and the Shirley Jackson novel "We have always lived in the Castle." The Zarrins really can't find peace until their home burns down and they are forced to start anew, although they are at peace with starting over. The evil "Grandmere" seemed like someone Eleanor could relate to and lean on, and it was sad that she was anything but. I actually felt sorry for her, as she was a quasi immortal but very much alone and wanted a family and saw Eleanor as the daughter she wanted. But she would have ended up "devouring" Eleanor and destroying her. And Eleanor doesn't want to be evil even though she could have gone that way as her life had been pretty miserable at school. The story is very gothic, with the Zarrin home/castle literally looming over the town and everyone is scared of them. Three of the family are werewolves and Eleanor's mother is one half sea creature with polyps on one side of her body. I feel badly for Arthur who is freed of the Zarrins by the end and also for the banker's son who Eleanor "ate." The family seems "paralyzed" in a way; they can't leave the house or lead normal lives, even though there are hints they would like something different. They are fearful of the past/present, so they see no future away from the house or each other. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, with a sense that negative feelings and deeds have festered for years and poisoned the atmosphere in the house. The Zarrins cling to each other and suffocate each other. Persephone sent Eleanor away to protect her from herself, but did not communicate at all with her. She left her alone, as though trying to get rid of a problem. Then she tells Eleanor to save the family. She also kept anyone from writing to Eleanor. She could have at least written Eleanor herself. Everyone in the family seems incapable of really bonding with each other; they stay in the house with each other because they don't see any other way. Each one lives in their own bizarre world, not really communicating with each other. FYI, the story is set in the 50s, maybe ten years after the end of the war. Eleanor's family doesn't care much for her, so no wonder she writes Grandmere. She wants a friend or somebody to affirm her. Her mother sits in a tub all the time, and her father wishes she would go away for good. She defeats Grandmere at the end, and saves her family, who finally realized she is a force for good not evil. Persephone's spirit is freed and she presumably passes on to the next world. The book is very atmospheric and would probably make a great movie if it had the right director and was photographed properly in a kind of eerie Poe/Edward Gorey sort of way.