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Disturb not the Dream
Staying for the season at Mulberry House, the scene of terrible murders nearly forty years before, Dr. Bertram Bradley and his family begin to experience strange and unexplained events
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
168 people are currently reading
1598 people want to read
About the author
Paula Trachtman
4 books20 followersPaula Trachtman was an author, editor, teacher, and activist. She published one novel, the suspenseful horror Disturb Not The Dream, which sold over 500,000 paperback copies in 1982. She had completed a manuscript for a book to be titled Nicholas III: Tsar of All Russia, which was based on a conceit that Nicholas II had an illegitimate son by a British aristocrat who reclaimed the throne during the Stalin era. She abandoned the manuscript and all attempts of writing commercial fiction after the premature death of her daughter, Amy. In 1995, Ms. Trachtman and her husband Edward Butscher founded the Amy Award, in honour of her late daughter who was a promising poet. The annual prize is administered by the literary organization Poets and Writers, for female poets under the age of 30, who read aloud from their own poetry and from Amy’s. Ms. Trachtman died of a heart attack in her sleep, less than a week before what would have been her 88th birthday.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 2, 2014
After viewing the Lifetime Channel’s remake of VC Andrew’s sordid YA classic, Flowers in the Attic, my friend AnnK asked if I had ever read Disturb Not the Dream. Published in 1981 when I read every horror and gothic paperback I could get my hands on, I somehow missed this one. Luckily, I scored one from half.com for a mere seventy-five cents. The book was in my mailbox on Friday when I got home from work. I spent most of that weekend glued to its pages.
Disturb Not the Dream is a psychosexual gothic potboiler of the first degree replete with adultery, marital rape, sexual dismemberment, murderous carnage, two raging hurricanes, and (gasp!) brother-sister incest. Gentle Readers, this vile cocktail makes Flowers in the Attic look like the Brady Bunch. What’s most appalling about this unapologetically lurid filth is that it’s well written. Yes, the plot twists teeter between clever and ridiculous, but have you read some of the suspense novelists who make the best seller lists with their preposterous page turners every other month? Trachtman, on what is apparently a first novel, pulls disparate subplots together like a pro. Beyond that, she employs a third person omniscient narrative with skillful aplomb. There’s plenty of head hopping here, but the author never loses control.
Judging from other reviews here, Disturb Not the Dream is not to everyone’s taste. Is it violent, sick, and depraved? You bet it is – but it’s all gripping, page-turning fun that will leave you shaking your head and saying, “Who in their right mind would write something like this?”
Paula Trachtman was an eight-grade school teacher at the time of the book’s publication.
Disturb Not the Dream is a psychosexual gothic potboiler of the first degree replete with adultery, marital rape, sexual dismemberment, murderous carnage, two raging hurricanes, and (gasp!) brother-sister incest. Gentle Readers, this vile cocktail makes Flowers in the Attic look like the Brady Bunch. What’s most appalling about this unapologetically lurid filth is that it’s well written. Yes, the plot twists teeter between clever and ridiculous, but have you read some of the suspense novelists who make the best seller lists with their preposterous page turners every other month? Trachtman, on what is apparently a first novel, pulls disparate subplots together like a pro. Beyond that, she employs a third person omniscient narrative with skillful aplomb. There’s plenty of head hopping here, but the author never loses control.
Judging from other reviews here, Disturb Not the Dream is not to everyone’s taste. Is it violent, sick, and depraved? You bet it is – but it’s all gripping, page-turning fun that will leave you shaking your head and saying, “Who in their right mind would write something like this?”
Paula Trachtman was an eight-grade school teacher at the time of the book’s publication.
April 14, 2017
3 stars--I liked the book. Trigger warnings for everything.
Even though I had fun reading this little horror gothic, I don't recommend it to anyone. It's really dated and just generally in bad taste.
This book tries hard to be shocking and offensive, and the subject matter is, indeed, pretty dark: incest, murder, rape, evil nuns, teenage orgy clubs, etc. However, it's so dated that I found myself amused rather than horrified--especially the parts about psychology. For example, a woman commits mass murder because... she's on her period! A teenage son and daughter act out sexually because of their (practically literal) Electra and Oedipal issues! (That's as diagnosed by two psychiatrists.)
The author seems almost gleeful as she describes the degradations of her characters; the authorial tone is positively giddy with the shock and horror she's trying to create. I found it amusing rather than frightening.
I think this is the adult version of Flowers in the Attic--passed around and discussed in whispers because of its forbidden content. Neither book, however, has aged very well.
Even though I had fun reading this little horror gothic, I don't recommend it to anyone. It's really dated and just generally in bad taste.
This book tries hard to be shocking and offensive, and the subject matter is, indeed, pretty dark: incest, murder, rape, evil nuns, teenage orgy clubs, etc. However, it's so dated that I found myself amused rather than horrified--especially the parts about psychology. For example, a woman commits mass murder because... she's on her period! A teenage son and daughter act out sexually because of their (practically literal) Electra and Oedipal issues! (That's as diagnosed by two psychiatrists.)
The author seems almost gleeful as she describes the degradations of her characters; the authorial tone is positively giddy with the shock and horror she's trying to create. I found it amusing rather than frightening.
I think this is the adult version of Flowers in the Attic--passed around and discussed in whispers because of its forbidden content. Neither book, however, has aged very well.
August 26, 2020
Just as good as it was 40 years ago!! This is an incredibly messed up haunting book! Stay away from Mulberry House!
Her is my video review of this book from my YouTube Channel; AreYouIntoHorror here:
https://youtu.be/bFVOt12XQ9A
The first time that i had read this book was in 1981 when it was originally published, and it STILL stands today as one of the best haunting/murder horror books ever!
When you think that this was her first book, you think what the hell would make someone think up and write something as sick, and disturbing as "Disturb Not The Dream" for their first novel? Well, with the popularity of V.C. Andrews in the early 80's horror novels that had incest, family massacres and disturbing plotlines, this would be a hit, and nobody would think twice about it. The book starts off with the horrific massacre during a hurricane, of a wealthy family in the Hamptons in the summer of the 1930's, with the killer never being found. Jump forward 40 years to the late 70's. Psychiatrist Bert Bradley his wife Alice, their two sex starved teens, Richard and Stacey and their 5 year old little sister Lissie are coming to spend the summer in Mulberry house, along with the ghosts of the past! And there are some of the worst ones ever to have to share a Victorian mansion with!! Get ready to 'Disturb Not the Dream!'
Her is my video review of this book from my YouTube Channel; AreYouIntoHorror here:
https://youtu.be/bFVOt12XQ9A
The first time that i had read this book was in 1981 when it was originally published, and it STILL stands today as one of the best haunting/murder horror books ever!
When you think that this was her first book, you think what the hell would make someone think up and write something as sick, and disturbing as "Disturb Not The Dream" for their first novel? Well, with the popularity of V.C. Andrews in the early 80's horror novels that had incest, family massacres and disturbing plotlines, this would be a hit, and nobody would think twice about it. The book starts off with the horrific massacre during a hurricane, of a wealthy family in the Hamptons in the summer of the 1930's, with the killer never being found. Jump forward 40 years to the late 70's. Psychiatrist Bert Bradley his wife Alice, their two sex starved teens, Richard and Stacey and their 5 year old little sister Lissie are coming to spend the summer in Mulberry house, along with the ghosts of the past! And there are some of the worst ones ever to have to share a Victorian mansion with!! Get ready to 'Disturb Not the Dream!'
July 29, 2014
Wow! What can I say? This book was definitely more of a family saga, one that is deranged, full of unspeakable acts, incest and murder. Once I started this book, I couldn't stop. It was very hard to stop. This book is about cycles that are hard pressed not to go full circle again. The murders were grotesque that left the house with a horrible history. With one big reveal at the end and a big race to discover what happened, this book became one of the best I've read all year. If u find this book, don't hesitate to read it. Strongly recommend. My only disappointment is that this author didn't churn out many books. Too bad because this a great first novel. I definitely lost track of time with this one and will have to reread at some point. Get ready for a wild ride!
February 27, 2026
“Flow gently sweet Afton Among thy green braes, Flow gently I’ll sing thee A song in thy praise. My mommy’s asleep by Thy murmuring stream, Flow gently, sweet Afton— Disturb not her dream. ”
An intense, frightening and deeply unsettling novel. The atmosphere is suffocating, the kind that presses on your chest, and the characters are sick in a way that feels horribly real. Probably the most disturbing thing I’ve read after Let's Go Play at the Adams', and — God forgive me — I enjoyed almost every moment of it. A dark, oppressive story that gets under your skin and refuses to leave, and it’s going to stay probably with me until I die.
An intense, frightening and deeply unsettling novel. The atmosphere is suffocating, the kind that presses on your chest, and the characters are sick in a way that feels horribly real. Probably the most disturbing thing I’ve read after Let's Go Play at the Adams', and — God forgive me — I enjoyed almost every moment of it. A dark, oppressive story that gets under your skin and refuses to leave, and it’s going to stay probably with me until I die.
January 17, 2022
What a throw back! While this was first published in 1981, it obviously was written in the late 70s riding the peak of the horror boom. Trachtman imbues a haunted house story with Freud and one messed up family. Actually, the messed up is quite an understatement as it includes rape and incest to say the least. This book has more triggers than a semi full of pistols! I can see why it made a splash (the cover blurb on mine calls it a best seller), but despite the oodles of sex, incest and the occasional rape, the blatant attempt to shock the reader over and over seems rather tame today.
The story starts off with the accounting of a nasty rich guy and his family during the Great Depression. All the socialites have mansions in the Hamptons and Desmond, the rich guy, woos a rather hapless naif as his wife; she comes from a soon to be poor family and wants to be a nun, but her parents basically force the marriage on her to save their own financial asses. He treats her like shit, wants her barefoot and pregnant, and almost force feeds her so she is fat; that, and after several kids, make her old way before her time. During the 'Long Island Express' hurricane of 1938, the entire family is killed horribly, mutilated by someone, leaving just 5 yo Jessica alive but in a catatonic state. Flash forward almost 40 years later and the real story begins...
This was written during the height of Freudianism and the main protagonist is a 'shrink' (Burt) who bought Freud hook, line and sinker. He is frustrated with his marriage and his job especially, catering to rich socialites in NYC for huge fees and wants to give it up to open a free clinic on the Lower East Side. His wife? Forget that! She loves her tony brownstone on the Upper East Side and further, she controls the purse strings to her family fortune. Hoping to placate her, and also hoping to change her mine, he decides to 'summer' in the Hamptons and rents the Mulberry House-- you know, where Desmond and his family were brutally killed years ago. The hook here is whether or not the house is haunted, or something else is going on...
Enough with the plot. This is not terribly well written, and I believe Trachtman's only book. It feels like she deliberately made it out to be as shocking as possible. Desmond, for example, was forced into sex with his parents at a young age ('playing games with Mommy and Daddy') and as an adult, he is a ruthless bastard to his wife. Burt is something of a decent character, although even he cheats on his wife with their young live in maid. His kids? The oldest daughter will scrog anything that walks and the 16 yo son desperately wants to 'score' this summer for the first time; maybe his sister would help with that...
Ok, so lots of icky incest here, abusive relationships, and almost endless Freudian analyses of events as the book unfolds. Who knew that PMS, coupled with falling barometric pressure can 'set off' the ladies? Amazingly misogynistic at times, it is hard to believe that a woman wrote this. All of this, coupled with clunky prose, would usually make me deep six such a story, but this one does hook you in and the denouement was bat shit crazy. Trachtman has so many plates in the air at times it is difficult to see what will happen next. Not recommended for anyone with a low trigger threshold, but if you are into old horror novels, this one was a lot of fun. 3.5 icky stars!!
The story starts off with the accounting of a nasty rich guy and his family during the Great Depression. All the socialites have mansions in the Hamptons and Desmond, the rich guy, woos a rather hapless naif as his wife; she comes from a soon to be poor family and wants to be a nun, but her parents basically force the marriage on her to save their own financial asses. He treats her like shit, wants her barefoot and pregnant, and almost force feeds her so she is fat; that, and after several kids, make her old way before her time. During the 'Long Island Express' hurricane of 1938, the entire family is killed horribly, mutilated by someone, leaving just 5 yo Jessica alive but in a catatonic state. Flash forward almost 40 years later and the real story begins...
This was written during the height of Freudianism and the main protagonist is a 'shrink' (Burt) who bought Freud hook, line and sinker. He is frustrated with his marriage and his job especially, catering to rich socialites in NYC for huge fees and wants to give it up to open a free clinic on the Lower East Side. His wife? Forget that! She loves her tony brownstone on the Upper East Side and further, she controls the purse strings to her family fortune. Hoping to placate her, and also hoping to change her mine, he decides to 'summer' in the Hamptons and rents the Mulberry House-- you know, where Desmond and his family were brutally killed years ago. The hook here is whether or not the house is haunted, or something else is going on...
Enough with the plot. This is not terribly well written, and I believe Trachtman's only book. It feels like she deliberately made it out to be as shocking as possible. Desmond, for example, was forced into sex with his parents at a young age ('playing games with Mommy and Daddy') and as an adult, he is a ruthless bastard to his wife. Burt is something of a decent character, although even he cheats on his wife with their young live in maid. His kids? The oldest daughter will scrog anything that walks and the 16 yo son desperately wants to 'score' this summer for the first time; maybe his sister would help with that...
Ok, so lots of icky incest here, abusive relationships, and almost endless Freudian analyses of events as the book unfolds. Who knew that PMS, coupled with falling barometric pressure can 'set off' the ladies? Amazingly misogynistic at times, it is hard to believe that a woman wrote this. All of this, coupled with clunky prose, would usually make me deep six such a story, but this one does hook you in and the denouement was bat shit crazy. Trachtman has so many plates in the air at times it is difficult to see what will happen next. Not recommended for anyone with a low trigger threshold, but if you are into old horror novels, this one was a lot of fun. 3.5 icky stars!!
June 14, 2019
3.5 stars
The best way I can describe Disturb Not the Dream is: like V.C. Andrews on crack.
This is a family saga following a wealthy family who rent a mansion in the Hamptons for the summer. The house has a dark past, a family decades ago were murdered there and now these events come back to play a part in the present day.
The story is full of inappropriate relationships and sexual content (orgies, incest, rape, the list goes on). I enjoyed Trachtman's writing and it's a shame to learn that this was her only novel as I would have loved to read more by her. The story got a bit slow in places but it definitely picks up towards the end, there are lots of twists and turns, and a pretty fantastic climax. Overall it was a fun read.
The narrator for the audiobook, Jenny Bacon, did an excellent job. The fact that she voiced such a large cast of characters was really impressive.
The best way I can describe Disturb Not the Dream is: like V.C. Andrews on crack.
This is a family saga following a wealthy family who rent a mansion in the Hamptons for the summer. The house has a dark past, a family decades ago were murdered there and now these events come back to play a part in the present day.
The story is full of inappropriate relationships and sexual content (orgies, incest, rape, the list goes on). I enjoyed Trachtman's writing and it's a shame to learn that this was her only novel as I would have loved to read more by her. The story got a bit slow in places but it definitely picks up towards the end, there are lots of twists and turns, and a pretty fantastic climax. Overall it was a fun read.
The narrator for the audiobook, Jenny Bacon, did an excellent job. The fact that she voiced such a large cast of characters was really impressive.
November 27, 2018
Oh geez. This one is a cross between Harold Robbins and Edward Lee and I enjoyed the heck of it. Ghosts, gore, and depraved sex take center stage in this story of a family moving into an evil house. This is an easy read though very twisted. But if you take the subject manner (incest) with a grain of salt you'll end up, like me, turning the pages quickly. I wasn't bored a sec, but couldn't keep myself from smiling at the silliness of it all. No great narrative, but a lot of violence and sexual situations, so if you're into those then you've come to the right title. Thanks to Capricorn Literary for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2010
This has been my favorite book since I was a teenager. It is currently out of print, but cheap on amazon.com and still able to be borrowed at libraries. I read it twice and still feel I should read it again.
It's just as the title says, disturbing.
It's just as the title says, disturbing.
September 16, 2019
An almost unreadable family saga from the horror boom that has been forgotten and rightfully so. Rife with uncomfortable and unrealistic dialogue, vastly useless sexual content (and this reader is not a prude by any means, but I’d rather not spend the duration of a novel reading about a middle-aged married man wanting to bone his child’s teenaged babysitter, thanks) and saggy, bloated scenes dipped in shades of deep purple that don’t further the plot in any meaningful way, Disturb Not the Dream reads like VC Andrews without the atmosphere or commercial appeal.
Read for ‘gothic’ in Halloween Bingo.
Read for ‘gothic’ in Halloween Bingo.
February 17, 2019
The first time I read this book, I was nineteen, and it has remained with me ever since, figuratively and literally. I still have my original copy---worn cover, broken spine, yellowing pages, and all. I won't say it's brilliantly written or unpredictable, but I will say it's sick and twisted and scared the hell out of me. I've read it three times. XO.
Always a favorite. 02/17/19
Always a favorite. 02/17/19
May 30, 2013
I think this is a book that you either love or hate and I do love this book. It is so sick and twisted. I keep a copy on hand to reread every few years. I wish it was on Kindle.
May 11, 2012
Can't remember how I got suckered into this one--easily one of the very worst books I've ever read. Actually took it down to the garbage and threw it away the next day, and I love books. It's not even the subject matter and relentless perversity that bothered me the most. It is the horrible writing and ridiculously conceived plot "twists". Very sad that so many people love this book--the benchmark must be incredibly low.
February 1, 2017
Disturbs not a functioning brain either.
August 29, 2022
A convoluted mess, but in the most scandalous, transgressive, and lusciously gothic way imaginable.
July 15, 2022
4.25 out of 5 stars
The first time I read this book I was going through my Mom's many books cases one Summer night and I found this. Let me just say that this scared the hell out of me and it still does after all this time.
For me haunted house books are for Summer and Fall and "Disturb Not the Dream" is a perfect Summer book that will leave you freaked out.
The first time I read this book I was going through my Mom's many books cases one Summer night and I found this. Let me just say that this scared the hell out of me and it still does after all this time.
For me haunted house books are for Summer and Fall and "Disturb Not the Dream" is a perfect Summer book that will leave you freaked out.
July 8, 2018
The opening of the Kirkus review of this sums it up nicely: “A tidal dose of slopping horror, glittery-eyed incest, parapsychological smut, perversion, and assorted dismemberments--all handled with banal amateurishness”. If that sounds like your idea of fun, then I heartily recommend ‘Disturb Not the Dream’. I discovered it randomly on eBay, found it was available for free on Kindle Unlimited and jumped straight in. At least one cover I’ve seen describes it as a “National Bestseller”, but I’d never heard of it and can find little about it online (no author pic of Paula Trachtman for example).
The book is easy reading (if you can handle the subject matter) and packed with all the ingredients that make this kind of gothic chiller such nasty fun. It’s kind of like ‘Flowers in the Attic’ on steroids..and acid...with added nuns, family tombs, gore, ghosts, hurricanes, sex clubs and psychiatrists. It isn’t well written (did you expect it to be?) and features a twist that is both totally obvious and wildly unbelievable, but for all that it’s a grotesquely enjoyable melodrama.
The book is easy reading (if you can handle the subject matter) and packed with all the ingredients that make this kind of gothic chiller such nasty fun. It’s kind of like ‘Flowers in the Attic’ on steroids..and acid...with added nuns, family tombs, gore, ghosts, hurricanes, sex clubs and psychiatrists. It isn’t well written (did you expect it to be?) and features a twist that is both totally obvious and wildly unbelievable, but for all that it’s a grotesquely enjoyable melodrama.
May 3, 2010
Disturbing story but I couldn't put it down
September 20, 2025
Draved, disturbed, and twisted. This was like a V.C. Andrews book, but with less melodrama and more sleaze.
April 8, 2021
Another reviewer here referred to Disturb Not the Dream as "unapologetically lurid filth." Maybe that phrase would scare away some, but as soon as I read that, this book rocketed to the top of the ol' to-be-read pile. I am always down for unapologetically lurid filth, because true examples of it are so few and far between.
It's like cursing. Any twit can lob an f-bomb into a conversation, much like any dork with a basic command of spelling and grammar can write something filthy -- bathroom stalls all over the world are my exhibits A through however high letters go in numerical terms. Likewise, something lurid isn't all that difficult either: a fence I pass by every day on my way home from work currently features a declaration of Nicole's sexual infidelity, the veracity of which I cannot confirm, but judging by the amount of paint the author dedicated to the announcement, at least one person is reasonably convinced. And being unapologetic sure ain't hard: nobody on Xbox Live is remotely sorry about what he did to your mom.
But mixing all three in a literary format, and pulling it off? That, my friends, takes talent. The book world, and especially the horror genre, is filled with the remainder-marked processed tree corpses whose authors attempted this stunt and failed horribly. It's easy to find something lurid, or filthy, or unapologetically filthy or lurid, but the trifecta is absurdly rare. Paula Trachtman, a junior high social studies teacher from Queens, apparently read V.C. Andrews and decided her new job was teaching the grande dame of unapologetically lurid filth a thing or two. If you read Flowers in the Attic for the gothic brotherfucking (something I presume everyone does, since that's the Dollanganger family's stock in trade), then I'm going to say Disturb Not the Dream features not just all of the incest, but also an orgy club run by the offspring of some of the town's most well-to-do families, multiple castrations, blink-and-you-miss-it homosexual musings, marital infidelity, ghostly hauntings, weird nuns, dated views on feminism, and an ending plot twist so vile it will both take off your head and defecate into your esophagus.
This woman taught junior high students for thirty years -- by the time she published Disturb Not the Dream, she was running such a severe deficit of fucks there was no giver of fucks left willing to underwrite her. This is weapons-grade unapologetically lurid filth of the highest (lowest?) caliber. If you're thinking, "Holy shit, I need to read this!", then I urge you to reconsider. I am giving it four stars so you will not have to. Paula Trachtman passed away in 2019 leaving this as her one and only contribution to the world of fiction, and if she could unleash this much unapologetically lurid filth back in 1981, imagine how powerful she has grown now that Time has struck her down.
Oh, who the hell am I kidding? You're probably downloading the Kindle version right now. So enjoy it...but carefully.
It's like cursing. Any twit can lob an f-bomb into a conversation, much like any dork with a basic command of spelling and grammar can write something filthy -- bathroom stalls all over the world are my exhibits A through however high letters go in numerical terms. Likewise, something lurid isn't all that difficult either: a fence I pass by every day on my way home from work currently features a declaration of Nicole's sexual infidelity, the veracity of which I cannot confirm, but judging by the amount of paint the author dedicated to the announcement, at least one person is reasonably convinced. And being unapologetic sure ain't hard: nobody on Xbox Live is remotely sorry about what he did to your mom.
But mixing all three in a literary format, and pulling it off? That, my friends, takes talent. The book world, and especially the horror genre, is filled with the remainder-marked processed tree corpses whose authors attempted this stunt and failed horribly. It's easy to find something lurid, or filthy, or unapologetically filthy or lurid, but the trifecta is absurdly rare. Paula Trachtman, a junior high social studies teacher from Queens, apparently read V.C. Andrews and decided her new job was teaching the grande dame of unapologetically lurid filth a thing or two. If you read Flowers in the Attic for the gothic brotherfucking (something I presume everyone does, since that's the Dollanganger family's stock in trade), then I'm going to say Disturb Not the Dream features not just all of the incest, but also an orgy club run by the offspring of some of the town's most well-to-do families, multiple castrations, blink-and-you-miss-it homosexual musings, marital infidelity, ghostly hauntings, weird nuns, dated views on feminism, and an ending plot twist so vile it will both take off your head and defecate into your esophagus.
This woman taught junior high students for thirty years -- by the time she published Disturb Not the Dream, she was running such a severe deficit of fucks there was no giver of fucks left willing to underwrite her. This is weapons-grade unapologetically lurid filth of the highest (lowest?) caliber. If you're thinking, "Holy shit, I need to read this!", then I urge you to reconsider. I am giving it four stars so you will not have to. Paula Trachtman passed away in 2019 leaving this as her one and only contribution to the world of fiction, and if she could unleash this much unapologetically lurid filth back in 1981, imagine how powerful she has grown now that Time has struck her down.
Oh, who the hell am I kidding? You're probably downloading the Kindle version right now. So enjoy it...but carefully.
Read
April 25, 2015
The review I would have written after first reading this book at age 15:
Ohmygod this book is like, sooooo awesome! It has everything: twisted family secrets, a haunted house, revenge, ghosts, SEX, ghost sex, revenge sex, and twisted family sex!! The author explores both psychological and paranormal explanations for the horrific events that occur, which is really interesting! If you like Flowers in the Attic you should totally read this!! 5 stars!
The review I wrote after re-reading it as a grown-ass adult:
Wow, this is a pile of lurid, offensive dreck. Rape, incest, adultery, gruesome murders: it's all here, but the most repellent elements are the painfully clunky, overwrought prose and the incessant, inane psychobabble pedantically delivered by two of the main characters. It's like the author took a Psychology 101 textbook and a thesaurus, put them in a blender and spit the results all over the page, then mixed in a cast of thoroughly reprehensible characters, seasoned it with a liberal dose of misogyny, and tied it all together with tangled threads of ridiculous plot twists. 1 star.
As awful as it is, it's one of those books that made an impact on my teenage brain and stuck with me. I spent years trying to track this one down, (I got it confused with My Sweet Audrina b/c it uses a similar plot device). The random fact I remembered: the music box that played "Flow Gently Sweet Afton."
Ohmygod this book is like, sooooo awesome! It has everything: twisted family secrets, a haunted house, revenge, ghosts, SEX, ghost sex, revenge sex, and twisted family sex!! The author explores both psychological and paranormal explanations for the horrific events that occur, which is really interesting! If you like Flowers in the Attic you should totally read this!! 5 stars!
The review I wrote after re-reading it as a grown-ass adult:
Wow, this is a pile of lurid, offensive dreck. Rape, incest, adultery, gruesome murders: it's all here, but the most repellent elements are the painfully clunky, overwrought prose and the incessant, inane psychobabble pedantically delivered by two of the main characters. It's like the author took a Psychology 101 textbook and a thesaurus, put them in a blender and spit the results all over the page, then mixed in a cast of thoroughly reprehensible characters, seasoned it with a liberal dose of misogyny, and tied it all together with tangled threads of ridiculous plot twists. 1 star.
As awful as it is, it's one of those books that made an impact on my teenage brain and stuck with me. I spent years trying to track this one down, (I got it confused with My Sweet Audrina b/c it uses a similar plot device). The random fact I remembered: the music box that played "Flow Gently Sweet Afton."
February 13, 2015
This is a very well written book, busted up into short chapters...Its listed under horror/paranormal. It deff was your ghost story of the typical haunted house, BUT this was a SUPER haunted house, and it wasnt a house its a mansion. This was the creepiest, most sexually perverted book I think Ive read since Jack Ketchums The Girl Next Door. WOW. It is filled with horny ghosts, though well written. I was so surprised through out the book at times, I would come across one of these perverted paragraphs and choke on my drink or inhale smoke through my ears lol. I hadn't even heard of some of the sexual stuff you read in this and I am 42, divorced twice. All I can say is that if you like EROTICA and like a bit of ghost with it, well honey this book is right up your alley!
July 22, 2009
I remember seeing this in the library and liking the title so I grabbed it. It's a pretty twisted book about a house with dark secrets. I thinkn it goes back and forth between present day and past events that took place in the house. I wonder if the library still has it.
September 10, 2022
suspenseful terror. read many years ago. was just as scary this time around.
February 4, 2024
This was going to be a 3 or 3.5 for the longest time, but the ending was wild. I really enjoyed where this story went - it raised it to a 4 for me by the end.
November 5, 2024
This is a nasty, violent book from the 1980s when these gross-out, sex-riddled books were all the rage. It's too bad it is so distasteful and repugnant, because buried under all that dreadful slop is a pretty decent gothic family saga. Great setting. Good character development. Solid storyline with flashes of good writing. Sadly, there's too much muck to wade through to get there.
1.5 stars
1.5 stars
April 18, 2024
Insane domestic horror with a lot of twists, overall the mystery is tied up nicely. There are some scenes are definitely gross and shocking, as well as some of the inner and outer dialogue from these characters. As to be a expected from a pulpy 80s novel like this one. very VERY few people in this book are decent people, with the majority being messed up and evil— pretty much always with really questionable motives, or without explanation at all. Like a ‘born evil’ or ‘the apple doesn’t fall far’ situation. There’s also a big cast at play here which made for some confusion at points, especially between the main 4 female characters who are hinted to be linked constantly.
As I mentioned there are a lot of twists, some were very easy to see coming and others came out of left field. the 2nd largest twist, I had figured out by the end of the first act. but the answer to the main mystery I didn’t see coming at all until it was revealed. I was honestly surprised how neatly most things were concluded considering how many moving parts the plot has. The only thing I didn’t completely understand the point of was Amy’s plotline, other than to be a subject of abuse for the older siblings & to have an affair with the husband, which i guess does affect the climax to a degree. And the ending was WILD.
If you’re able to read some pretty icky ideology and scenes, the mystery is a great read and the book is written in a style I found easy to stick with despite some of the content. if you’re sensitive definitely check TWs, if not, I recommended going in blind as a lot of the ‘fun’ of the book is seeing how it continues to top itself like ‘how the HELL can this family get more messed up!?’. Every time I started to get a little bored, something absolutely bonkers and gross would happen and I would keep reading. Did it get a bit soapy or gratuitous at times? yes, but it was exactly the over the top, vintage trash I was seeking.
As I mentioned there are a lot of twists, some were very easy to see coming and others came out of left field. the 2nd largest twist, I had figured out by the end of the first act. but the answer to the main mystery I didn’t see coming at all until it was revealed. I was honestly surprised how neatly most things were concluded considering how many moving parts the plot has. The only thing I didn’t completely understand the point of was Amy’s plotline, other than to be a subject of abuse for the older siblings & to have an affair with the husband, which i guess does affect the climax to a degree. And the ending was WILD.
If you’re able to read some pretty icky ideology and scenes, the mystery is a great read and the book is written in a style I found easy to stick with despite some of the content. if you’re sensitive definitely check TWs, if not, I recommended going in blind as a lot of the ‘fun’ of the book is seeing how it continues to top itself like ‘how the HELL can this family get more messed up!?’. Every time I started to get a little bored, something absolutely bonkers and gross would happen and I would keep reading. Did it get a bit soapy or gratuitous at times? yes, but it was exactly the over the top, vintage trash I was seeking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2025
there was no mistake made by this author when crafting the title of this book. The fact that the first thing you read is the word “Disturb” is not lost on me.
This is what I’m talking about when I say a LAYERED horror. It’s going to be tough to talk about this book because (obviously) you can see I’m giving this four stars. however, I would not recommend this to anyone.
A young family moves into a house to spend the summer together and resolve some family tension. This house has a terrifying history that is prepared to repeat itself.
the dysfunction in this family knows no bounds. Erratic selfish behaviour displayed by the father and excused by his career as a psychiatrist is just the beginning. it permeates the disgusting plot that is this book.
this was a challenging read. Very gross and disgusting with a hopeless ending. I was entertained but at WHAT COST?!
4
This is what I’m talking about when I say a LAYERED horror. It’s going to be tough to talk about this book because (obviously) you can see I’m giving this four stars. however, I would not recommend this to anyone.
A young family moves into a house to spend the summer together and resolve some family tension. This house has a terrifying history that is prepared to repeat itself.
the dysfunction in this family knows no bounds. Erratic selfish behaviour displayed by the father and excused by his career as a psychiatrist is just the beginning. it permeates the disgusting plot that is this book.
this was a challenging read. Very gross and disgusting with a hopeless ending. I was entertained but at WHAT COST?!
4
March 3, 2013
This is another book I didn't want to put down. The ending did surprise me and I highly recommend this book.
October 29, 2014
Disturbing, twisted, yet maddeningly effective in the shock and horror it evokes, This book is a giant.
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