Into the Attic
Examining the past is one thing, but what happens when the past examines us?
As writer Caroline Crane confronts her past amidst the mountains of boxes in her attic, the ghosts of her parents and first husband appear. They had died in a car accident nearly twenty years earlier when her two children were small. Caroline has many things she wants to tell the ghosts, but they have come with strong opinions and stunning revelations. And it is Thanksgiving, which Caroline and her second husband are hosting. Soon the guests will arrive: her children, other family, and friends. What happens next is extraordinary.
This tragic-comic novel explores the unreliability of memory, a reimagining of the afterlife, and how love that endures can help us move on.
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"A novel that offers a multilayered exploration of the afterlife, grief, and moving on . . . Over the course of this novel, Sherman brings the past into contact with the present to illustrate what it means to come to terms with one history and truly let go of the past. Supernatural elements, introduced early on, create a sense of mystery and suspense, while a poignant, deeply emotional tone is established well . . . Sherman's prose style shows appealing moments of wit, and she successfully conveys a key message: 'Everyone has a different version of the past, even if you were in the same room.' An often-haunting story about memory and loss."
- Kirkus Reviews
"A beautifully rendered novel of grief and resilience, Into the Attic explores the ways in which the present is haunted by the ghosts of the past. With keen intelligence, humor, and vivid imagination, Ellen Sherman brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in a tale full of surprises, magic, and illumination. A compelling story about what we hold onto and how we let go of those we love, Into the Attic will linger in your heart and mind long after you've turned the final page."
-Nancy Gerber, author of What the Living Remember
"When three uninvited guests show up for Thanksgiving dinner, long-held secrets are exposed, old wounds are laid bare, and, amidst the chaos, the beauty of family is revealed. Using suspense and dark comedy, Into the Attic unpacks all the things we hold onto, then helps us discover what is indeed worth saving. It is a page-turning ride replete with flawed spirits, regret, acceptance, and above all, hope."
-Lisa A. Sturm, author of Echoed in My Bones
"Ellen Sherman has imagined a world where an ordinary woman (Caroline Crane: wife, mother, writer, friend), in the midst of cleaning out the attic where she has lovingly stacked and stored decades of her family's treasured memories, is visited by the Past itself, with its own surprising limitations and demands-and one unexpected, heart-wrenching rule. Artfully blending the surreal with everyday life, the author explores the delicate, ever-shifting balance between remembering and forgetting, holding on and letting go."
-Jane Schwartz, author of Ruffian: Burning from the Start
"Into the Attic is a poignant and lively exploration of how we evaluate-and reevaluate-the chapters in our lives. How memories aren't records but interpretations that dim or sharpen over time. That varying focus is instructive: the freedom to embrace the future comes only when we're no longer captives of the past."
-Tom Hitchcock, author of The Fallout
