This year I have been participating in a "read a new book, reread an old book" challenge, and boy, does Ammie, Come Home exemplify the latter. Not only is the novel itself over 40 years old, but I myself read it the for the first time at least 20 years ago. Barbara Michaels is my favorite author (she's also Elizabeth Peters, so I get two for the price of one there), and as I recall, when I first read Ammie, Come Home, it wasn't my favorite book of hers, though it is one of the ones I really liked. And upon rereading, it has exactly what I love about Michaels's novels: a plot that is spooky without being gory, interesting and intelligent characters, and a touch of romance. It's one of Michaels's earlier novels, but doesn't feel unpolished, and I suspect that any dissatisfaction I felt with the writing (and it was minor, believe me) is due to changing conventions. But oh, does this book feel dated, and not merely in the references to technology and fashion, but in attitude. And the dated attitudes, in particular politically incorrect sentiments certain characters express, were really distracting to me on this reading. I occasionally found myself thinking "did that anthropology professor really use the word 'savages'?" and not paying attention to the supernatural mystery that was developing. And that's a shame, but I think even in academia such terminology was not unusual for the time (Barbara Michaels is really Barbara Mertz, a PhD in Egyptology).On the other hand, though Ammie, Come Home was written in and set in the sixties, in some ways it seems ahead of its time. Other authors I've read who wrote either gothic or romantic suspense (because Ammie has elements of both) in the sixties weren't nearly so fair to their female characters, I don't think. Ammie, Come Home features two sets of couples, one older and one younger, and the viewpoint character, Ruth, is a forty-five year old widow, which is a refreshing surprise. Ruth has a job, and her niece/roommate Sara goes to school, and if neither woman actually does so throughout the novel, neither do either of the men. The couples work together to solve the mystery of Ruth's haunted house, and while Ruth and Sara aren't the "kickass" type, on numerous occasions it's made clear that to underestimate either one is a mistake. And there is the attempt to deal sensitively with a revelation from Ruth's past; I say attempt because the issue was handled so euphemistically that I got rather confused. But I blame the time in which she was writing more than Michaels herself, and to address this issue even obliquely was rather brave. So even if every aspect of the story does not hold up to the test of time, enough of it does to make this spooky tale an enjoyable read.
I first read this back in the 70s. I remember being so deliciously creeped out by it. I loved it. I've reread it a number of times over the years, but this week I picked it up for the first time in a couple of decades. The idea of a woman in her forties thinking of herself as a "silver-haired old lady" made me laugh given my new perspective of being in my fifties, but over all, I'm amazed at how well this book has aged. Even though I've read it over and over and know exactly what's going to happen, Ms. Michaels' storytelling and use of imagery still managed to send a chill down my spine. I aspire to one day write a ghost story as compelling as this one. Definitely on my to-do list.
What do You think about Ammie, Come Home (2005)?
Nicely paced ghost story set in Georgetown, following a classic sort of haunted house plot where the author must find a balance between keeping danger going and not having her characters be complete morons.This book was written in the late sixties. I stumbled upon it in a library search and checked it out because I remember how many Barbara Michaels books were on my mom's shelf growing up. So, there were lots of references to hippies and long hair. At one point, a character needed someone to explain to him who Nancy Drew was, but no one explained to the reader what a 'Whereas' ad was.Then there were these lines that made my born-in-the-eighties brain stall in shock: "Forget about your black eye, the waiter will think I slugged you, that's all, and he'll admire me greatly." And, later, to explain why one character thought another character's behavior was odd: "It was pretty obvious he was getting sentimental about you. I mean, there are women you seduce and women you rape." What?!?This is the book my mom said she was reading when the cat made a noise and she jumped a mile. It was a fun ghost story, full of digging into family history to find out dark stories and unfinished business. I might have found the male characters a bit more disturbing than the ghosts though.
—Christy
This book is an excellent example of mpm's writing. While the actual story is not out of the ordinary as far as ghost stories go, her skilled writing and insights remind the jaded reader why such a situation was considered frightening in the first place. In an age where the horror genre consistently bombards its viewers with gore and vivid imagery, the subtlety and attention to detail sets this book apart. Her description of possession by a spirit astutely describes precisely why, psychologically, humans find the supernatural so frightening. A great thriller for those who don't go out much for blood and gore.
—Fiona Dolan
I read this book first when I was about 12, was deliciously creeped out, and immediately searched out every other ghost story Barbara Michaels had ever written. I've re-read it countless times, and it's become a definite comfort book for me (as much as any book can when it also creeps me out every time!).But ohhhh, am I grateful that the gender relations in this book - perfectly normal for the early 1970s, when it was written (so I am definitely not criticizing Barbara Michaels for this) - now feel so dated. There were a couple of lines that made me stop in this latest re-read and just take a moment to be thankful to have met my own life partner in the early 2000s instead of 30 years earlier...
—Stephanie
