It has been about 30 years since I first read this paranormal family saga. I remember that it scared me silly on my first reading, but then I reread it many times. I can still see why I was fascinated by it, but my focus has changed over the years. Originally, I was captivated by the gothic nature of the tale. I loved the details of the family's women, the life of Rowan Mayfair, and that of Michael Curry. I was very caught up in the soap opera-like plot.
Now, as a much older reader, it is the mysterious Talamasca that sparks my imagination. Don't you wish such an organization existed? A worldwide scholarly body that investigated the paranormal, aided its victims, and kept detailed records of their observations? I'm a sucker for studying—I have always enjoyed it. And what a fascinating subject to focus on: ghosts, telepathy, vampires, and witches. All the things that I secretly wish existed.
I can see so clearly how Rowan got drawn in by the family ghost or daemon. She is a scientist at heart, with a strong tendency to observe, to quantify, to understand. I would be similarly tempted and have no doubt would be overcome in the same way. However, I think she is mistaken when she calls Michael and Aaron Lightner, the Talamasca representative, innocent and naïve. In actual fact, they both have far more life experience than she does and therefore are more leery of the purposes of Lasher, the family phantom. Rowan is young and a neurosurgeon and she stereotypically believes that she knows more than either of them and is strong enough to deal with the entity. She is so easily manipulated that it makes me rather embarrassed for her.
The next couple of books get weirder if I recall correctly. I will end my rereading at this point, at least for now.
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