In the Midst of the Sea

by Sean McCarthy

Overview

Trapped in an isolated old house on Martha’s Vineyard in winter, Diana Barlow is either seeing ghosts or losing her mind … After an estrangement from her parents, Diana came to Martha’s Vineyard to start a new life with her husband Ford and young daughter Samantha. The beautiful Victorian house that Ford inherited seemed the perfect home for a fresh beginning. But in the winter, when the tourists go home and the island is deserted, Diana is afraid she’s going crazy. Specters of people long dead flicker in and out of her vision. The antique dolls in her house never stay where they’re put. Samantha suddenly has a whole group of imaginary friends who live in the house and tell her terrible things. And Ford is becoming increasingly moody, unpredictable, and violent. While Diana investigates the horrifying history of the house, the past, the present, the living and the dead fatally intertwine, and Diana realizes she and her daughter must escape ― if Ford and the house will let her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610353496
Publisher:	Pace Press
Publication date:	05/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	332
File size:	640 KB

About the Author

Sean Padraic McCarthy's short stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, The Hopkins Review, Prole, Supernatural Tales, The Indianola Review, South Dakota Review, The Sewanee Review, 2 Bridges Review, Water~Stone Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Shadowgraph Magazine, Fifth Wednesday Journal, and South Dakota Review. McCarthy's story “Better Man”—originally published in december magazine—was listed as a “Distinguished Story” in The Best American Short Stories 2015. He is a ten-time Top 25 Finalist in the Glimmer Train Fiction Open Award, and a 2016 recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Artist Fellowship in Fiction Award. In the Midst of the Sea is McCarthy's first novel. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

03/18/2019

McCarthy’s debut is a technically well-wrought but thematically worn-out tale of psychological horror that makes an exhibition of misogyny without substantive engagement. It’s 1994, and newlywed 20-somethings Diana and Ford Barlow move to the hamlet of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, having inherited an 1870s Victorian there from Ford’s great-aunt. They are in flight from abusive families—Diana’s dominated by a toxically Catholic mother, Ford’s by an incestuous pedophile of a father. Ford originally charmed Diana with kindness to her daughter, Samantha, and Diana now resignedly excuses his drinking, emotional distance, and abuse. The house is oppressive, and Ford is obsessed with its decorative dolls and with some experience in the cellar that he won’t discuss. Diana finds a diary down there, purportedly written by Elizabeth “Cassie” Steebe and detailing the disintegration of her marriage to Hiram, a Wesleyan zealot whose ostracism by the townsfolk led him to construct the house. The parallels spiral into a multigenerational spectacle of male fury that goes largely uncountered by its female victims—at least while the women are still alive. McCarthy’s writing is capable, but he does nothing new with the age-old story of harm, vengeance, and haunting. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Dark, emotional, and incredibly creepy ... In the Midst of the Sea is a haunting debut from a talented new voice."

Foreword Reviews

"Strong characterizations and startling imagery give powerful dimensions to this riveting novel. The book is both historical and contemporary, literary and startling, and the ghosts — if ghosts they may be called — are wonderfully understated. A very compelling read."

James Hanna

"Sean Padraic McCarthy's lyrical gift contributes substantially to this literally haunting tale. Spanning a narrative trajectory between 1871 and 1994, the story depicts two comparable families in two contradistinct times, occupying the same house on Martha's Vineyard in shades of Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House. Long after the reader has turned the final page, McCarthy's portrayals of both heart and spirit will continue to make their presence felt."

author of The Suicide Club Toni Graham

"Dysfunctional families, creepy dolls, dangerous ghosts, In the Midst of the Sea creates compelling characters whose tragic lives will haunt you."

Alisha Costanzo

"In the Midst of the Sea is a beautifully written and multifaceted novel ... reminiscent of Stephen King's novel The Shining, but with lively twists and unique notions that make McCarthy's characters and story stand on their own. It really is a book that you won't want to close until the story is over."

Michael Hathaway

"Proves itself by rising above the usual clichés into a chilling thriller ... As the first novel of an award-winning short story writer, In the Midst of the Sea makes an impressive debut."

New York Journal of Books Toni V. Sweeney

"In his novel In the Midst of the Sea, Sean Padraic McCarthy gives us an unnerving ghost story that tackles domestic abuse, addiction, and crumbling familial relations. A book filled with compelling characters, beautiful prose, and unsettling specters, In the Midst of the Sea will spread its fog into you, fill you with a chilling sense of unease, but tempt you to read further, as McCarthy has managed to create a pitch perfect blend of psychological realism and horror that will appease fans of literary fiction and horror alike. Trust me, this novel will haunt you long after you put it down."

duncan b. barlow

"Cultivates the same brand of psychological horror as Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House ... A satisfyingly compelling haunted house story with a twist ... highly recommended for readers who like their ghost stories packed with literary achievement and suspense."

California Bookwatch

"Well-written modern gothic."

Horror Fiction Review

"Fans of ghost stories will enjoy this one by Sean McCarthy. The author gives us not one, but two sets of very active ghosts and spirits, one of whom is apparently a time traveler. Add in a dysfunctional family whose members all attempt unlikely solutions to their problems, a naive but resourceful young mother, and McCarthy offers up a rousing good read."

Vern Miller