Mrs. Ila Hughes is an elderly lady trying to make the best out of her grandson, Carley. In The Séance by Joan Lowery Nixon, Mrs. Hughes is living a secret life.

I could say that Mrs. Hughes is a frugal, hard working lady and a giving person. However, she is also insane, but you would never know it.

Ila inherited her grandson, Carley Hughes, because his parents were killed by a lumber mill accident about ten years before the story begins. Now Carley is seventeen years old and trying to go to college. So Ila works at a restaurant to help support Carley's future plans, of going to college. Being a frugal lady, Ida has been saving every penny for Carley. Ila works at a café, but she comes home to make food for Carley because she doesn't want Carley to have too many starches. This also...