Summary

The Prologue introduces the narrator, Trevor Riddell, and his errand for the Seattle summer. He shares that he grew up in Connecticut although his father’s entire family is from the Seattle era. His father, Jones, is part of a large timber-baron family from the turn of the century, which culminated in a massive mansion overlooking the Puget Sound. Trevor’s mother, who is English, went to be with her family after the family declared bankruptcy and lost their home. The Riddell House is likewise cursed, supposedly, and indeed Jones’s father and sister live there in relative ruin. Jones is worried about taking Trevor to the home for the summer, and Trevor is reluctant to open up to his father.

In Chapter 1, Trevor and his father pull up outside of the North Estate, the 200-plus acre tract that houses Riddell House...