The White Room, published in 2001 by Berkley Books, is the first of several books written by award-winning author Rick Hautala under the pseudonym A. J. Matthews. Arguably a modern-day gothic horror, it details the anguish that Polly Harris, the novel’s heroine, undergoes in witnessing the tragic death of Heather, a little girl who lived next door. This event has ripped open even deeper wounds by assaulting Polly with the painful memories of the loss of her own baby daughter. Polly begins having nightmares, and increasingly experiences stress-induced blackouts, during which she speaks to the now deceased and seemingly imprisoned Heather.

Soon after, Tim, Polly’s wife, gets news that his brother has had an accident. Looking to get Polly away from her increasing misery for a while, Tim suggests they spend their summer vacation at his deceased parents’ home in Hilton, Maine, which would also put them in a position to assist his brother. Begrudgingly on everyone’s part but Tim, Polly, he, and their teenage son Brian arrive to restore Tim’s childhood home. It’s not long before Polly begins to experience odd happenings in the forms of disembodied figures and voices, and begins to unravel the dark mysteries surrounding the Harris household.

The book has its truly intriguing points, but falls flat in maintaining consistent character depth. Hautala/Matthews has painted a beautiful and haunting backdrop amidst a small town summer, but the characters, despite a few potentially shining moments, don’t live up to the depth of the story itself. It was difficult to connect with the Harris family, and, despite having felt initial sadness at Polly’s suffering, I soon found myself becoming detached from her character. There are a few moments when her strength is evident, but these moments are so few and far between the blackouts and nightmares that her acts of eventual heroism seem less plausible than the existence of the mysterious forces haunting her. The characters that have the most promise are Brian Harris and his uncle, Rob, but Rob eventually succumbs to stereotype near the finale.

Bottom line – The White Room is a good ghost story with several mediocre players.