The story in one page
Benefit Street in Providence holds a house that kills its occupants. Generations of tenants perish in a steady, inexplicable decline, leading the narrator to investigate the property’s history. He discovers the structure sits atop a former burial ground once used by a French immigrant named Etienne Roulet. Sensing a predatory, non-human presence thriving in the damp basement, the narrator and his elderly uncle resolve to face the threat directly. They formulate a desperate plan involving chemical substances to purge the cellar of its parasitic inhabitant. It is a grueling, toxic battle to end the cycle of misfortune once and for all.
Who's who
- The narrator
Investigator of the haunted house's history and terminal occupant.
- The uncle
Researcher whose records initiate the hunt for the house's truth.
- Etienne Roulet
French immigrant whose 1697 lease connects him to the site.
- William Harris
Merchant who built the house in 1763 on cursed ground.
What it's really about
- Historical corruption
- Past deeds infect current architecture.
- Scientific intervention
- Chemistry resolves supernatural infestations.
Why it's memorable
- Fungus-light glowing from loose, antique cellar masonry.
- A gray, ash-like powder remaining after the entity dissolves.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The narrator succeeds in dissolving the entity with acid. By the next spring, the soil finally supports fruit-bearing trees instead of strange, pale weeds.
For your book club
- Why did the Harris family choose a graveyard for a home?
- Is the house cured, or does the land retain a memory?