The Awakening - A Novel (Paperback)

The celebrated author of The Alchemist leaves the world of ancient Egypt with this chilling, modern ghost story of an unraveling family. Paul and Penny Mason are spending the summer at the family lake house with their troubled, teenage daughter, Elsie, in a last ditch effort to save their crumbling marriage. But their once-idyllic summer home suddenly feels eerily cold and darkly foreboding. Clearly, all is not right. Penny is plagued by recurring nightmares, horrific images of violence that take place in the cottage. Paul and Elsie are surprised by the appearance of a sad, strange woman, who seems to know them, but calls them by names that are not their own. The mystery only deepens when they discover an antique box in the house. Inside is a photo of the woman, alive in a distant past. Who is she? And what is the source of the seeping, chilly discomfort that has suddenly settled over the family? The answer lies within Penny's disturbing dreams and Elsie's fragile emotional state-and when long buried secrets reveal themselves, it will be the most frightening day of all of their lives....