The Rolfes just need to leave a tray of food for her three times per day. Her children explain that she doesn't leave her room and rarely makes an appearance. Allardyce, a frail, sickly woman that lives in the west wing of the house. The only catch is that the Rolfes will be sharing the house with Mrs. The deal works out to just $900 for the whole summer - a bargain if there ever was one. Allardyce and her elderly son and daughter.

But, it has potential and could be a great way to spend a summer vacation. The once lush landscape is now dead, the exterior is crumbling, and the inside is dusty, ancient, and clearly neglected. The house, which is a 30-room mansion, is in disarray.

Their arrival proves to be disappointing. The three drive up for the weekend to visit the place and negotiate with the owners. It's an appealing invitation of private beach, pool, dock, magnificent views, and the price, while not disclosed, suggests it might be affordable. Marian locates an advertisement for a summer house in upstate New York. Ben works as a professor, so Memorial Day through Labor Day affords them the opportunity to get away from it all. In hopes of a fantastic family summer, Marian begins searching the classified ads for a summer place they can rent with their meager budget. Ben realizes this isn't a place to raise their young son David. The city is consuming them, eating away their existence and crushing their dreams and aspirations. In the book, Ben and Marian Rolfe live in the crowded city of Queens, New York and are barely surviving the day to day hustle and bustle of work, marriage, and parenthood. The book is available now as a reprint through Valancourt Books with an introduction by Stephen Graham Jones. The novel, authored by Robert Marasco, was originally published in 1973 and adapted into an MGM film in 1976. Horror luminaries Stephen King and Bentley Little have both acknowledged Burnt Offerings as an influence on their writing.

Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco