‘Home Before Dark’ Spoilers: Three Ghosts

A few hours after I finished reading Home Before Dark, I suddenly realized that Baneberry Hall actually was haunted. This theory has major spoilers.

Young Maggie sees three ghosts, right? Miss Pennyface, Mister Shadow, and a little girl who can’t leave her bedroom.  Young Maggie doesn’t waver in these accounts. The little girl isn’t named, but she’s assumed to be Katie Carver, who was murdered by her father. The little girl ghosts warns young Maggie about the other ghosts, saying they don’t want her to be there.

Later, we learn that — seriously, spoilers, stop now — Miss Pennyface was creepy old Marta Carver coming to stare at her “daughter.” Lucky Maggie wasn’t smothered in her sleep, too. Marta tried to poison Maggie and she already did kill Petra, so I’m pretty sure that Marta has more responsibility for Katie’s murder.  And Mister Shadow was superstitious Elsa Ditmer trying to warn little Maggie about the evil house.

But the little girl ghost is never explained!

Young Maggie tells Dr. Weber about all three, so it’s not something her father invented for the book. She talked to and played with a little girl, who could never leave the bedroom, and it’s never explained away like the other ghosts.

Was the little girl actually a ghost?

5 comments

  1. I was just as confused after finishing!! I went back and read the chapter where modern day Maggie talks to Dr. Weber and Dr Weber definitely says she mentioned a little girl ghost! So we know she was at least real to young Maggie and not made up for the book. Since only Mrs. Pennyface and Mr. shadow are identified as real people……….i think the little girl ghost was actually there. I’m thinking she was either Katie or even the little girl that drowned in the tub. Likely Katie. I just wish she would’ve been mentioned at some point at the end! Like if grown Maggie had remembered her and realized the place actually was haunted at the very end. But of course……Sager likes to keep his readers guessing and questioning reality!!!

  2. What about the record player that still played when Maggie lived there as a grown up? And the Book that opened itself?

  3. The record playing when Maggie was an adult was Hannah Demiter. Hannah even confesses, more so goes along with Maggie’s accusations, soon before telling Maggie about the secret door in the vines. BUT the teddy bear, Buster, wants her doing. But also, the young girl is never mentioned! Was the place actually haunted?? Just commenting on the intiwl post. I just finished the book, literally about 30 mins ago, and the young ghost girl thing was the first question that popped into my mind!

    • Yeah! I was afraid I missed some clue that explains it away, but it seems like that there’s no explanation for the little girl ghost! So the house was really haunted?!?!?!

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