Julian's House

Though descriptions of channeling may attract ardent New Agers, this haunted-house story, decked out with speculation about parapsychology and dragged to an ambiguous conclusion, is dull reading. The year-old marriage of psychic researchers David and Sally Curtiss is already shaky when they move into a house reputedly spooked by the Gilfoy family and a tramp. David and Sally plan field research and, when nothing happens, bring in Roseanna Paine, a medium, who raises evidence of ghosts as well as David's heretofore dormant libido. The spirits take over David and Sally, causing them to act out old Gilfoy passions--although another explanation could be that it is easier for David to perform sexually while pretending to be someone else. Other manifestations of ghostly presences--odd noises, moved objects, roaming dogs--are hokum. Whether all this is paranormal, or normal pathology mixed with coincidence, turns out to be irrelevant. The mystery of the author's three-handed jacket photo is the most interesting thing about the novel. (Nov.)