The School

Wright's 11th book of horror is set in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where middle-aged Frank and Allison Hitchcock move after the accidental death of their son Joey. They buy an old school that they plan to refurbish, but discover upon moving in that the building is haunted by strange presences--four children and a teacher who died of ostensible food poisoning. This static, improbable and nearly plotless novel consists of the Hitchcocks' flashbacks to Joey, existential conversations as the two recall their own school days, and descriptions of the school and surrounding countryside. Interspersed throughout are snippets of Allison's surreal novel ``The Insiders,'' about people haunted by ghosts of their former selves. Mysterious happenings in the school (broken windows, vandalism, cracked foundations) and sightings of ghostly strangers (particularly by Allison when she is sexually aroused) lead to a tense but unfulfilling conclusion. Wright's ( The Place ) latest is, at least, bafflingly atmospheric. (Aug.)