The cover doesn't come close to doing this justice. Wonderfully haunting story, and the balance of unreliable narrator and plausible historical research makes for an interesting mix of skepticism and suspension of disbelief. The best thing about weird horror is the way it makes a mystery of the mundane, and trying to explain this one to someone who hasn't read it is a fun challenge: "there's a tree, and... it's a creepy tree. There's also a basement. Not to give it away, but the basement—also creepy." Such a skill to turn that into a compellingly creepy read.