Lovecraft Country

Pages 6-41

Atticus Turner is a young African American man who served in the Korean War. As he drives from Florida to his hometown of Chicago, he must navigate the racist attitudes of white Americans. He reads The Safe Negro Travel Guide, written by his uncle George Berry, which advises African Americans on how to stay safe while travelling in the United States. A blown tire forces him to stop unexpectedly in a small town, where the racist townspeople refuse to help. He is forced to call an African American mechanic based 50 miles away. The mechanic invites Atticus to stay the night at his house and, that evening, they talk about their shared love for literature, particularly science fiction and horror. Atticus leaves early the next day, but he is pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper drags Atticus out of the car and roughly frisks him. Eventually, he allows Atticus to go but insists on taking The Safe Negro Travel Guide to ensure that Atticus does not stop anywhere before he reaches Chicago.

Atticus arrives in Chicago and drives immediately to the African American neighborhood where he was raised. He visits Uncle George at the publishing office and learns that his Aunt Hippolyta is conducting research for the travel guide in Wyoming. Atticus’s young cousin Horace is an aspiring comic book artist who tells stories featuring African American characters. As Horace sleeps, Atticus tells George about a mysterious letter he received from Montrose, Atticus’s estranged father. Montrose spent many years chastising Atticus’s love for pulp novels which contained racist themes. Many of these stories—including works by virulent racist H. P. Lovecraft—were published by a company named Arkham House. In his letter, Montrose claimed to have uncovered a secret about the mysterious family history of Atticus’s dead mother, hidden somewhere in a town named Ardham. Montrose’s rambling letter speaks of “a sacred, a secret, legacy, a birthright” (19) which has been kept from Atticus. The letter ends with a plea for Atticus to join Montrose so they can search together in a place in Ardham, a town in Devon County. Atticus refers to this area as Lovecraft Country, as it is in the part of Massachusetts where the author based many of his stories. George and Atticus research the area, recalling the racist attacks by the local police. One sheriff referred to Devon County as a sundown county, meaning a county in which any African American who is spotted after sunset may be hanged.

Atticus goes to his father’s apartment, but Montrose is nowhere to be found. Montrose’s landlord claims that he left with a white man in “a very fancy car” (25) but does not know where they went. Atticus inspects his father’s empty home and remembers their acrimonious relationship. As Atticus and George prepare to search for Montrose in Ardham, Atticus is reintroduced to a childhood friend Letitia Dandridge. After a series of mishaps, Letitia is down on her luck and staying with her sister Ruby. George has agreed to give Letitia a lift to her brother’s home in Massachusetts on their way to Ardham. They pack the car with the supplies and then set off.

They drive through Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, following George’s guide, but in Auburn, New York, a group of white people mock Atticus for eating a banana. Atticus narrowly avoids a fight. They divert their journey to check out a restaurant which has been recommended to George but discover that the old, African American friendly diner has been burned down. They are chased from the town by a group of armed white people in a fire truck. Their escape is made possible by the intervention of an expensive silver car. The car deliberately cuts up the fire truck which crashes into a field.

Letitia’s brother Marvin welcomes them into his home. That evening, Marvin reveals his own research into the strangeness of Devon County, which has a long-standing association with witchcraft and slavery. Ardham seems even more strange and is barely mentioned in the history books. One census taker compared the town to “a medieval farm village” (40), filled with unfriendly people. The local sheriff, Eustace Hunt, has a reputation as a vicious, uncompromising racist. Marvin points out a little-known backroad to Ardham, and Atticus recommends that they visit under the cover of darkness. Letitia insists on accompanying them; she believes that God has tasked her to help protect Atticus and George, who refuse her request.

Pages 41-71

Atticus and George leave Marvin’s house at two in the morning. Letitia hides in the car as they nervously drive through Devon County. George drives along the dirt track to Ardham until they reach a gate marked “private” (44). Just as Atticus is about to open the gate, a police patrol car appears. A group of men smash the windows of George’s car. Sheriff Eustace Hunt accuses George and Atticus of being thieves. Atticus pleads with Hunt, claiming that he is a guest of Montrose. Hunt menacingly agrees to march George and Atticus through the dark woods to Ardham. As they walk, strange noises emanate from the forest. The deputies fire their shotguns into the darkness. Behind them, the police cruiser bursts into flames and they hear the horn of George’s car. A mysterious beast seems to attack the deputies. Atticus cannot glimpse the strange animal, but he and George run for their car. They find Letitia, who knocked out one deputy, and tell her that the other was eaten by a bear. Together, they jump in George’s car and escape along the dirt road into Ardham.

After a night asleep in the damaged car, the characters wake up in Ardham. Neither Atticus nor George really remembers the night before. They drive through the pastoral village of Ardham toward a large manor house where a silver car is parked in the driveway. A pale butler named William opens the doors and welcomes them to Ardham lodge. He has been told to expect their arrival as guests of the owner of the house, Samuel Braithwhite. William knows Montrose but reveals that he has gone to visit a lawyer in Boston with Braithwhite. The butler welcomes the guests into the house and assures them that they will be safe from the racist sheriff: so long as they are in Braithwhite’s home, they are under his protection. Atticus explores the manor and learns that its founder, Titus Braithwhite, studied magic and philosophy, founding the town of Ardham to have somewhere to pursue his interests in peace. Titus died in a fire more than a century before and Samuel Braithwhite has since inherited the property and rebuilt everything.

Atticus, George, and Letitia are shown to lavish rooms in the manor house, each of which seems catered to their personal tastes. On the well-stocked bookshelves is one volume which catches Atticus’s attention: By-Laws And Precepts Of The Adamite Order Of The Ancient Dawn. Later, George and Atticus discuss their new surroundings. Atticus reveals that he is familiar with Titus Braithwhite, as the rich man once “owned [his] mother’s great-great-great-grandmother” (61). Atticus’s distant ancestor was a woman named Hannah who escaped the Braithwhite estate on the night the fire killed Titus. Atticus’s mother told the story with two clear instructions: “Don’t look back. And never trust anyone named Braithwhite” (62). Montrose, he reasons, must have been investigating Hannah’s history.

Atticus searches the nearby village for Montrose. They find a church filled with strange, pornographic decorations and stone buildings guarded by a woman named Dell, who introduces herself as the village warden. When Atticus tries to ditch Dell and investigate the rest of the village, her pack of dogs stops him. Atticus, George, and Letitia return to the manor, where a number of unrelated guests arrive for a party hosted by Samuel Braithwhite. The white guests wear rings which mark their membership in the Adamite Order of the Ancient Dawn, so Atticus studies the Order’s handbook. The members, known as the Sons of Adam, are interested in magic and the occult. At dinner, Atticus dresses in a suit he finds in his room. The suit seems perfectly tailored for him, as do the lavish outfits in George’s and Letitia’s rooms. They dine with the Sons of Adam, who seem shocked by the presence of African Americans.

Eventually, Atticus stands up and addresses the room. He claims to be searching for his father and admits that he does not know why Braithwhite has been so accommodating. He does, however, have a theory: The Order’s handbook states that any blood relation of Titus Braithwhite is an automatic member of the Order, even though membership is limited only to white people. Atticus claims to be the last direct descendent of Titus Braithwhite, as his ancestor Hannah was raped by her enslaver before she escaped. Atticus orders the men from the room to test his theory. They obey. The only person who remains is a young latecomer who introduces himself as Caleb Braithwhite, the son of Samuel and a distant relative of Atticus. Caleb, Atticus correctly guesses, is also the driver of the silver car. Montrose is safe, Caleb says, but only so long as Atticus does as he is instructed.

Pages 71-94

Caleb takes Atticus to see his father while Letitia and George return to their rooms. Caleb warns Atticus that his untactful father is “immune” (73) to being hit. Samuel Braithwhite appears in rolled up shirt sleeves with an unbuttoned collar. He reveals that Atticus is part of the Order’s plan to use magic to return to the Garden of Eden. Braithwhite views himself more as a scientist than a magician, and he hopes to finish the work Titus Braithwhite began. For that, he requires Atticus, even if Atticus’s blood is “tainted” (77) by his race. Atticus agrees to co-operate if he can see Montrose. Braithwhite agrees, telling Caleb to take Atticus away until he is needed for a ritual the next day.

Caleb summons Dell, who takes Atticus to a hidden room below the village workshop. Atticus descends into the darkness and reunites with his father. Montrose admits that he was so determined to find out about Atticus’s ancestry that he allowed himself to be tricked by Caleb. Atticus breaks Montrose free by attacking Dell. When they exit the workshop, Atticus is greeted by George and Letitia, driving Caleb’s silver car. They drive out of Ardham, but the car comes to a stop all by itself. Darkness seems to close in around them. A strange animal approaches them out of the shadows. Caleb also appears. Montrose snatches a gun and tries to attack Caleb, but he cannot bring himself to shoot. Atticus is unable to move, as if trapped by magic. Caleb calmly shoots Montrose in the chest.

Atticus sits up all night at his father’s bedside. Montrose’s wound has healed thanks to the Braithwhite’s magic. When Montrose recovers, he reveals that Samuel plans to use Atticus as a human sacrifice to summon horrific magical forces. Caleb confirms this theory. Later, Atticus is taken from his room to the workshop where the ritual will take place. The room is decorated with occult imagery and symbols. Braithwhite and the Sons of Adam are dressed in robes. They place Atticus in a chalk circle and draw his blood. Atticus feels trapped by magic but discovers that he suddenly understands the language of Adam. When a light appears, Atticus feels as though he is gaining a great understanding of the universe. He pulls a hidden note from his sleeve, one which had arrived to him with breakfast. The note is also written in the language of Adam. Atticus reads the words, the spell breaks, and the Sons of Adam scream in agony. Atticus opens his eyes and finds the entire room destroyed and its occupants dead. He collects George, Letitia, and Montrose and escapes from the manor house, telling them that he believes that Caleb staged a coup against his father. They drive away through the strange, shadowy woods.