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Marigold: An Investigation of an American Haunting
There are two kinds of haunted houses: those haunted by the supernatural, and those haunted by everything else. The lines between hauntings and imagination are rarely as clear as we think. People search for excitement and meaning in life. Sometimes, they find it. Sometimes, they wish they hadn’t.
Over the course of a single podcast interview between an unnamed male paranormal investigator and Anne, a precocious young woman who wishes to finally to open up about all she’s seen, a chilling, suspenseful haunted house story unravels.
Anne first realized her house wasn’t like other homes when, at five years old, she lost her favorite doll, and her beloved house returned it. As Anne sees it, her house has always looked out for her—returning lost items, punishing those who hurt her, keeping her safe in family turmoil, slowly revealing its history of dark and magical secrets. The Interviewer, a longtime investigator of such phenomena, sees it differently: a lonely, confused woman manipulated by something dark and unsavory, whether her own imagination or a genuine paranormal event. Within the story of Anne’s house—perhaps within the story of every house—dozens more stories are intertwined: the history of the building itself, the development of Pasadena, the relationship between the occult and academia, the challenge of raising a daughter in an era of so-called equality, and, most of all, the story of an American family as it falls apart.
Over the course of a single podcast interview between an unnamed male paranormal investigator and Anne, a precocious young woman who wishes to finally to open up about all she’s seen, a chilling, suspenseful haunted house story unravels.
Anne first realized her house wasn’t like other homes when, at five years old, she lost her favorite doll, and her beloved house returned it. As Anne sees it, her house has always looked out for her—returning lost items, punishing those who hurt her, keeping her safe in family turmoil, slowly revealing its history of dark and magical secrets. The Interviewer, a longtime investigator of such phenomena, sees it differently: a lonely, confused woman manipulated by something dark and unsavory, whether her own imagination or a genuine paranormal event. Within the story of Anne’s house—perhaps within the story of every house—dozens more stories are intertwined: the history of the building itself, the development of Pasadena, the relationship between the occult and academia, the challenge of raising a daughter in an era of so-called equality, and, most of all, the story of an American family as it falls apart.
Audible Audio
Published June 3, 2021
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About the author
Sara Gran
16 books2,014 followersSara Gran's most recent book is LITTLE MYSTERIES, available from Dreamland Books on 2/11/25. She is the author of 7 1/2 previous novels, a screenwriter, and a publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 6, 2022
Edit: Upon reading some of the reviews, I feel compelled to throw in my two cents.
Many of these listeners appear to have missed the most important part of the story: this is an unreliable narrator who gaslights the hell out of the interviewer.
Yes, she is unlikeable. People with trauma and several mental illnesses tend to be unlikeable. Also, if that was a major takeaway you got from the character, ponder why society demands women be likeable and how all of us internalize that to some degree.
This book succeeded very well as horror for me because I, like the interviewer, couldn't help gasping each time she described something terrible the house did while she describes it as the house caring for her. I also had to continually remind myself to peek under the surface of what she was saying to discern what was really going on.
This book shares similarities with Gran's earlier work, Come Closer. If you liked that, you'll like this.
I think this is audio only and in a "podcast" format that you can just consider to be several chapters. It's so good.
Many of these listeners appear to have missed the most important part of the story: this is an unreliable narrator who gaslights the hell out of the interviewer.
Yes, she is unlikeable. People with trauma and several mental illnesses tend to be unlikeable. Also, if that was a major takeaway you got from the character, ponder why society demands women be likeable and how all of us internalize that to some degree.
This book succeeded very well as horror for me because I, like the interviewer, couldn't help gasping each time she described something terrible the house did while she describes it as the house caring for her. I also had to continually remind myself to peek under the surface of what she was saying to discern what was really going on.
This book shares similarities with Gran's earlier work, Come Closer. If you liked that, you'll like this.
I think this is audio only and in a "podcast" format that you can just consider to be several chapters. It's so good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2021
4.5
This is a short and very frightening ghost/horror story.
I’m usually not a horror fan, but this really grabbed me.
Sara Gran is quite the writer.
It was an Audible Original, so there was no text
available, only the audiobook.
A paranormal researcher (and college professor by day) interviews graduate student “Anne O’Connor” (not her real name) about strange, otherworldly happenings in the Pasadena, California house where she lives with her father, step mother, and half brother.
Marigold is a stuffed rabbit “Anne” has owned
since childhood.
I don’t want to say much more, to avoid spoilers.
Actors Zoe Kazan and Jason Culp are outstanding
audio performers.
This is a short and very frightening ghost/horror story.
I’m usually not a horror fan, but this really grabbed me.
Sara Gran is quite the writer.
It was an Audible Original, so there was no text
available, only the audiobook.
A paranormal researcher (and college professor by day) interviews graduate student “Anne O’Connor” (not her real name) about strange, otherworldly happenings in the Pasadena, California house where she lives with her father, step mother, and half brother.
Marigold is a stuffed rabbit “Anne” has owned
since childhood.
I don’t want to say much more, to avoid spoilers.
Actors Zoe Kazan and Jason Culp are outstanding
audio performers.
June 15, 2021
I am torn between 1 and 2 stars, but am going with 2 as I did manage to finish this hot mess. (Edited: After thinking about it, I’ve changed my mind. One star it is.)
The "amazing, shocking, jaw-dropping" relevation at the end just isn’t. The interviewer character is annoyingly poorly drawn and barely two dimensional. He could easily have been replaced by a list of questions. As for the main character…I don’t know if the author was attempting to present her as confident and self-assured or if she was supposed to be an incredible a__hole. As it is, she was just irritating, silly, and little more than a cardboard cutout.
Worst of all was that the author continually used the amateurish "I will explain that later" ploy—not once, not twice, but over and over and over. Does she think that builds tension? Does she think it pulls the listener into the story? If so, she is WRONG! Once is not so bad, but when used as often as she used it, it becomes ridiculous.
The good news is that this was offered for free via Audible—and it was certainly well worth that price!
The "amazing, shocking, jaw-dropping" relevation at the end just isn’t. The interviewer character is annoyingly poorly drawn and barely two dimensional. He could easily have been replaced by a list of questions. As for the main character…I don’t know if the author was attempting to present her as confident and self-assured or if she was supposed to be an incredible a__hole. As it is, she was just irritating, silly, and little more than a cardboard cutout.
Worst of all was that the author continually used the amateurish "I will explain that later" ploy—not once, not twice, but over and over and over. Does she think that builds tension? Does she think it pulls the listener into the story? If so, she is WRONG! Once is not so bad, but when used as often as she used it, it becomes ridiculous.
The good news is that this was offered for free via Audible—and it was certainly well worth that price!
September 4, 2021
I really wanted to like this because the premise seemed super interesting, but Ann, the main character, is the absolute worst. I’m sure that it’s intentional, but god, she’s that one person who puts everyone else down constantly. The person who thinks they are better than everyone else. She is that guy who thinks that being a gifted child is worth anything, and has to constantly bring it up well into adulthood. She constantly talks about how everyone treats her poorly, while missing how shitty she treats everyone else. She’s a very hateful character. And like I said, I’m sure that’s the point. But it made me hope the house ate her soul by the end. I’m sure no one would miss her if it did (if it wasn’t the “it’s all in her head trope. Open ended stories are cool and all, but I wasn’t invested enough to want one here).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2021
The interview format here works perfectly, and Zoe Kazan is unbelievably good as Anne. Mood switching on a dime, intent on drip-feeding information, equal parts fascinating and frustrating.
Sara Gran excels at writing complicated women, often women who are fiercely convinced that their worldview is the right one, the only sensible one, even as other people meet their convictions with exasperated sighs (Jason Culp gets to do a lot of these).
No spoilers, but I'm really glad I listened to this one in daytime.
I should also note that I am generally bad at audiobooks, I get distracted and my attention zooms in and out and I miss things. Not with this one, I was riveted from start to finish.
Sara Gran excels at writing complicated women, often women who are fiercely convinced that their worldview is the right one, the only sensible one, even as other people meet their convictions with exasperated sighs (Jason Culp gets to do a lot of these).
No spoilers, but I'm really glad I listened to this one in daytime.
I should also note that I am generally bad at audiobooks, I get distracted and my attention zooms in and out and I miss things. Not with this one, I was riveted from start to finish.
April 8, 2022
Seems like I've run into a lot of the unreliable narrator type story lately. It can be done well and give you a massive twisty surprise later, or it can be done poorly so that you can pretty much guess what the not very twisty unsurprise is long before the end.
This one gave me a third, more fun option: The obviously unreliable narrator, but kept me guessing as to *in what way* she is unreliable. Is her house haunted? Sentient? Is the narrator a psychopath who is attributing her own actions to the house? Is the other narrator also unreliable or can we count on him to validate her story?
Add this to a great atmospheric maybe haunted house story, and I was really sucked in. I was a bit frustrated at the end, though, as there is no neat little bow to tie up and resolve all the possibilities. Or maybe it's resolved, depending on who is reliable, and who isn't.
Audiobook via the Audible Plus catalog. I generally dislike dramatizations, but the format of this one - telling the story through audiotaped sessions with the two narrators - works well for me. Excellent performances by both.
This one gave me a third, more fun option: The obviously unreliable narrator, but kept me guessing as to *in what way* she is unreliable. Is her house haunted? Sentient? Is the narrator a psychopath who is attributing her own actions to the house? Is the other narrator also unreliable or can we count on him to validate her story?
Add this to a great atmospheric maybe haunted house story, and I was really sucked in. I was a bit frustrated at the end, though, as there is no neat little bow to tie up and resolve all the possibilities. Or maybe it's resolved, depending on who is reliable, and who isn't.
Audiobook via the Audible Plus catalog. I generally dislike dramatizations, but the format of this one - telling the story through audiotaped sessions with the two narrators - works well for me. Excellent performances by both.
November 14, 2021
Marigold is an unconventional haunted house story, where the protagonist is in love with the sinister forces occupying her home. Told as an interview between a paranormal investigator and the woman living in the house, this Audible original is set up as a minimal audio play with two readers playing each part. The story is often fascinating and offers a good share of chills, especially as Anne recounts bizarre events with complete obliviousness to their horrific nature. Anne’s stories of her life in the house kept me on edge and eager for more, but the ending seemed muddled and some of the foreshadowing never paid off. Also, in the audio format, the actors had certain constant verbal tics that might have been their own or part of the role they were playing, but they became a bit grating over time. Still, this is a ghost story like you probably never heard before and well worth your time.
September 27, 2021
Rating biased because part of my visceral pleasure was based on living near Pasadena for many years and knowing the streets (Fair Oaks, Colorado) and the types of houses which are mentioned and described with such loving detail. The cities of San Marino and San Gabriel make brief cameos. In her other books, she did the same for New Orleans, New York City (once circa 1980 and once circa 1950) and the Bay Area, i.e. Oakland and SF.
The location of a story provides a lot of energy and momentum to her stories, and this is something I really appreciate since she does it so well.
At this point I will just assume I will enjoy anything the talented Sara Gran puts out.
The location of a story provides a lot of energy and momentum to her stories, and this is something I really appreciate since she does it so well.
At this point I will just assume I will enjoy anything the talented Sara Gran puts out.
August 23, 2021
I love Sara Gran's writing but this didn't do it for me. It was an interesting conceit and the narrator was good but the story meandered with an ending that felt more... huh than anything else.
Heading back to the Claire Dewitt series where I belong.
Heading back to the Claire Dewitt series where I belong.
August 22, 2021
Creepy and well-performed, but kind of flat for me. Also frequently irritating rather than suspenseful. I had been hoping for more.
June 26, 2021
3.6, rounding up because it’s exactly the kind of thing that I like - a chilling psychological tale by a woman writer. I didn’t love the voice acting or the repetitive narrative beats, and I wanted it to do more, spill over further into horror instead of always pulling back, but it wasn’t half bad.
June 17, 2021
The performance here by Kazan and Culp are perfect. I’ll be completely honest, I didn’t get the ending, especially in light of the end of the 7th episode. I’m not sure what I was supposed to draw from it. Odd little radio play.
June 27, 2021
This was weird and creepy, but unfulfilling.
July 16, 2021
Don’t waste your time. Just don’t. The voice acting is horrible. The characters are worse. The plot is nonexistent. The reveal at the end was meh. Sad I wasted so much time on it.
December 21, 2023
Great production and intriguing approach. Off-putting but in a good way!
September 8, 2021
extremely uncomfortable adding this to goodreads as it is an AUDIOBOOK and this is the first ever audiobook i’ve ever listened to. and i have feelings about audiobooks!
like, i used to be an indie fm radio dj and one of my cardinal rules was that no one likes hearing anyone talk on the radio. i’d only cut in when the fcc needed me to. i’d even choose to play prerecorded psa’s whenever possible. shoutout to the station’s minidisc player that housed the james brown “drugs are superbad” ad. and the one where a fish speaks in first person and says it does not need a fishing license, but you do. even so, when i left the building and got into my car after a show, i’d always put on the internet archive mp3 of my just ended set and drive home to it. i loved hearing my own voice, but not ever enough to make anyone else listen to non-music on the radio dial. i’d ask the same of anyone, jeez.
anyway, sara gran is one of the greatest writers of my generation. and i drove from louisville to moneta then from moneta to louisville for a two week vacation and i had to counterprogram BODEGA BOYS podcasts and sirius fm SOUUUUULTOWN on channel 50. so …
MARIGOLD, the one song dave grohl wrote for nirvana is a gd earworm. it was the abiding song in my head while all this audiobook listening went on. and the song really does fit so snugly into the EVERLONG acoustic vibeaholic. can you even imagine how good MARIGOLD “goes electric” would be?! you should!
marigold, the fan video
like, i used to be an indie fm radio dj and one of my cardinal rules was that no one likes hearing anyone talk on the radio. i’d only cut in when the fcc needed me to. i’d even choose to play prerecorded psa’s whenever possible. shoutout to the station’s minidisc player that housed the james brown “drugs are superbad” ad. and the one where a fish speaks in first person and says it does not need a fishing license, but you do. even so, when i left the building and got into my car after a show, i’d always put on the internet archive mp3 of my just ended set and drive home to it. i loved hearing my own voice, but not ever enough to make anyone else listen to non-music on the radio dial. i’d ask the same of anyone, jeez.
anyway, sara gran is one of the greatest writers of my generation. and i drove from louisville to moneta then from moneta to louisville for a two week vacation and i had to counterprogram BODEGA BOYS podcasts and sirius fm SOUUUUULTOWN on channel 50. so …
MARIGOLD, the one song dave grohl wrote for nirvana is a gd earworm. it was the abiding song in my head while all this audiobook listening went on. and the song really does fit so snugly into the EVERLONG acoustic vibeaholic. can you even imagine how good MARIGOLD “goes electric” would be?! you should!
marigold, the fan video
August 25, 2021
Imagine my delight when I finished Come Closer and saw that as part of Audibles new Audible Plus offerings Sara Gran had released a free book in the form of a paranormal research podcast.
Firstly, I was thrilled because its a decent amount at 5 hours in comparison to Come Closer being only 3 hours 40 mins which was too short for my liking.
Zoe Kazan as Anne is exceptional. The realistically casual performance, kept me agreeing with her frankness and logic for far longer than I probably should of, which made the eeriness of her values and beliefs creep up on me. The absolute conviction that she is right and all of her actions are justified is such a deep character flaw but Zoe Kazan packages Anne in a reasonable diplomatic manner which is totally disarming.
I haven’t ever consumed any horror in this form so I was exceptionally surprised with the quality. I hope this paves the way for more horror of this kind.
Firstly, I was thrilled because its a decent amount at 5 hours in comparison to Come Closer being only 3 hours 40 mins which was too short for my liking.
Zoe Kazan as Anne is exceptional. The realistically casual performance, kept me agreeing with her frankness and logic for far longer than I probably should of, which made the eeriness of her values and beliefs creep up on me. The absolute conviction that she is right and all of her actions are justified is such a deep character flaw but Zoe Kazan packages Anne in a reasonable diplomatic manner which is totally disarming.
I haven’t ever consumed any horror in this form so I was exceptionally surprised with the quality. I hope this paves the way for more horror of this kind.
January 9, 2022
Ended up being a let-down. There was nothing shocking about the story. You could tell some of the sighs of the interviewer were recorded and used several times. I did like the interview format and the audio-only format. Thought that was unique.
Cool idea, not that great at execution.
Cool idea, not that great at execution.
June 19, 2021
Oh so cheesy and not the delicious kind you put on nachos.
December 7, 2021
Listened to this while walking around Martha's Vineyard and as soon as the sun started to go down I had to turn it off.
January 9, 2022
Audio
Not as creepy as I thought it might be but creepy enough. I did want to shake her more than once for being this side of rude. And I got the feeling she might have been in mandatory counseling..
Not as creepy as I thought it might be but creepy enough. I did want to shake her more than once for being this side of rude. And I got the feeling she might have been in mandatory counseling..
November 17, 2024
A spooky free listen from audible. It is a sort of pseudo podcast about a haunted house
May 9, 2022
Loved the Interview format and the perspective of a Stockholm Syndrome owner instead of the stereotypical: I'm-so-scared-but-I'm-staying-anyway-even-though-I-just-woke-up-with-fresh-scratches-on-my-back-and-visions-of a-head-turning-porcelain-dolly-in-the-corner-of-my-room-owner. But damn, this writing was lazy.
‘I’ll come back to that’ (she never does)
‘I don't have to answer that question’ (then she does)
‘My dad and stepmother don’t think much’ (even when the door freaking door chanced? Come on!)
‘Can I just finish my story?’ (what story?)
The interviewer was a Six Sense raggedy-ass, cracked-up Bruce Willis version of a poltergeist. His role was to introduce the chapters and some volatile side notes. What’s up with that? No wrap-up? No re-entering the mouth of Moby Dick strapped up with a harpoon, Super Soaker and Ghost Buster on speed dial? Mucho disappointo, my friend.
And what was up with the Lelli pound? Explain that because I’m lost. Okay, that’s that. Let me brush my teeth with a toothbrush that’s magically dancing before my eyes and please let me be totally fine with that.
‘I’ll come back to that’ (she never does)
‘I don't have to answer that question’ (then she does)
‘My dad and stepmother don’t think much’ (even when the door freaking door chanced? Come on!)
‘Can I just finish my story?’ (what story?)
The interviewer was a Six Sense raggedy-ass, cracked-up Bruce Willis version of a poltergeist. His role was to introduce the chapters and some volatile side notes. What’s up with that? No wrap-up? No re-entering the mouth of Moby Dick strapped up with a harpoon, Super Soaker and Ghost Buster on speed dial? Mucho disappointo, my friend.
And what was up with the Lelli pound? Explain that because I’m lost. Okay, that’s that. Let me brush my teeth with a toothbrush that’s magically dancing before my eyes and please let me be totally fine with that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2023
Trying to stay awake during this one was tough. I didn't care about it - "Anne" is perhaps the most annoying character in a serial podcast I've encountered. Perhaps that's a good thing, but as I listened, it didn't feel like it.
She mumbled. She talks very fast. It's annoying. That's the best review I can give the female lead; I don't know her name. The therapist ( was he the therapist) of whatever he is does a great deal of grunting and sighing, but given how annoying Anne is, who can blame it. Rude can be done in a book or a serial, but when it's one note and when it's her only characterisation, it's just boring.
This isn't horror. I don't know what it is. There is no horror in this, let's be straight about that. Don't listen, expecting to be on the edge of your seat or the slightest bit uncomfortable.
The dialogue is repetitive, it doesn't go anywhere, and the whole thing left me with nothing. I have some gaps in there because I did fall asleep on three consecutive nights and I had no desire to go back and find where I'd nodded off.
This is a hard no from me.
She mumbled. She talks very fast. It's annoying. That's the best review I can give the female lead; I don't know her name. The therapist ( was he the therapist) of whatever he is does a great deal of grunting and sighing, but given how annoying Anne is, who can blame it. Rude can be done in a book or a serial, but when it's one note and when it's her only characterisation, it's just boring.
This isn't horror. I don't know what it is. There is no horror in this, let's be straight about that. Don't listen, expecting to be on the edge of your seat or the slightest bit uncomfortable.
The dialogue is repetitive, it doesn't go anywhere, and the whole thing left me with nothing. I have some gaps in there because I did fall asleep on three consecutive nights and I had no desire to go back and find where I'd nodded off.
This is a hard no from me.
November 19, 2024
I got to the end of this and had to go straight back to the beginning again. I thought the narration was excellent. It’s written in an interview style between the “author” and “Anne”, the woman who is experiencing the paranormal events. I read a lot of horror and paranormal fiction and this was an original take on the haunted house trope. I feel like I need to discuss this story with someone else. It was really interesting and confusing. There are so many questions about the events and about Anne. Is she a total psychopath gaslighting the interviewer? How much of the story is true, how much of it is drug-induced hallucination, is she deliberately lying at times or is she forgetful and confused herself? I thought it was fascinating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2021
A spooky and compelling story! I really enjoyed listening to this story. I found myself listening not only on my walks and in the car, but also while doing chores. It really kept my attention and I wanted to keep listening all day.
The voice acting was good, though the main character of “Ann” irritated me a little. I thought it was very well done overall.
I had to listen to the ending twice just to see if I was missing something or if I just hadn’t understood. I found it to be a bit of a let down, but it could just be me not quite “getting it”. I love spooky stories and I’m glad I listened to this book. I only wish the ending had been better, slightly different or maybe more dramatic.
The voice acting was good, though the main character of “Ann” irritated me a little. I thought it was very well done overall.
I had to listen to the ending twice just to see if I was missing something or if I just hadn’t understood. I found it to be a bit of a let down, but it could just be me not quite “getting it”. I love spooky stories and I’m glad I listened to this book. I only wish the ending had been better, slightly different or maybe more dramatic.
June 14, 2021
Once again, Sara Gran authors a great eerie, atmospheric story. I'm not enthusiastic about audio books, but Marigold is more of a radio play. Zoe Kazan is Anne, the haunted house owner, happy to be eternally linked to the home. Performance-wise, she sounds completely unhinged. The paranormal investigator is played by Jason Culp, who is great. The story is mostly told through their recorded dialogue, except for a few instances when he alone verifies or puts into context Anne's claims. Creepy and engrossing.
September 12, 2021
will be eagerly waiting for more works like this from audible. I was on the lookout for a good horror story when I chanced upon this one and it exceeded my expectations. the performance is breathtaking and the story is so poignant and beautiful at times that you forget to be scared at all and stand mesmerised with the interviewer, trying to figure out what falls under supernatural and what under psychological. the inconsistencies make it all the more eerie and real. really really impressed! The performance particularly was superb!! Brilliant!
November 7, 2025
I'm walking away from this story feeling confused and let down. I love the unreliable narrator trope, I think it's so great if it's done correctly. The problem is, it's hard to do. As with my previous Sara Gran read, there are plot holes that are hard to ignore. What is strange is that these plot holes seem intentional because the main character seems to always say "We'll get to that later" but then never does. And while the prose is beautiful, it doesn't excuse poor storytelling. I wouldn't recommend this, and I think this will be my last attempt at Sara Gran's writing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews