“The Fleshless Man wants to kill me,” his mother said. Curtis never enjoyed the cool, oppressive atmosphere of his childhood home, and that atmosphere is even worse when he returns as an adult. His mother is dying, and her illness seems to infect everyone around her: Curtis’s brother has developed a nervous habit that might indicate more serious problems; the attending nurse exhibits puzzling, possibly sinister behavior; and Curtis himself suffers from nightmares and uncharacteristic dark thoughts. It’s as if the house itself wants his mother to die more quickly—and it will achieve that goal however it can. Even if it must inspire Curtis to imagine harming his own mother. Even if it must summon the intervention of a strange entity called the Fleshless Man.