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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A meditation on addiction and the hopelessness one feels being trapped in a small town with history. Doesn’t fully deliver but the last 2 chapters are worth it.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an outstanding exploration of addiction, grief, and codependency through the veil of a ghost story. I just loved it. Erin is trying to get her life on track, but she is struggling to let go of her college friend and longtime love, Silas. He is an addict who is all too capable of drawing her into his wake. Her life is rocked by his unexpected death. I found her character very believable and likeable despite her many flaws. She is driven by a desire to see him one more time, and takes a drug that promises to reconnect their spirits. But Erin gets more than she bargained for as she becomes well and truly haunted, not just by Silas, but by all the ghosts of all time surrounding her. I loved this exploration of the idea of ghosts throughout history, something I've pondered before. The portrayal of the spirits and their interactions with Erin were extremely creepy and uncomfortable. The author is very skilled at building a scene that you can truly picture in your minds eye. The blend of psychedelic imagery with horror imagery was very effective and spooky. Erin is drawn back to what she starts to consider her "home" where Toby, another friend from their college group, has started dealing Ghost and bringing in others who are mourning a loss. The book does a great job of mimicking a trip on drugs, as we the reader lose track of what is real and what is a hallucination, how much time is passing, and what we should trust and believe. The portrayal of addiction and drug use is gritty and extremely effective. Erin finds herself living in what is basically a trap house to remain connected to Silas through the drug. One part I have mixed feelings about is the strange ghost baby that attaches itself to Erin. It is later revealed that it is actually a part of Silas, but I was left wondering if it was meant to represent the pregnancy that was alluded to between her and Silas. Was that her baby? Is that why it was not fully formed? Or was it the baby of the greiving lady? The end is a bunch of twists that are unexpected but wel laid out. I did pick up that Silas had taken over Toby's body with his behavior and him kissing Erin. But that's about the only part of the conclusion I saw coming. After Erin ODs on Ghost attempting to reconnect with Silas permanently, her body is disposed of by Toby/Silas. She is taken to the hospital where we learn that mushroom based drug has actually taken hold of her body and there are mushrooms growing inside of her. After she gets out of the hospital she still goes back and learns the true depth of the dark reality she is facing. Silas' body had been dug up and acted as fertilizer for the drug. Just as her body was intended to. Silas' plan is dark and cult like, and she realizes the control he has over her and breaks free of him by burning his mushroom reanimated self and the whole house down. I love the use of fungal horror as a connection to addiction. It was so gross and unsettling. The final reveal was beautiful in a horrible way, and mindblowing. The end came a bit quick and tried to end positively, but overall this tale was dark in just about every way. I very much enjoyed this book and will be thinking about it for a long time.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced