A review by lower222
Unseen City by Amy Shearn

3.0

A beautifully written ghost story/love story/family story. It felt a little like a coming-of-age novel about a middle-aged woman who had been stuck in her grief and carefully controlled life. The book was slow-going for me with plenty of reminiscing and ruminating, but the ending was so well done that I forgive any boring parts in the middle. I wish the two different timelines hadn’t been quite so disjointed. The past was fascinating and really brought the history of free African Americans in the Boston area to life; I just wanted more of it. The dialogue was pitch perfect, and the scenes between the modern grieving siblings and their parents were so funny and real. I loved the character of the house too.