This is a weird one for me to review. Part of me wants to rate it a 3, but so much of the story has stuck with me (in a good way), it must mean I more than just liked it.

If you're looking for a 'creepy' ghost story or a 'Shining' heeeeeere's Johnny moment...nope. This book is horribly, wildly, painfully sad. It has an odd ending, that is both an ending and not, {dropnote:"spoiler}and I kid you not, I keep wondering if the main character is actually okay. HE'S NOT REAL. Yet, I am concerned for him anyway. Hence, 4 stars.

For such a small book, it explores a lot of different material. It's part paranormal, part love story, part exploration of mental illness, part exploration of relationships, part thriller. It meanders a bit much for me at the outset, but had enough character intrigue to keep me going. I like the couple, so I went along for the ride.

The second half is a whiplash of intricate knife-play with the reader's emotions and psyche. A little cut here, a quick slice there, and you somehow end up being both gutted and begging for more for 70-odd pages, culminating with a sense of relief so sad, I don't even know if it has name.

Dolnick's writing is perfectly suited to the tale: haunting and beautiful. However, the book is not aptly titled/marketed, and those searching for strictly 'ghost story' will be sorely disappointed and I understand many reader's disappointment with the book.

It's not a happy read, or a scary read. It's fairly thriller-ish, but rather grey and depressing, and for that reason I am eternally grateful it was short and quick. I would read it again, save for the fact that I remember so many freakin' details that I would rather forget and therefore don't need to.

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Created Dec 06, 2018 at 8:47pm • Submit your own review...