The Ghost Notebooks by Ben Dolnick
(Format used for this read: Print–hardback)
A supernatural story of love, ghosts, and madness as a young couple, newly engaged, become caretakers of a historic museum.
When Nick Beron and Hannah Rampe decide to move from New York City to the tiny upstate town of Hibernia, they aren’t exactly running away, but they need a change. Their careers have flatlined, the city is exhausting, and they’ve reached a relationship stalemate. Hannah takes a job as live-in director of the Wright Historic House, a museum dedicated to an obscure nineteenth-century philosopher, and she and Nick swiftly move into their new home. The town’s remoteness, the speed with which Hannah is offered the job, and the lack of museum visitors barely a blip in their consideration.
At first, life in this old, creaky house feels cozy—they speak in Masterpiece Theater accents and take bottles of wine to the swimming hole. But as summer turns to fall, Hannah begins to have trouble sleeping and she hears whispers in the night. One morning, Nick wakes up to find Hannah gone. In his frantic search for her, Nick will discover the hidden legacy of Wright House: a man driven wild with grief, and a spirit aching for home.
I am not a big fan of being scared.
Horror and ghosty things aren’t usually my kind of good time….BUT every now and then I get a brave streak and just give it a go with some creepy vibes.
This was also one of those books I randomly picked up at a used book store because the cover was cool and price was cheap….I never quite know if that also makes a good decision or not.
Sometimes these things work out okay…and sometimes I regret it BIG TIME.
Generally I can handle plain and simple “ghost story” vibes WAYYYY better than violence filled “slasher” vibes…..and that’s exactly what this read was.
So even though I did indeed freak myself out reading this late at night, I have to say it really was a good read and I did in fact LIKE this one….and the purchase was a SUCCESS.
What I enjoyed the most about this book was that it had that slow build up of creepy tension that traditional, really good ghost stories all have.
You know from the beginning something is off even though everything is presented as “normal”….a young couple in love, a new start, a new job, a new place, a new community…
But there is that lingering suspense that everything is NOT as it seems.
(And of course we eventually find out…it’s not. Because what fun would that be if it was???)
Piece by piece, bit by bit more and more details of character’s lives and history–both personal, familial, and communal– and events come to light…..the supernatural level rises as well as the questions of what is REALLY happening….nothing is truly revealed until the end of the book.
Amongst the creepy vibes, this story also contains a very raw exploration of grief and how losing someone in a very sudden and terrible way affects an individual’s and a community’s emotional, physical and even spiritual well being.
Not your typical “light and breezy” summer read, but definitely one you’ll enjoy indulging in….
Just maybe not read it in the middle of the night.