Book Review: GHOST EATERS by Clay McLeod Chapman

GHOST EATERS by Clay McLeod Chapman (Quirk Books, September 2022) Hardcover, 304 pages.ISBN #97816836921 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Erin hasn’t been able to set a single boundary with her charismatic but reckless college ex-boyfriend, Silas. When he asks her to bail him out of rehab—again—she knows she needs to cut him off. But days after he gets out, Silas turns up dead of an overdose in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and Erin’s world falls apart.

Then a friend tells her about Ghost, a new drug that allows users to see the dead. Wanna get haunted? he asks. Grieving and desperate for closure with Silas, Erin agrees to a pill-popping “séance.” But the drug has unfathomable side effects—and once you take it, you can never go back.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     This one was good to the last drop. While the story never really lags, it did seem like a slow build through the first several sections/parts. I didn't mind, as the characters were quirky and interesting, none more so than protagonist Erin (the narrator). Far from a one dimensional character, she's become so complacent with one aspect of her life (her relationship to Silas) that everything else revolves around that. I never really bonded to her but I can certainly understand and feel for her,considering the endless loop that she is caught up in. 

     The final three sections of the novel accelerate like a race car. I read those later chapters at a rapid clip, pedal to the metal. Two scenes will stick in my memory for a long time - - the first day on the job, and what happens after the door is left open. (Say no more). 

     The ending is satisfactory and reinforces the inner messages about addiction and family and responsibility. Well done.

NOTES:

DECEMBER 07:

I'm enjoying this. I appreciate the voice of the narrator (Erin) and like her character. The writing feels confessional, like a friend sharing secrets with you over coffee. The opening prologue introduces the characters in an action setting and foreshadows the creepiness, establishing the atmosphere. Things don't really pick up in terms of horror until the last act of Part One, but I have a feeling it's going to ramp up from there. In the meantime, I've really gotten to know these characters and have a feeling I'll be worrying about them shortly. 

There are some nice approaches to presenting this information by the author, most notably in "date stone", the first chapter where Erin assesses her blind date as if she were an EMT and checking the accident victim for a pulse/signs of life.

DECEMBER 13

Just finished Part 2, and the first attempts at contact with the afterlife. I have an uneasy feeling about this. 

Page 103: "I am the house. Every room is a chamber of my heart, every hallway an artery, every beam a bone. All I need now is a ghost. I'm ready to be haunted."