The Ghost in the House

The Ghost in the House / Sara O'Leary
TO: Doubleday Canada, c2020.
208 p.

This was an unexpected find. I picked it up thanks to the appealing cover, and the back writeup -- it sounded intriguing and kind of quirky. Fay has a lovely house she's always wanted, is married to a wonderful man, and is planning her life as an artist. But then she starts to realize something is not quite right. As the blurb says, "What if a ghost were haunting your house? What if you were the ghost?"

This book is fairly short and an easy read stylistically. But it is also more emotionally drawn than I'd expected. It's poignant, funny in bits, and yet very sad. I was taken aback by how verklempt I was in the end. There are deep questions in it, about relationships, and time, and the meaning of life. 

Fay's slow realization of her situation is both as quirky as expected and also really moving. Her memories of meeting her husband Alex, their relationship, finding and decorating their home, the dollhouse in her front room; all these visceral details are rich and develop Fay's character. The elements of relationships and what people owe to one another, past and future, are highlighted and are a compelling theme of this story.

There are some lovely characters in this book, from Fay herself to the teenage girl she finds living in her house. It's an interesting concept, and well executed. I read it straight through, and found it affecting. If you're not ready to read about grief and loss, give this a pass until you are. But if you are, and find this unusual approach intriguing, I do recommend it.