Review: "Ghosted" by Amanda Quain

 

Ghosted by Amanda Quain
Published July 2023 via Wednesday Books
★★★

3.5 stars. Hattie Tilney doesn't believe in ghosts. She used to: they were her father's passion, and so they were her passion as well. But grief changes things, and over the past three years Hattie has molded herself into someone who not only doesn't believe in ghosts but has actively sought out as normal and conventional a life as possible. Her high school's campus is a hotbed for ghost hunters, though, and when Kit Morland enrolls in her school—on a scholarship funded by the National Paranormal Society of Investigators, no less—it's harder than ever to pretend that everything is normal.

Ghosted is inspired by Northanger Abbey, and while part of me wishes I'd reread Northanger Abbey before tackling this (it's not one of Austen's works that I know particularly well!), there's no need to be conversant in Austen to read this. As with Quain's Accomplished, Ghosted cheerfully sidesteps the desire to retell a story that's been retold many times before—though, admittedly, I've seen many more retellings of Pride and Prejudice than of Northanger Abbey—in favor of taking the original as inspiration and then running with it. It's been one of my favorite things about Quain's books, because I've read enough Austen retellings to know that a lot of the exact details of her books don't translate well to the modern day, and I prefer versions that get creative with it.

Hattie hasn't let herself show much personality over the past three years, preferring to blend in as quietly as possible...but that doesn't mean she (and, crucially, the author) doesn't have a sense of humor. It's mostly snarky asides to the reader—"in case you were wondering, the proper term for a group of paranormal enthusiasts was 'an annoyance'" (loc. 63*)—but given that the book carries some fairly heavy themes of grief and feelings of abandonment, the levity made for some nice balance.

The one thing I wanted more of: more ghost hunting! There's a bit of it, but oh man. At one point (staying vague to avoid spoilers) a character mentions a ghost-hunting podcast, and there's another point involving a chain saw when Hattie thinks that "if one of the campus tour groups spotted us now, we'd spawn an entirely new Northanger legend" (loc. 2736), and given that Northanger Abbey was a bit of a spoof itself (Ghosted is much less satirical), I can't tell you how entertained I'd be to see something that took one of those things and, you know, ran with it.

Recommended for readers of Austen retellings and light ghost stories—I'll happily keep reading Quain's retellings.

*I read an advance copy, so quotes and location numbers may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.