The Ghost Variations

One Hundred Stories

by Kevin Brockmeier

Description
The author of the acclaimed novel The Brief History of the Dead now gives us one hundred funny, poignant, scary, and thought-provoking ghost stories that explore all aspects of the afterlife.

A spirit who appears in a law firm reliving the exact moment she lost her chance at love, a man haunted by the trees cut down to build his house, nefarious specters that snatch anyone who steps into the shadows in which they live, and parakeets that serve as mouthpieces for the dead–these are just a few of the characters Kevin Brockmeier presents in this extraordinary compendium of spectral emanations and their wildly various purposes in (after) life.
     These tales are by turns playful, chilling, and philosophical, paying homage to the genre while audaciously subverting expectations. The ghosts in these pages are certain to haunt you well after you’ve closed the book.

My thoughts: I read The Brief History of the Dead 12 years ago and still fondly remember it which made me want to read The Ghost Variations. I enjoyed finding out that the afterlife seems to still be a big theme in Kevin Brockmeier’s writing. These Ghost stories are fun, sad, scary, puzzling and beautiful, I liked how they were grouped in different categories like Ghosts and Nature, Ghosts and Friendship etc. But you can just pick up this lovely collection and just read a story whenever the mood strikes you.