Ghostly (Audrey Niffenegger)

Ghostly is a collection of 16 ghost stories from 15 different authors (including stalwarts like Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Wharton, M.R. James, Neil Gaiman, Rudyard Kipling, and Ray Bradbury). The tales were selected, and each introduced, by Audrey Niffenegger. (Some of her illustrations feature throughout, too.) From her overall introduction: "Ghost stories are a literature of loneliness and longing." "The stories in this collection are English and American and range across more than 170 years. They are not diverse or representative; they are only stories I have chosen because I like them . . . [due to] their vivid evocations of order disrupted, sudden awful knowledge, . . ." and more.

I was pleasantly surprised with this collection; I really enjoyed most of the presented stories. Ghost stories as a genre are writings I think I like—I want to like—but often feel let down upon reading them. (I'm the same with folk tales.) There are a lot of bad ghost stories out there, but a lot of good ones, too, and I was impressed here. What grabbed me—and what makes a ghost story truly spooky—is what Niffenegger calls "their vivid evocations of order disrupted." It isn't tale of vampires, ghosts, or other such things. Rather, it is the evil in the world—and in me. The imposter we know shouldn't be here yet pervades this life. And, it is the consequences of evil that leave us empty and longing, and (when no solution is presented) can end in breakdowns and insanity. The tales presented here do a good job of exploring these difficult topics, even if they don't offer any solution (and indeed, many tales end in a state of uncertainty, which I found maddening but also appropriate). Overall, this is recommended.

Rating: A-