Book Review: How to Hear Ghosts by David Griffiths

In the wake of his mother’s death, 16-year-old Ollie is thrust into the world of his uncle, Dominic Quinn, a renowned stage medium. Communing with the dead runs in Ollie’s family – or so he believes. But as he starts to hear voices in his head, he must confront the possibility that they are no more than a spiral into hereditary madness.

Haunted by the mysterious letter that plagued his mum’s final days, Ollie embarks on a quest for answers. With the help of one of his uncle’s mysterious books and the support of his classmate, Hannah, Ollie delves into the secrets surrounding his mother’s past.

But as he navigates the blurred line between reality and the paranormal, he must face a daunting question: will it make him famous like his uncle, or dead like his mother? In this gripping young adult novel, Ollie discovers that sometimes, the most terrifying ghosts are the ones we carry inside.

GENRE: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For many years David Griffiths has taught a variety of subjects (including English, Psychology, History and Sociology) in Further Education colleges in East Yorkshire - the inspiration for the setting for his book. More recently he has taught English and Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. David completed How to Hear Ghosts as part of a PhD in Creative Writing while attending Manchester Met University as a student. Born in Stoke-on- Trent, he now lives in Formby, Liverpool.

Review

We make a big deal of death [...] but what we don't acknowledge is that it's something we need. If it wasn't for loss and suffering, we wouldn't love anyone because we wouldn't worry about them or feel the need to do something significant with the time we have with them. We love people because we know the day will come when they are no longer here.

This book is marketed as a coming-of-age story exploring male anxieties, but at the core of it? It's about grief and loss and death. And that's important to know going in, I think, because if you're expecting a lot of paranormal stuff based on the blurb, then you might be disappointed.

Sure there's some of that. Ollie, the protagonist, does try to talk to ghosts. His uncle, Dominic, who's a stage medium, has a show where he channels spirits, and there's a scene where he holds a seance. But the story mostly revolves around a mysterious letter, Ollie coping (badly) with his mother's death, and family secrets. It's a page turner, for sure, because by using first person POV, the author really lets us into Ollie's head, and we get as confused and anxious as he is. At some point I wasn't sure who or what to believe in, either! Which I can say was quite an accomplishment for the author, considering how first person can be tricky.

I also quite liked the additions of some non-traditional prose elements: the letter, the text messages, the article, the book excerpts.

Overall, it's a really interesting read! It kept me wondering what was real and how it was all going to end. And I worried about Ollie, I really did.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

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If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.