Ghost Eaters

April 25, 2022
Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane) probes the terrorizing psychological grip of addiction, both to drugs and to toxic relationships, in this psychedelic psychological horror novel. Erin has spent most of her adult life entwined with Silas, moving from a romantic attachment into a codependent friendship. Now, she’s just trying to keep him alive after years of addiction. But when he ditches rehab and ignores her intervention attempt, she finally kicks him out of her life—only for him to overdose and die days later. Following this tragedy, one of their mutual friends introduces a guilt-ridden Erin to Ghost, a new drug he and Silas were testing, which enables users to communicate with the dead and lets her to see Silas once more. She soon develops an addiction to Ghost. But the door to the land of the dead lets through more than just Silas—and, it turns out, it’s not so easily closed. Chapman captures the visceral tragedy of drug addiction and grief as he follows Erin through the unhealthy relationships she has with both herself and others. Rife with body horror and hallucinations, some of which may get a bit too trippy for some, the narrative sucks readers into its dark, disorienting world. It’s equal parts moving and gruesome.

July 1, 2022

The latest novel from Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane) starts off in a Richmond, VA, cemetery with four young adults who are mostly content in their drug-fueled haze as their ringleader, Silas, brings them to a mausoleum for a s�ance. What Silas doesn't bank on is actual ghosts showing up. Erin, now Silas's ex-girlfriend, dodges his calls after this, but then Silas dies, leading Erin to honor his dying wish that she take the drug called "Ghost" that made him see the ghosts. Then the original group of friends who were at the s�ance perform another ritual to try to draw Silas out. What they unleash is so much worse than what they expected, and the plot escalates as Erin's hauntings worsen with centuries of ghosts and revenants suddenly everywhere she goes. The Silas hauntings are disturbing and get progressively worse as the novel goes on. VERDICT With similarities to the horror movies Flatliners and Bodies Bodies Bodies, minus the humor, Chapman's story comes to a head as readers begin to understand that Ghost has so much more of a morbid meaning in this enthralling addiction horror tale.--Anita Siraki

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2022
Erin, Silas, Tobias, and Amara are best friends living in Richmond, Virginia. While three of them have begun their adult lives, Silas, their ringleader and Erin's on-again, off-again partner, has been in and out of rehab. After Silas is found dead from an overdose, the group learns that he discovered a drug that allowed him to see the dead. Erin, wanting one more chance to see Silas, takes the pill and begins a descent into a squirm-inducing world filled with desperate souls, wandering ghosts, and inescapable nightmares. Told entirely from Erin's point of view, this is an original story of being physically haunted, but it also depicts the true horrors of addiction. Is Erin an addict, or is she actually surrounded by ghosts who want a taste of the drug that is taking over her body? Either way, Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane, 2021) has created an experience so anxiety inducing, immersive, and intense that readers will feel like something is actually there, lurking over their shoulder as they turn the pages. A great choice for fans of A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay (2015), Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020), and Orphans of Bliss, edited by Mark Matthews (2022).

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
Erin, Silas, Tobias, and Amara are best friends living in Richmond, Virginia. While three of them have begun their adult lives, Silas, their ringleader and Erin's on-again, off-again partner, has been in and out of rehab. After Silas is found dead from an overdose, the group learns that he discovered a drug that allowed him to see the dead. Erin, wanting one more chance to see Silas, takes the pill and begins a descent into a squirm-inducing world filled with desperate souls, wandering ghosts, and inescapable nightmares. Told entirely from Erin's point of view, this is an original story of being physically haunted, but it also depicts the true horrors of addiction. Is Erin an addict, or is she actually surrounded by ghosts who want a taste of the drug that is taking over her body? Either way, Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane, 2021) has created an experience so anxiety inducing, immersive, and intense that readers will feel like something is actually there, lurking over their shoulder as they turn the pages. A great choice for fans of A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay (2015), Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020), and Orphans of Bliss, edited by Mark Matthews (2022).

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.