#Blogtour How to Hear Ghosts by David Griffiths

It's my turn on the Blogtour How to Hear Ghosts by David Griffiths.

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.

About the book

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 runsi 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.

Review

I think the author does an excellent job of creating a mystery within a question to which there is no answer, because the truth is we don't know everything and don't have access to all the information to be able to answer the question with absolute certainty. Is there something beyond death, is there a possibility of communicating with what remains of the dead - the spirit, soul or energy even?

Or is all it just a grand ruse? An illusion within hundreds of smaller ones, perpetrated by the intuitive, the clever con-people, the scam artists, and the people under the guise of inherited ability connected to folklore and legend. Those groups being divided again by profit, a deep need to help others soothe their pain and conscience, and actual believers.

In this story Ollie falls into another group, into the mental illness category. When voices are nothing more than a figment of imagination, a symptom that can be medicated, and also be manipulated by others. But the question - the real question in this story - is what is real, what is truth and what is Ollie's reality?

Will there be more? Is this just the beginning of our relationship with Ollie as he navigates what he has discovered about himself and the world he inhabits or the world he thinks he inhabits? And what will he do with his truth?

It's a good read, one that keeps the reader on the cusp of something similar to a door, which has been intentionally opened just ever so slightly so we have a quick peep and become just a tad curious about the rest. Okay then, what's next!

Buy How to Hear Ghosts at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Wrate's Publishing; pub date 4th April 2024 | Paperback £9.99 | Kindle £3.99. Available via Amazon and to order in all good bookshops. Buy at Amazon com.