Broken Ghosts
Ratings1
Average rating5
Spring, 1985. Twelve year old Phoebe MacDonald's world is falling apart. She has just buried her parents, a fire at their family home claiming both in a freak accident. Now she must leave Scotland, the only place she has ever known, and go to live with her uncle Louis and aunt Maude in their home in the Welsh woods. As spring turns to summer, Phoebe falls slowly into the rhythm of life with her eccentric guardians in their curious home. But there is no one her age in the nearby village, and she is lonely until she meets a strange girl, Gwyneth, who wanders the surrounding forest barefoot and alone. Outsiders both, the two girls form a strong bond, though nobody else seems to believe that Gwyneth is real. Phoebe knows better, and soon with her new friend's help, she begins to see the woods for what they truly are - a place of magic and wonder, where the line between life and death is blurred. Where spirits roam and secrets fester. Something happened here, a lifetime ago. A wrong that yearns to be put right. The answer is within Phoebe's grasp, but will revealing it put her in grave danger? For the woods hold a dark truth, and some will do anything to keep it in the shadows.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Books, particularly in the crime thriller genre, have brought me so much pleasure and enjoyment over the years. Every so often however, a book will come along and linger in my thoughts for a long time after I've closed its cover for the final time. There had been three such books to date (I'm not going to name them here, this is not their review, but if you ask in the comments, I will tell you.)
Now, there is a fourth.
Broken Ghosts is a hauntingly beautiful coming of age story. In it we follow 12 year old Phoebe who, following the death of her parents, finds herself moving to a remote area of Wales, to live with her uncle and aunt.
That's as much of the plot I'm willing to give away, except to say there is a dual timeline; 1985 and 2023. Both timelines are from Phoebe's POV.
There is an air of melancholy and poignancy throughout, but Phoebe's resilience in the aftermath of tragedy shines through.
All of the characters are likeable, some poignantly so.
I can't put into words how much I loved this book. Read it for yourself, and you'll understand what I mean.
