Review: 'The Ghost Variatons: One Hundred Stories' by Kevin Brockmeier

 I don't believe in ghosts, which is a shame because I love reading about them. I just assume I would've seen one by now, you know... I do believe in a place being haunted, however. It can be haunted in our minds by its history, by the people who lived and died there. You will walk into a graveyard and feel the countless of people who have come there either to rest forever or to mourn. So of course The Ghost Variations, with its one hundred stories, would be the thing for me. Thanks to Pantheon, Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Pub. Date: 03/09/2021
Publisher: Pantheon; Knopf Doubleday

Ghost stories tap into our most primal emotions as they encourage us to confront the timeless question: What comes after death? Here, in tales that are by turn scary, funny, philosophic, and touching, you’ll find that question sharpened, split, reconsidered—and met with a multitude of answers.
 
A spirit who is fated to spend eternity reliving the exact moment she lost her chance at love, ghostly trees that haunt the occupant of a wooden house, specters that snatch anyone who steps into the shadows, and parakeets that serve as mouthpieces for the dead: these are just a few of the characters in this extraordinary compendium of one hundred ghost stories. Kevin Brockmeier’s fiction has always explored the space between the fantastical and the everyday with profundity and poignancy. As in his previous books, The Ghost Variations discovers new ways of looking at who we are and what matters to us, exploring how mysterious, sad, strange, and comical it is to be alive—or, as it happens, not to be.

Like I said above, I don't really believe in ghosts. While The Ghost Variations didn't necessarily change my mind on this question of whether they exist or not, they did make me reassess what we consider under the term ghosts. Like I said, I'm superstitious/suspicious enough that I should have seen a ghost in the traditional sense now. No one has come knocking over glasses and stacking chairs, however. I have visited "haunted" places, though, in which history is palpable. I have also had déjà vus and have had what I can only describe as odd moments in which I wasn't quite sure what I was seeing. So going into The Ghost Variations I was wondering what Brockmeier would add to my understanding of ghosts. This collection contains a deeply human set of stories, stories that assess what is ghostly by describing what is human. And so we have stories about ghosts not being able to let certain conversations or moments go, ghosts who hold grudges, ghosts who are lonely and ghosts who want to be alone. If anything, The Ghost Variations re-affirmed my adoration for the weirdness that is humanity.

Each of the stories is short, most shorter than two pages, and yet each packs a punch. The stories feel less like fully-fledged "stories" and more like impressions, memories, or folk tales. Whether it is about the ghost haunting the mountain, the woman wondering who is haunting whom, or the child convinced his neighbour's ghost might be his friend as well, each of these stories has a warm touch, accompanied by a sneaky chill down the spine. The Ghost Variations is not straightforward scary stuff, you won't turn from pages of twists to pages of turns, but much like Black Mirror episodes, each story will contain a warning or question that will stick with you. What makes up a life? What is freedom and what does it mean to "be yourself"? Are we alone or is there more out there? What makes a human? These questions are repeated themes throughout the collection and each story puts a new spin on them. 

This was my first experience with Kevin Brockmeier and I greatly enjoyed it. I loved how human his stories were, the little details that elevated the overall picture, the way he played with language. Each story is clearly different from the next, which is quite something considering there are a hundred stories here. As they are so short, it is easy to dip in and out of the collection and really savour the experience. For some the shortness of the stories might be a downfall, however, as it could be hard to connect to each story fully. The collection is also broken into different sections, such as 'Ghosts and Memory' or 'Ghosts and Numbers', which gives some organization to what would otherwise be an insurmountable mountain of stories. The little illustrations you see on the cover are also present within the book. Each story is accompanied by a little illustration, which was a nice touch. Overall, I was wholly on board with The Ghost Variations and Brockmeier.

I give this collection...

4 Universes!

The Ghost Variations is a delightful collection of a hundred ghost stories, each with its own twist. While not all are scary and not all will be a hit with the reader equally, there is something for most readers in here. If you like ghosts, it's a definite yes!