Ghosted

May 15, 2023
In this gender-bent Northanger Abbey retelling, straitlaced skeptic Hattie Tilney, a high school senior who cues as white, attends boarding school at a storied and allegedly haunted abbey. Once a devotee of all things supernatural, Hattie renounced her belief in ghosts when her paranormal enthusiast father died during her freshman year. All Hattie wants now is to study pre-law at her dream college, protect her reckless younger brother and avoid her chaotic older sister, and be a model daughter for her absent mother, the school’s headmistress. But when she’s paired up with enthusiastic new student—and staunch believer in the paranormal—Kit Morland, also white, for an investigative journalism project about ghostly activity on campus, Hattie finds herself digging up memories and emotions she’d rather keep buried. As the two grow closer, Hattie gradually confronts her feelings of loss, all while learning to seek joy in things she once loved. Through introspective prose, Quain (Accomplished) illustrates the ways in which Hattie uses hyper-independence and practicality to mask her grief and loneliness. Quick-witted humor, banter, and a slow-burn romance evoke familiar Austenian relationship fare, making this cozy read a satisfyingly modern take on a classic. Hattie and Kit read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Moe Ferrara, BookEnds Literary.