"Gram calls photographs paper ghosts. She says they're the only ghosts everyone can see."
The women of Wester House have always been something of an enigma. They've inhabited their imposing North Carolina home for generations, their money and influence only part of what people talk about when their name comes up. Locals watch with fascination, even though they've learned it's best to keep their distance.
Back in 1976, eighteen-year-old Willamena Wester was desperate to get out from under the thumb of her grandmother, Alice. Alice had pretty much mapped out Wills's entire life for her, right down to the man she was supposed to marry. Of course, Wills wasn't exactly thrilled with any of it. Then Jack Vaughn, a musician passing through town, unexpectedly found himself stranded there. He and Wills formed an immediate connection, one that inspired her to finally imagine a future away from Wester House. But leaving isn't easy, and the choice Wills makes will forever alter the course of her life.
In the present day, Wills has become the formidable grandmother herself. Her granddaughter Bailey has spent years trying to distance herself from Wester House, but she's called home as Wills nears the end of her life. And it turns out her grandmother still has quite a bit she needs to tell her. As Wills begins sharing the truth about what happened in 1976, Bailey starts to see both her grandmother and their family history in a new light. The secrets the Wester women have kept for generations are finally coming to the surface, along with the ghosts—both literal and otherwise—that have followed them through the years.
In Paper Ghosts, Sarah Addison Allen writes a multigenerational family story that brings together romance, coming of age, and just a touch of magic. It's the kind of story I wouldn't normally pick up, if I'm being totally honest, but I was so drawn to the premise of this one that I couldn't resist. What I found was a novel filled with lyrical prose, brilliantly conceived characters, and a certain kind of charm that's difficult to put into words.
There's something almost enchanting about the way Allen tells this story. Even when she's writing about heartbreak, family secrets, and the complicated relationships between generations of women, there's a warmth running through it all that kept pulling me deeper into the lives of these characters.
Wills, in particular, won me over. We get to know her both as the eighteen-year-old desperate to escape the life her grandmother has planned for her and as the formidable woman she's become decades later. Seeing those two versions of her at once gives the character a depth that made her completely fascinating to me. Bailey, meanwhile, has spent so much of her life trying to get away from the Wester family that coming home forces her to reconsider not only who her grandmother really is, but how much of that history she's been carrying with her all along.
Maybe that's where some of the magic of Paper Ghosts comes from. The past never really feels like the past. It lives on in photographs, memories, old hurts, and the stories families tell about themselves. Sometimes those ghosts are literal, but more often they're the pieces of people and their stories that refuse to fade away.
I went into Paper Ghosts not really knowing if it would be my kind of book. Turns out, it was. There's something special about the way Sarah Addison Allen brings these characters and their stories to life, and by the end, I was completely caught up in the magic of it all. I'm really glad I decided to take a chance on this one.
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2026, 72)
Yeah! I LOVED this book, but I also loved all Allen's books. As you said, the stories are beautifully told, and she never fails to touch my heart. Glad you enjoyed your first SAA book!
ReplyDeleteI've read other books by her and really enjoyed them. I don't love multigenerational stories, so I haven't picked this one up. Good to know it turned out to be such a good read. And I do love books with lyrical prose. I'll have to put this one on my TBR list. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I read a multigenerational family book! I haven't read anything by Allen but hear consistently good things; might need to give this one a go.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to find a book that you're not sure you will like and you end up really enjoying it.
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