Left with PTSD and facial scars after an attack 9 months ago, eccentric portrait artist Micah finds the sanctuary of his home disrupted by signs of a haunting. Between 80’s synth pop and motivational messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah is more charmed than frightened by Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo’s ghost suddenly disappears, Micah’s determined to lure him back.
Dramatic, unconventional and very much alive, sculpture artist Cosmo mourns his old self. His boyfriend’s a serial cheater, he’s continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he’s lost his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment’s being haunted by a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. Seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out.
In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah’s paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. To find a future where they can be happy together, they must confront their trauma once and for all.
THE FACTS
📕Original, genre defying
📗Character driven
📘Lovely, sweet, still confronting at times
📙well written, engaging, quirky
THE REVIEW
First, I’d like to thank Angry Robot Books for introducing me to Al Hess! What a wonderful addition to my favourite author list! I’m happy to be a part of the tour for such a great book. Check out the other reviews and posts!
I didn’t know what to expect when I first read “Shake Out the Ghosts” but it’s one of my favourite reads of the year so far.
Micah has his little fortress of a home. He’s retreated there after a terrible attack that left him changed physically and mentally. But then… he begins to experience unbelievable things…things that lead him to believe that there’s a ghost haunting his haven. The ghost… Cosmo isn’t exactly frightening… they’re more… amusing, charming and supportive. It’s all a bit strange but Micah is intrigued and when his ghost disappears as quickly as he arrived, Micah wants him back. Cosmo may be exactly the person to help Micah heal and move back into the world.
With a flip of the page, Cosmo is introduced. Oh, Cosmo is lovely: vibrant, artistic, buzzing with creativity, a social butterfly. All Cosmo really wants is to be loved and valued. But Cosmo too is struggling. Their boyfriend is part cheater and part stalker, their job at the gallery seems to be stagnant and they are stuck.
When these two characters come together it was as though little fireflies were circling them on the page. There is a gentleness to Hess’ writing that was soothing despite the heavy subject matter that is covered at times.
Cosmo and Micah are both growing and changing. Once they are together, they begin to realize that what is going on around them is larger than them both, something much rarer and … potentially … dangerous. There’s much for these two souls to untangle, much to challenge them and so many possibilities. I don’t want to give it away. I think the most wonderful way to go into this story is to trust in it and just go along for the ride.
I recently finished “World Running down” and some of the things I loved about that book are also very present in this one. Hess has a way of writing characters that makes them seen very genuine. There are glorious explorations of gender, and sexuality in Hess’ writing and it’s a world that I felt immediately comfortable in.
The writing is smooth and lyrical, gentle and engaging. The pacing was balanced. Complex time shifts and alternating POVs were handled skillfully by the author and none of it took me out of the novel. This is a wonderful story, it’s original, defies categorization and left me feeling a sense of joy and hope. What a gift!
THE LINKS
🖊 Author
I was provided with an ARC of Shake Out the Ghosts by Angry Robot Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
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