Ghost Story

Title: Ghost Story

Author: Peter Straub

Published in: 1979

Date read: 27th July 2022

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Ghost Story" by Peter Straub is a complex and intricately woven supernatural horror novel that delves into the chilling consequences of past sins returning to haunt the present.

The story is set in the isolated, snowbound town of Milburn, New York. It revolves around the Chowder Society, a group of four elderly, prominent gentlemen: Ricky Hawthorne, Sears James, Lewis Benedikt, and Edward Wanderley. For decades, they have gathered to share terrifying "ghost stories," but their meetings are overshadowed by a dark, unspoken secret they all share, a terrible incident from their youth that has bound them together in guilt and fear.

Their lives are increasingly plagued by unsettling events: strange dreams, ghostly visitations, and inexplicable deaths that mimic their shared nightmares. The hauntings intensify, becoming more tangible and malevolent, leading to Lewis Benedikt's sudden, gruesome death.

Sears James, recognising the escalating danger, contacts his nephew, Don Wanderley, a writer of horror fiction who has just suffered a personal tragedy. Don is invited to Milburn, ostensibly to help chronicle the Chowder Society's experiences, but also perhaps to lend his expertise in the supernatural.

As Don arrives and begins to uncover the town's grim history and the Chowder Society's secret, the line between reality and the supernatural blurs. The hauntings are revealed to be connected to a beautiful but malevolent entity named Alma Mobley, a woman they encountered and, through a tragic accident, caused the death of decades ago. Alma Mobley is no ordinary ghost; she is a shapeshifting, vampiric entity, a "ghoul" who can assume various forms (including a chilling child named Evie, and other terrifying manifestations) and preys on the life force of the living.

The entity's power grows as it systematically targets the members of the Chowder Society and their families, seeking revenge and leaving a trail of death and madness. Don, alongside a young woman named Peter Barnes, who also has a mysterious connection to the supernatural, becomes entangled in the escalating horror.

The novel features multiple interwoven narratives and shifting perspectives, revealing the layered history of Milburn and the true nature of Alma Mobley and her past victims. The climax involves a desperate, brutal confrontation with the shapeshifting entity in the snow-covered town, as the remaining members of the Chowder Society, Don, and Peter fight to defeat the monster they inadvertently created and finally put its vengeful spirit to rest, or risk Milburn being consumed entirely. "Ghost Story" is a masterclass in atmospheric horror, exploring themes of guilt, memory, retribution, and the enduring power of past evils.

Comments:
Great story, I had been looking forward to reading one by Peter Straub on his own after enjoying The Talisman so much. Not at all disappointed.

Books that we've read by Peter Straub (1):
Ghost Story (1979)