Violet Ghosts
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
From William C. Morris and Edgar Award finalist Leah Thomas comes an ethereal, thought-provoking YA tale about a teen who can see ghosts . . . and helps them avenge their deaths.
Dani's best friend, Sarah, is a ghost. But maybe that's normal when you've spent your childhood running from an abusive parent.
Dani and Sarah might be more than friends, though Dani dares not say so. Dani is afraid that if he tells Sarah he's trans, she won't bother haunting him anymore. Sarah's got good reason to distrust boys, having been strangled by one.
After Sarah and Dani come across another ghost haunted by her own brutal murder, they set out to bring peace and safety to spirits like her. But when an old rival reenters Dani's life, their unexpected friendship gives Dani a strange new feeling of belonging. As Dani starts to find his place in the living world, he'll need to let go of his ghosts.
Equal parts chilling, raw, and emotionally resonant, acclaimed author Leah Thomas's ghost story for the #MeToo era is about reclaiming trauma and finding peace among true friends.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 2002, 15-year-old Dani, who is transgender and white, worries about telling his best and only friend, Sarah—the sardonic ghost of a brown-skinned teenage murder victim, who distrusts men, having been killed by one—that he's a boy. Abused by his now-estranged father, Dani has felt emboldened by Sarah's righteous anger since their meeting four years back, and he doesn't know how to cope with his trauma without her constant presence under his bed or possessing his Game Boy. As the two begin to rescue the ghosts of other female murder victims in their small Michigan town, and Dani develops a healthy friendship with Japanese American Seiji, he realizes that he and Sarah are keeping one another from finding peace. A few loose threads are left dangling and one significant plot point is underexplored, but Thomas (Because You'll Never Meet Me) writes complex characters, all of whom have experienced trauma, with compassion, deftly exploring the ways in which codependency can obstruct healing. Early-2000s references create a memorable atmosphere and clever metaphors in this dark, thoughtful ghost story. Ages 14–up. ■
