Books › Ghostgirl
Ghostgirl
Homecoming
336 pages
A delightfully macabre satire of high school hierarchy where social death is literal but the friendships are surprisingly full of life.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a 2000s mall goth fever dream, complete with striped tights, dark eyeliner, and a surprisingly tender heart. The narrative moves at a brisk, punk-pop tempo, delivering crisp, deadpan dialogue that skewers the absolute life-or-death stakes of high school popularity. It wraps you in a darkly whimsical, Tim Burton-esque atmosphere where the afterlife is just another cafeteria to navigate. Beneath the campy, macabre humor and stylized prose lies a deeply relatable exploration of teenage invisibility and the desperate yearning to be seen. It is a perfect, nostalgic feast for anyone who ever felt like an outcast, offering a witty, phantasmal journey that ultimately champions genuine connection over superficial status.
- Mood
- darkly whimsical
- campy
- quirky-goth
- phantasmal
- Tone
- satirical
- deadpan
- witty
- macabre
- heartfelt
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- teenage invisibility · absurdity of social hierarchies · desperation to belong · finding true friendship
- The writing
- Crisp, pun-heavy, and stylized with a rhythmic, punk-pop energy that leans heavily into dark humor.
- The arc
- Moves from a desperate, status-obsessed yearning to a genuine, heartfelt realization of self-worth and true connection.
- Who it's for
- Former mall goths, Tim Burton devotees, and anyone who ever felt entirely invisible in the high school cafeteria.
Content notes
- death of a teen
- bullying
- coma
- comedic macabre elements
About the book
Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep.And if I should die before I awake,I pray the popular attend my wake.Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal. If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen. Praise for ghostgirl: Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying."--Kirkus (starred review)"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read."--School Library Journal (starred review) "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)"Written with deadpan wit...this is a 'Wonderful Life'-like tale." -New York Post"A sincere (and humorous) exploration of how we all feel invisible at one time or another...perfect read." -CosmoGirl
Description from Open Library.
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