The Apparition Phase

By Will Maclean,

Book cover of The Apparition Phase

Book description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE 2021

'A delight for both the expert and the uninitiated, this creepy tale is a carapace of cosy nostalgia wrapped round a solid thread of dread ... A page turner that keeps you in dreaded suspense of what you are about to be shown ...…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Apparition Phase as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It’s rare these days for me to be so completely absorbed by a book that I only stop reading when I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.

This is 1970s Britain, an era I grew up in, the descriptions and atmosphere absolutely authentic. But the real grip was the subject matter. The storyline, expertly handled, was original and mesmerising, with twins Abi and Tim spookily worldly-wise teens with a paranormal obsession conjuring a fake ghost photograph to play a trick on gullible schoolmate, Janice Tupps.

The prank, however, rebounds shockingly, horrifically... This is both insightful and unnerving…

So good! A ghost story rich in texture, set in Britain during the seventies. Twins Tim and Abi live in an insular world, obsessed with the paranormal. After they prank a school friend with a fake ghost photograph events start to spiral out of control. Nostalgic without being syrupy, this book felt like stepping back into my own ghost-obsessed childhood. It’s that familiarity, as well as the slow burn of the strange and unnerving events, that kept me absolutely hooked.

From Daisy's list on provoking a sense of dread.

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