Tim narrated the story as an adult, recalling his childhood time with his twin sister Abigail, where both are obsessed with photographs of ghostly apparitions. They spend their evenings in the attic discussing hauntings, supernatural, macabre and unexplained. They are excited but horrified at the same time by the discoveries of ghostly stories and photos.
Tim and Abi decide to fake a ghost photo to frighten their classmate Janice. When Janice sees the picture, she is terrified and later fainted in the class. Tim and Abi begin to worry, wondering whether their prank probably is going too far this time. They try to explain to Janice about the fake ghost photo and invite her to their attic to see how they created it. Abi thinks the matter will be settled after Janice visits the attic. Unfortunately, Janice acts differently when they are in the attic. And she tells them that they had awakened something in the attic that has been waiting in the darkness.
The remaining story focuses on Tim and no longer related to the fake ghost photo, and Abi is “missing” together with the story as well. I felt the story doesn’t excite me or stir my anticipation to know what happens next because there were no directions to lead me somewhere. I couldn’t find any connections, and the entire story doesn’t bind together.
The twins concocting a photo of a ghost in their attic was a captivating start. As the story continues, I got confused because the story goes towards a different path, as if someone else is struggling to finish a story left by another author.
After finishing the book, ironically, I felt I was part of the ghost-hunting group after knowing the truth. The ending didn’t give me the closure of how Tim returns home, or maybe I am the one who couldn’t grasp the vagueness of it. There was nothing to tie the storyline together to construct a story. This is also my first time reading an epilogue that is unrelated to the story. It made me wonder whether the entire story is about Tim’s life of supernatural experience or the story of a random manor in the countryside. Although I didn’t feel enthusiastic about the story, I’m glad others knew how to appreciate it. This will motivate the debutant writer and how I wish I have the same thought as others.
ISBN: 9781473575899 (ebook)
Number of Pages: 384
Rating: ★★ (2/5)
More reviews can be found on Goodreads: The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean.