THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB, by Craig Davidson

THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB, by Craig Davidson

Penguin Random House -  2018

Narrated by Corey Brill

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I simply cannot express how much I enjoyed this story. 

The summer Jake Baker turned twelve years old, he spent a lot of time with his eccentric and quirky uncle Calvin, proprietor of the local occult shop. It is also the summer he met some of his closest life-long friends and the summer that he fell in love for the first time. Together they created the Saturday Night Ghost Club, and explored local landmarks in their town of Niagara Falls - A.K.A. Cataract City (a nod to Davidson's previous work short-listed for the Giller Prize), and the ghostly legend attached to them. Jake learns much about life that summer, including the fact that even urban legends sometimes contain a grain of truth.  

This book is so much more than it appears on its cover.  Told in alternating time lines between the young Jake and the grown up Jake who became a neurosurgeon, it explores the relationship between mind, memory, and the delicate nature of the organ that holds them. it  is testimony to both the strength and fragility of the human spirit.  It is filled with heartbreak and hope. 

This is one of those stories that i picked up for one reason, but will carry with me as part of my being for many more.  I am not surprised that this book is shortlisted for the Roger's Writer's Trust Award this year. The writing is powerful, yet delicate. 

Narration was provided by Cory Brill - who has an impressive list of acting and narrating credits to his name. His performance was on point and his voice was the perfect match for this breathtaking story. 

This beautiful story has secured a place in my favorite reads of 2018. I cannot recommend it enough.

Happy Reading,
Christine