The Saturday Night Ghost Club – Craig Davidson
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [from the dustjacket] Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls--a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place--Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly lighthearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.
Expectation: A story of outcast teens saving Niagara Falls from what lurks in the shadows – basically a Canadian "Stranger Things."
Reality: The only ghosts present are the ones that haunt us, but the story hits enough of the right notes to keep you interested.
Recommended For: Fans of coming-of-age stories.
Why I Read It: The “hot deals” on Apple Books strikes again!
My Take:
I saved this book for spooky season because I expected, you know, actual ghosts, still I wasn’t disappointed by this miscategorized nostalgia trip.
Each chapter starts with adult Jake reflecting on his experiences as a neurosurgeon and how events of a single summer helped prepare him for the difficult moments of his job.
These passages give the book an emotional heft that I wasn’t expecting and drove home the point that some of the horrors of growing up – bullies, disastrous first loves, dangerous “near” experiences – may stay buried in your psyche but the lessons from them never leave you.
At the center of the story is a sweet relationship between Jake and his eccentric Uncle Cal – one of his only friends – who helps fuel his imagination (and nightmares) with the wares in his occult gift shop.
Cal starts The Saturday Night Ghost Club to help new kid Billy cope with the death of his grandmother, and to help shy Jake bond with a potential friend. But as the weeks go on, and one urban legend after another seems to elicit a strong emotional reaction from Cal, it becomes clear the ghosts are internal and not supernatural.
Davidson hits the right notes as he explores mental illness, the lingering pain of loss and the importance of friends and family – and he even had me tearing up from time-to-time – but “Ghost Club” never quite nails the emotional heft he’s going for, and there’s something a little soulless about how it ended.
A little more digging by Davidson and this could've easily been a hidden gem in the coming-of-age genre. Regardless, it’s still an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Format: E-book (personal library)
Dates read: October 11 – 18, 2020
Multi-tasking: N/A
