Ghost Eaters: A Novel

Name: Ghost Eaters: A Novel
Rating: 5.86 (101 reviews)
ISBN: 9781683693789

"A Gothic-punk graveyard tale about what haunts history and what haunts the human soul. An addicting read that draws you into its descent from the first page."--Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of The Book of Accidents

One of Vulture's Best Horror Novels of 2022, this terrifying supernatural page-turner will make you think twice about opening doors to the unknown.

Erin hasn't been able to set a single boundary with her charismatic but reckless college ex-boyfriend, Silas. When he asks her to bail him out of rehab--again--she knows she needs to cut him off. But days after he gets out, Silas turns up dead of an overdose in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and Erin's world falls apart.

Then a friend tells her about Ghost, a new drug that allows users to see the dead. Wanna get haunted? he asks. Grieving and desperate for closure with Silas, Erin agrees to a pill-popping "sÃ(c)ance." But the drug has unfathomable side effects--and once you take it, you can never go back.

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Published Jun 6, 2023

301 pages

Average rating: 5.86

101 RATINGS

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clairekam

Jun 29, 2026

6/10 stars

An interesting read about grief, death and addiction, with a dash of fungal horror thrown in. The novel covers a lot of potent ideas regarding death, reincarnation and how the living are left to deal with the aftermath of a loved one’s death, or sometimes how they can’t deal with it at all. Told through the perspective of a protagonist who leans at times into unreliable narrator territory, the author leaves a great deal up to interpretation while also spoon feeding you other information. A fairly good novel that had some noticeable flaws regarding establishing some plot points and highlighting settings that did not pan out and the author didn’t know how to work back into the book as it progressed. A movie forced into novel format and you can tell at times.

KeasnowReady

Apr 28, 2026

6/10 stars

I really wanted to like this book, but it made me so uncomfortable, but I think that was the point. If you know someone or have been an addict in some capacity this book really digs in on the reality of addiction. It was impactful, but I wouldn't recommend to sensitive readers who have been around addiction in their own lives unless they want to reopen those wounds. But an interesting take on grief and how it can consume you.

lizac

Dec 09, 2024

8/10 stars

a very unique portrait of addiction, grief, and loss

Tichymitchy

Dec 08, 2024

9/10 stars

This book was shockingly good and emotionally provoking. A horrific twist on grief that grips you and doesn’t let go.

Amanda Brown

Dec 04, 2023

6/10 stars

So. Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman.

Erin, Silas, Amara, and Tobias are friends, mostly led by Silas, who, essentially, do a bunch of stupid college kid shit. Silas becomes an addict and is really good at bossing Erin around when he needs anything. Eventually, Silas dies from an overdose, and Tobias introduces the rest to Ghost, a drug that lets you see the dead.

Amara is smart and gets away, but Erin, no backbone Erin, is sucked in. Oof. This takes some weird, creepy twists but wasn't scary. No character had redeemable qualities, in my opinion, so I was ok with the outcome.