A Haunted Outhouse: Full of Crap

When a suburban family plans a week of fishing on a tiny island in a huge lake in the North Woods, they expect to relax and reconnect. What they don't expect is to share the island with a third child, one who is not theirs. In this subtly chilling ghost tale, the real world and the other world merge into one.

HARP ISLAND by Colleen McManus Hein disappointed me immensely. The setup is long and dragged out, and the ghost doesn't make an appearance until nearly halfway through the story. There is very little interaction between the living and the dead, and the author does absolutely nothing with the ghost. Not to mention the lack of depth with the family characters. When I reached the end, I wondered what the point had been.

The story should've begun with the family arriving at the island, and the author should have provided some sort of background story for the ghost. Even some local folklore provided by the fishing guide would've been a huge improvement. I really don't understand why Hein labeled her story "a ghost novella" and not use the ghost in any way, other than snapping tree branches.

As always,
AstraDaemon