It was way back in late 2019 sometime (I think) that the book, Lucinda's Ghost, was published afresh.
The author, Cedrix E. Clarke, held a competition on Twitter where the creepiest piece of (Twitter-length) micro-fiction would win a free hard copy. I'm proud to say that I won with my tweet featuring creepy spiders 😁
I'm not so proud of the fact that, between a house move, pandemic lockdown, a lively toddler, and full-time working from home, I only unpacked my special, signed copy of Lucinda's Ghost on the Easter break 2021.
I started in, resigned to having to read in dribs and drabs as I found snippets of time. But instead, the Reading Gods smiled on me and I got unbroken one-hour stretches to read, race through, go back, savour, drink it in.
Yesterday, I had the final couple of chapters to go and I had to start work. I actually pushed out my work starting time, so I could quickly read how the story ended - I couldn't bear to not know! And then, I got to work with eyes that might have been a bit shiny. For the rest of the day, I was smiling and different parts of the story played in my head.
Lucinda is an eleven-year-old on holiday at the beach when she meets a ghost in a blue suit, Bob. Their journeys become intertwined as he helps her navigate the dynamics of her family and she helps him find and be reunited with his family.
The story is well-paced, flows over you like the ocean flows around your feet, and is very believable and true-to-life. Readers in the 10-15 age bracket will connect to Lucinda, who is believable, introspective, loves reading, and shows a quiet, intense bravery-on-the-inside - especially during those nerve-wracking moments where you grip the pages that little bit harder.
Unlike some kids' books, adults are very present in the story - all with their individual reactions that add to the story's realness - and all are integral to how the story moves along. I especially loved how the metaphysics of how ghosts were conceptualised - beautifully imagined and described, and somehow detailed but with the unknown left unexplained and real.
Lucinda's Ghost is a story that will haunt you in the best possible way.
Buy and read. You will enjoy!
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