Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen ~ a Review

by Donna Hubert

Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, Paper Ghosts will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2026; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250283429
audio, ebook, print (288 pages); magical realism

I read a book years ago by Sarah Addison Allen, but at the time her writing was too Southern fiction for me, and I was just getting into magical realism. But I was looking for titles for some Halloween features and saw this book. I'm glad I picked up Paper Ghosts.

While it is set in North Carolina, it didn't read like Southern fiction. Magical Realism, though, is very strong in this book. If you are looking for an atmospheric book, then you should strongly consider this one.

Paper Ghosts is spooky without being gory, scary, or anywhere near horror.

There wasn't as much world-building as I would have liked. I'm left with many questions. 

The small North Carolina town the Westers live in could be any small southern town. Yet there are some strange things about it - like the hour is one minute longer than everywhere else. And then there are the Westers, particularly the "Wester Witches," as the town refers to the woman in the family.

The 1970s

This story is told in three time periods. The first is the 1970s when Willamena is a teenager being raised by her grandmother. The Westers are basically the founding family of the town, so there is a sort of reverence bestowed upon them, yet everyone is also slightly frightened by Willamena's grandmother. She knows things she shouldn't know.

Just about every aspect of Willamena's life is controlled by her grandmother. If she leaves their small town, she will be disowned. She is not allowed to go to college. Even when she wants to go to Chapel Hill to shop for a prom dress, her grandmother has dresses shipped to her. Her grandmother has already picked out her husband - a distant cousin who bears the name Wester. 

The only thing Willamena is allowed to choose for herself is her friends. But you know how small towns can be and how kids can be jealous of those with more than them.

Present Day

Willamena is now the grandmother. Her son arrives at the Wester House after his wife's death. His daughter, Bailey, is infatuated with her grandmother and wants to be just like her. This is the first time they have met, and Willamena is very aloof with both her son and granddaughter, but she does start to have a very guarded relationship with her granddaughter. She doesn't want to make the same mistakes as her own grandmother made. While Bailey would love nothing more than to stay at Wester House, Willamena demands she leave.

A Few Years Later

The final section of the book comes a few years after Bailey had left  Wester House; she finally returns. Williamena's health is failing, and there are things she needs to explain to Bailey.

My Thoughts

The first section is kind of slow and reads like a young adult novel. There is a lot of high school rivalry and young love. I thought there was going to be more intrigue. Willamena's grandmother tells her that bad things would happen if she left their small town. I thought that meant that there was some big baddie, evil spirit kind of thing that lurked beyond the borders of the town.

Instead, the book delved more into generational trauma and the "evil" that lurked within because of it.

Paper Ghosts would be great for a book club. The story seems quite simple and straightforward, but it is actually quite nuanced. There is a lot between the lines to unpack. If your book club hasn't already chosen its October book, you should definitely consider this book.

Buy Paper Ghosts at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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