PERSEPHONE'S CURSE

Can sisterly love overcome paranormal heartbreak?

Bernadette, Evelyn, Winnie, and Clara Farthing, who present white and were each born two years apart, have grown up listening to Aunt Bea’s bedtime stories, which say that they’re descended from Persephone, the Greek goddess of the Underworld, and are “children of the in-between, one foot in this world and one foot in another.” The sisters know and love Henry, the shy, gentle ghost who lives in a fourth-floor bedroom in their Upper West Side brownstone. But when Evelyn, at 17—the same age Henry was when he died—falls deeply in love with their resident ghost, the trouble begins. Hoping to protect her sister from a doomed relationship, first-person narrator Winnie banishes Henry to the Underworld. Undeterred, Evelyn discovers a way to follow him. Desperate Winnie finds an ally in a cute girl named Maybe, a young medium who becomes more than just a friend. But while the sisters and Maybe work on their rescue mission, they accidentally cause a tear in the fabric between the two worlds, a problem perhaps too immense for them to repair. Though occasionally marred by a slightly meandering plot and expletives that lose their impact due to repetition, the novel’s emotional core—the bond between the sisters, who have distinct, well-drawn personalities—leads to a satisfying and heartfelt conclusion.

Fans of Greek mythology and supernatural love stories will find lots to enjoy in this well-woven tale.