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I’m continuing the Halloween theme this month by recommending some queer books about ghosts—but that doesn’t necessarily mean horror. I’m fascinated by the way ghosts can be used in stories to mean all sorts of things. There are the usual hauntings, but ghosts don’t have to be the thing that goes bump in the night. They can be the hero of the story or even the love interest. (Looking at you, Cemetery Boys.)
So, for this round-up of queer ghost stories, I tried to represent a range of ghosts. We have a ghost main character, controlling ghosts, a ghost co-worker, a ghost sanctuary, ghost animals, and ghosts as grief.
If you were hoping for queer horror books with vengeful spirits, though, we have lots more lists of queer horror. Check out these queer haunted horror novels, haunted house books, YA horror, gothics, and more. In the meantime, here are seven queer ghost stories about ghosts of all kinds. (Okay, “ghost” has officially lost all meaning.)
Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
Four hundred years ago, Blanca died at fourteen years old after a doomed love affair with a monk in training. In the centuries since, she’s stuck around the monastery as a ghost, spying on its inhabitants. Then, the writer George Sand moves in with her lover Frederic Chopin and her two children. George is daring and unconventional, and Blanca quickly falls in love with her…though George doesn’t know she exists. She’s forced to look on helplessly as George clashes with the villagers around them. I had to start this list with a queer ghost story that has a ghost as the main character!
I also wanted to mention the sapphic YA book I Am the Ghost in Your House by Mar Romasco-Moore, which despite the title does not actually have a ghost main character, but it does have an invisible main character, which is close!
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Jessamyn’s life has fallen apart, which is why she’s moving back in with her family in Malaysia—a country she hasn’t seen since she was a toddler. It means going back into the closet, but there’s another complication she wasn’t expecting: she can hear the ghost of her grandmother, Ah Ma. Ah Ma was an avatar of the Black Water Sister deity in life, and she has a score to settle in death. Jessamyn is going to help her do it—whether she wants to or not. In this queer ghost story, ghosts are powerful and unpredictable, and so are gods.
The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
This fantasy murder mystery has the tagline “Be gay, solve crime, take naps.” Need I say more? Okay, I’m hearing that I do. The Undetectables is a detective agency made up of three witches and Theodore, who is a ghost in a cat costume. (Apparently when you die, you’re stuck in the outfit you were wearing forever.) Together, this queer investigating group is trying to track down a serial killer called the Whistler, who hypnotizes their victim by whistling, which causes the victim to chew off their own tongue. Yuck. Meanwhile, they’d also like to solve Theodore’s death. I love that a paranormal mystery novel opens up the possibility of a ghost investigating their own murder!
Sanctuary by Andi C. Buchanan
Morgan’s house is a refuge, both for their queer, neurodivergent found family and for the ghosts who cohabitate with them. But when a collection of ghosts in old bottles appears on their doorstep, that equilibrium is disrupted. A man who collected ghosts, who should died hundreds of years ago, is now in control of the house, and Morgan will have to face him to protect their home and loved ones. This sounds like a cozy fantasy story where ghosts are a part of the family.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
I know I talk about this book nonstop, but only because it’s so good! Silas is a sixteen-year-old trans autistic guy in a fantasy version of 1883 London. He was born with violet eyes, which means he can see spirits—and that he’s a valued “bride.” When he’s sent to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium, the misogyny, transphobia, and ableism are torturous enough—then spirits contact him to let him know girls are dying here, and he’ll have to take the school down before he’s next. This is a bloody horror book, but the ghosts are victims: it’s the humans that can be monstrous.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
This illustrated YA novel is set in a “slightly stranger America.” In this world, mythology spills into reality. Elatsoe, through her Lipan Apache family’s traditions, is able to raise the ghosts of dead animals. Her cousin has also just been murdered, and she will expose the secrets of her town to find out what really happened. Elatsoe is asexual, as is the author. I had to include this book about animal ghosts, because that’s such a great variation on the theme.
Jasmine is Haunted by Mark Oshiro
Finally, we have a middle grade book about ghosts and grief. Jasmine has to keep changing schools and houses because she’s haunted by a disruptive ghost. In her new school, she meets a couple of friends in the GSA and finds out that they’re both interested in the paranormal, so they decide to investigate what’s going on with Jasmine. All three of the friends are queer (one is genderfluid and changes pronouns throughout the book). While ghosts can be scary in this story, they’re mostly a manifestation of grief, which Jasmine realizes she’s not alone in dealing with.
This is far from a complete list of queer ghost stories! I wanted to explore the variety of approaches to ghosts, but there are plenty of queer books about malicious ghosts haunting the main characters, too, especially in these queer haunted house books. Let me know what your favorite queer ghost stories are in the comments!
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10 LGBTQ Books Out This Week
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