Night Side of the River, Jeanette Winterson, Penguin Random House, ISBN: 9781787334175

The saying goes: never judge a book by its cover. I failed to heed that warning. Based on the title and design, I expected eerie ghost stories. Instead, Night Side of the River is largely a collection of poignant reflections on grief.

Only a handful of stories – particularly the final one, which shares the book’s title – managed to evoke even a hint of eeriness. If you’re looking for spine-chilling ghost tales, this may not be the right pick.

Beyond the ghostly themes, the connections between the stories felt tenuous, and the collection as a whole failed to leave a strong impression. There was little novelty or boldness, even in the stories exploring AI and the metaverse as new frontiers for hauntings and immortality. These felt reminiscent of the speculative sci-fi series Black Mirror rather than fresh, thought-provoking fiction.

That said, about three of the 13 stories struck an emotional chord. Jeanette Winterson captures the raw vulnerability of grief and loss with sensitivity, but as a ghost story collection, the book ultimately fell short of expectations. Mariclair Smit 3/5 stars