A Ghost Chases the Horizon is a genre-blending novel that weaves historical fiction, paranormal exploration, and literary introspection into a haunting and emotional tapestry. Set around the sentient remains of the real-life Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the story unfolds through the perspectives of four people. Henrietta (1905), Eugene (1935), Brittany (1999), and Neil (2019–2063). Each is drawn to or consumed by the ghosts of Weston Hospital, both literal and figurative. The kicker? The entire story is narrated by the Kirkbride building itself, a character as rich and conflicted as the people it has seen. Through the hospital’s perspective, the book examines mental health, time, memory, and the invisible scars passed from person to person and place to place.

I was floored by how emotionally resonant this book turned out to be. I went in expecting spooky stories and dusty corridors, and sure, there are ghosts, there are screams, and there’s a killer twist or two, but what lingers is the aching humanity in every chapter. The prose manages to be both tender and unsparing. Some lines made me stop and think. Mallow doesn’t shy away from ugliness. People die tragically, are forgotten, are misremembered. But he handles these moments with such care and control that it’s never gratuitous. The characters feel incredibly alive, even as they drift toward death. Brittany’s fear and loneliness, Neil’s broken heart, Henrietta’s stolen future, these aren’t just beats in a horror plot. They feel real.

The book isn’t linear. It jumps decades and switches narrators frequently, which can feel a little jarring, especially early on. But once I got into the rhythm of it, I found the payoff worth the work. I also appreciate how the supernatural elements never completely steal the show. They serve the characters rather than the other way around. There’s a quiet sadness in how ghosts operate here, not as evil entities but as snapshots of pain stuck in place. The Kirkbride’s voice, which is a sentient building mourning what it has seen, sounds like a mournful poet or a tired historian. It’s weird, but it works.

This is the kind of book I’d recommend to readers who like fiction with real emotional depth and a twist of the surreal. If you’re into literary horror like The Haunting of Hill House, historical fiction with teeth, or anything that asks hard questions about time and memory, give this one a shot. It’s a ghost story, but it’s also a story about what it means to be remembered, to be misunderstood, and to be left behind. M.L. Mallow has written something really special here.

Pages: 338 | ASIN : B0F4KYQVT9