Maisy Card’s debut novel is all about generational trauma. It is a well written intriguing story with a lot to uncover which really makes you think how much do I know about my own family tree.

Card’s writing makes you feel like a fellow ghost of the family. What I mean by that is that you often jump straight into a story not knowing who’s narrating. I often had to refer back to the family tree to make sense of what was happening. You really need to take you time reading this book. It jumps a lot between different characters and timeframes from 1800-2020.

I have struggled rating this book. It felt a little disjointed at times and read more like a collection of short stories rather than a novel. It was like reading a puzzle and piecing threads of storylines together which is synonymous with many family trees.

Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars which isn’t a bad thing. I enjoyed some storylines more than others. The last chapter threw me off a bit and a few storylines had some loose ends (in my opinion). For me personally, it’s not my favourite genre but I would still recommend! If you are a lover of anthologies and POV novels then give it a go!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC e-book in return for an honest review.

These Ghosts Are Family follows one Jamaican family from the late 1700s to the 2010s, tracking them from Jamaica to Brooklyn and Harlem in nonlinear vignettes.

I was intrigued by this book because I love multi-generational epics and seeing how the previous generations' triumphs and failures are imparted to their children. This book, on the surface, is certainly interested in those questions. These Ghosts Are Family drew me right in with the first chapter, bringing multiple characters together with an interesting writing style. Abe's choice to take the place of his dead best friend certainly has far reaching consequences for his family, and this was tracked well. I think were it gets more muddy is when the book continues back to the time of slavery. In theory, this would be a great opportunity to look at the long term, intergenerational effects of slavery. I'm not sure the book did that effectively for several reasons. For one, the use of nonlinear time meant that many of the characters didn't really get a chance to grow. Additionally, it was hard to keep track of simple cause and effect, to link past action with present choice because the book skipped in time. The characters were hard to remember.

There were some sections that really worked for me and others that didn't. There are also some sections of the book that are from the perspective of white people, specifically a white woman whose ancestors owned slaves. I think this part was a little bit on the nose for me, made too many obvious choices and was too clear on the message. The longest part of the book was about a girl who was a quarter black, Louise, and this too I didn't find as compelling as the exploration of Abe and his family, particularly Vera and Irene.

Still, if you are a fan of nonlinear timelines, short stories, and multi-generational epics, I would recommend this book.

I struggled a bit with this book. It opens with a really intriguing setup: An elderly man is about to reveal to all his living female descendants that he once faked his own death and started over under a new identity. And when the next chapter then jumps back in time to show an early sequence from that man's first marriage, I anticipated that the book would be structured around different scenes explaining his backstory and illustrating how he got to the place depicted in the opening chapter. Instead, the subsequent chapters jumped around his family tree, including to one character who didn't appear to be blood related to the family, and ultimately lost me a little. I had trouble following the organization of chapters and understanding the reasoning behind selecting various characters for a deeper dive; the chapters seemed uneven in quality and believability; and I ultimately wanted more closure for the different storylines than the book delivered. That final critique may have been more my issue than the book's (I think the lack of closure is part of the insight of the novel), but I was left wanting a cleaner wrap-up, maybe because it seemed to be promised by that really strong opening chapter. I also hated the final chapter, both because it felt out of place and because it shifted into a genre that I deliberately avoid and that felt forced upon me. (FWIW, I think it was more the latter reason than the former; I was really freaked out by the shift and I skimmed really quickly through the final chapter, which also had the effect of making it harder to get a sense of closure.)

On the plus side, the novel was definitely bold and ambitious and sprawling in scope; a number of the characters were complex and multidimensional, and I particularly enjoyed getting to see those characters through multiple lenses in different chapters; and the author has interesting insights about intergenerational trauma and female suffering. Many of the individual chapters were quite strong, and I appreciated the way the author could play with different voices and perspectives. (I'm sort of perplexed by the reviews who found the dialect difficult to get through, because I found it totally accessible.) I'm glad to have read it, and I will be interested to see what Card does next.

Generational curses, lies, secrets....
This book is a must read. Get prepared to be shocked by the ending.

Whew..... so the book was very well written and the stories were pearl clutch worthy! I believe after the first few pages I was blown away..like having to go back and make sure I read what I just read! Lol Card definitely found a way to connect history to future with Jamaican culture and ancestry and it was honestly almost taking me too fast. To the point that I had to keep referring back to the family tree in the front of the book (thank you for that). I actually thought that this was going to be like a novel but towards the middle it started feeling like short stories, Although still connected in some way. It just sort of felt disjointed and I kept having to piece together the relevance through characters. However I was reeled back in towards the end with those 3 little girls! They kind of had me spooked because I was done with the book and still thinking about them! Also, I’m never a fan of books with dialect but this book was worth pushing through!

I'm confused because I think I already tried to read this. Maybe I got an ARC somewhere? I couldn't get into the book and put it down. Maybe I didn't realize the book would be about men--or at least the beginning is? I really am so puzzled by where I read this before. Or did I just read something every similar??? It could be I shouldn't have bothered because it's not YA? My apologies, regardless. These Ghosts wasn't for me.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Review:
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I was thrilled to receive this digital ARC of #TheseGhostsAreFamily by #MaisyCard from @simon via @netgalley. The book is out 3/3/20!
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The story moves back in forth in both time and place, sharing moments from the lives of an interconnected cast of characters in Jamaica, the UK, and the USA. Each point of view is very different, and some characters fare better than others—but all are generally in search of understanding their identity and grappling with the after-effects of having a displaced ancestry and broken family. There are particularly clear themes of the long-term affects violence and abandonment has on a family’s history and its future generations.
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More than anything else, I want to express how great the writing itself is: Card weaves together a chorus of voices, across time and place, expressing a range of styles and dialects depending on the point of view.
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It’s been compared to Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, but where Homegoing excelled for me personally was the consistency of the structure; this one told the same intergenerational story but the timeline was all mixed together which made it a bit hard for me to follow how the various characters all related to each other or feel more deeply invested in their individual stories.

In These Ghosts are Family, Maisey Card unravels a complex, multinational, multigenerational narrative with a simple question, who is Stanford Solomon?

At first, readers meet Stanford Solomon as he draws his last few breaths and reveals to his family that he is actually Abel Paisley, a man believed to have died in a dock yard incident. However, the answer is not quite as simple as a case of stolen identity as Card slowly traces Abel's history. Along the way, Card takes the readers on a journey through the complex interplay of race, gender and social status in Jamaica's colonized history.

As a reader, I was drawn in by Card's gorgeous story telling. The plot is almost beside the point, as she vividly presents life in old day plantations and complicated narratives surrounding slave labor. However, it does become rather difficult to keep track of the many, many characters and interweaving stories. In the end, they all blend into a beautiful, tragic family shawl.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I absolutely loved this story! Anyone who is a fan of family sagas and how our decisions follow us and effect family will love this story.

I don't even know where to start with this book. Brilliant simply brilliant. Card doesn't give you a second to get comfortable with the characters. I was on the edge of my seat from page one. I have so much more to say but I need to gather my full thoughts on this one. Is it too early to say this is my favorite fiction of 2020? I highly, highly HIGHLY recommend this book.

Thank you Simon Schuster for gifting me this DARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The family tree assignment we had to do in elementary/middle school ain’t shit compared to These Ghost are Family. Here we have a book that portrays as one man’s lies, betrayal, and infidelity but instead, you get caught in a whirlpool. Faking his death was only Abel’s way of introducing us to a family lineage that holds secrets, migration, slavery, deception, and revenge. I haven’t read something this brilliant in awhile. From the 1700s to this current year, Maisy Card has found a way to give us a feel of plantation life, Jamaican culture, and the truth that the apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree in any country. I am here for it! I will take feeling like the nosy neighbor who got caught and couldn’t keep her findings to herself. I felt like the towns gossip! lol. A wonderful read that I could not put down.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely gripping. I loved learning how all of the family stories wove together, while simultaneously loving the individual stories.

The writing was beautiful and continually drew me in.

The last chapter, however, lost me a little bit. I know that it was tangentially related to a minor character in the book, but other than that, I’m not sure what it’s purpose was. The end felt sort of unsatisfying, just because I’m not entirely sure what the point of the ending was.

I’m definitely glad I read this beautiful story—I just got a little lost at its conclusion.

This book started out strong and the writing was good enough to hold me through to the end; however, it started falling apart in the last third or so. I don't mind the speculative elements but I was waiting for the story to turn back around to the beginning of the story when the MC confesses who he is and there never really was a resolution.

I also had a few issues with the dialect. I was fine with some of it being there and I could kind of figure out what was being said, but it became overwhelming and bit annoying after awhile.

First hearing about These Ghosts Are Family I was seeing all the buzz about this book so I was intrigued to pick it up. The premise of this story sounded really interesting. Once I started reading I was hooked. Then around 40-50% I started getting confused. It didn't feel like a collective story anymore more like short stories. I did have times where the plot twists left me shocked but overall I felt disconnected from the characters. The dialogue at times threw me off and I couldn't understand what was being said and had to repeatedly reread to better understand it. I did enjoy how the author presented generational trauma and how one thing in the past can defer your future.

My review is located on my Instagram page:

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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an ARC to review. These Ghosts Were Family is a dark family saga that carries us through multiple generations of a family with Jamaican roots. Each chapter depicts the struggles of a different member of the family and tackles issues of addiction, death, lies, slavery, and abuse. It was quite intriguing and I enjoyed getting to know each of the family members and their struggles, although some chapters were definitely stronger than others. The last chapter, while interesting, seemed oddly out of place and starkly different from the rest of the novel. The addition of Jamaican pronunciations made it a bit difficult to read at first. Though not a long novel, this was not a quick read.

A love multi generational novels and I LOVED this one! What an amazing debut. Lots of adventure, but also lots of emotion. Do not miss this one.

"These Ghosts Are Family" was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I could not wait to start it. However, I was disappointed. The speculative writing style in this book was just not for me. It was very hard to get into/ connect with anything going on, and sadly, I could not finish. Because of this, I will not be giving this book a rating at this time. Hopefully in the future, I can revisit it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager to read this book as it is a most anticipated book of 2020.

This is a do not finish book for me. The first part of the book is not written in first or third person. It is in a style such as introductions and events are introduced " Say you this and say you that". With this style, it is hard to understand and become connected to the book. The introduction of a book is everything and I think the author should have started the book out in a style that would grab readers attention.

These Ghosts Are Family is an incredible debut novel by Maisy Card. I was incredibly intrigued by the comparisons to Homegoing, as well as the focus on a Jamaican family, a voice that I don't come across very often. Multi-generational sagas have been my jam lately and this is definitely near the top of my list when recommending this genre to friends. The story opens with a complicated marriage and a lie that creates the tidal wave that effects multiple family members over the next 75 years.

I would describe These Ghosts as Family as first a family/generational drama that transcends culture, but it inclues rich cultural descriptions and history informing and influencing the family drama. The separate-but-connected stories require the reader to pay attention to names and family connections as it bounces between different times/generations but there is a family tree if you start to feel lost. None of the stories, except for maybe a couple have resolutions or clean endings but that's what makes it feel authentic. I hope to see more from Maisy Card in the future!