The Invisible World

Fussner’s debut combines quotidian interpersonal dilemmas with an edge of the uncanny—just enough to pep up the action when mundane friction between characters wears thin. The ensemble cast is loosely arranged around three couples: Eve and Ryan Hawthorne, whose newlywed home is allegedly haunted; Sandra, producer of a reality TV show about ghost hunting, and Alan, the paranormal investigator she brings in to provide a veneer of authenticity for her scripts; and perky Caitlin and staid Charles, adolescent ghost enthusiasts who constitute Alan’s “team.” The first third of the book sets up the couples, mixing third-person narrative from shifting perspectives with transcripts of the day’s filming. The women in particular stake out the story’s emotional territory. Eve is resentful at having left the New York art world behind to settle in Pennsylvania because of her husband’s business. Sandra is bored with her job and crushing on Alan. Caitlin is reckless in her desire to prove the spooks are real. While bumps in the night do eventually manifest, the novel’s primary concern is mapping these territories and their overlaps. The result is highly readable and never really scary, ideal for nonhorror fans who still want some spooky season reading. Agent: Aimee Ashcraft, Brower Literary. (Sept.)