FICTION

The Possessions

Harper. Feb. 2017. 368p. ISBN 9780062458322. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062458339. F
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OrangeReviewStar[DEBUT] The Elysian Society is a discreet service that enables people to contact dead friends and relatives. This is not done through séances or Ouija boards, but instead employees, called bodies, take a pill that allows the dead to possess them for a set amount of time. Eurydice has been with the society for five years, using the possessions as a way to remove herself from reality for large parts of each day. When Patrick Braddock wants to reach his wife, Sylvia, whose death may not have been as clear-cut as he makes it out to be, Eurydice's detachment crumbles. Growing obsessed with the Braddocks, she begins to break the rules meant to keep her safe. At the same time, a local murder may reveal the dark side of the Elysians. This poignant tale is a study of grief and obsession told by a person who will do anything to forget while surrounded by those who refuse to move on.
VERDICT Murphy's imaginative debut is a haunting ghost story and a thrilling mystery that will engross readers until the final page. [See Prepub Alert, 8/26/16.]
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