Birds of a Feather: Chasing Intergenerational Lessons in Sarah Addison Allen’s “Paper Ghosts” https://ift.tt/aGQ4D2o
For fans of Sarah Addison Allen who’ve been waiting for an atmospherically fall read, you’ll be intrigued by her new novel, Paper Ghosts, out September 1. However, don’t think you’ll be diving into the whimsical magical realism of Other Birds. Instead, think Practical Magic meets a southern gothic charm.
In 1976, in Hen Town, NC, Alice Wester rules the roost while her granddaughter, Willamena (Wills), spends her days with the “Feathers,” finishing high school and plotting their escape from the town where time operates differently. While Alice has always been controlling of Wills and her whereabouts, Wills is determined to find moments of privacy whenever she meets Jack, the new guy in town who happens to be a guitarist in a band. But Alice’s overbearing protection isn’t for nothing. Throughout the years, the Wester women have heard the whispering rumors about their “abilities.” Their knowing things that nobody should be able to know. And when a deadly accident occurs, Wills will learn that her grandmother’s reasons for living life the way she does are not only meaningful, but necessary.
In present-day Hen Town, Wills is now a grandmother herself, and her son, Tug, and his daughter, Bailey, are coming to live with Wills. As a young girl, Bailey is kept at arm’s length from her grandma, but when Bailey invents an imaginary friend whose name happens to be Jack, her grandmother decides that a weekly tea is in order to keep an eye on her granddaughter. Despite the frustration Wills felt towards her grandmother while she was growing up, she now understands the necessity of maintaining control over their environment, if only to protect her own granddaughter from repeating the same mistakes. As Alice put it, “There are so many of them out there in the world. You at least know who they are here.”
Years transpire, and Bailey becomes a teenager. Unlike teenage Wills, however, she doesn’t want to leave her grandmother the way Wills wanted to leave Alice. Rather, it’s Wills that forces Bailey out of Hen Town to lead her own life. That is, until Bailey returns as an adult, and long-buried secrets come to light. When Wills finally acknowledges, “… the whole purpose of this long-overdue story, is please don’t let your past define you like it defines me. Experience the moments, even the bad ones, then leave them behind. And most importantly, when you find happiness, don’t hesitate. Run with it.”
While the story itself felt more compelling and engaging at the front half during the building of Willamena’s character, it’s in the latter half that we come to learn the true nature behind the story – that although history has a way of repeating itself and every family has their burdens to bear, there’s always a choice to break the patterns and we don’t have to take the ghosts of the past into the future with us.
Paper Ghosts is a character-driven novel that draws beautiful parallels between generations and relationships. From one grandmother-granddaughter relationship to the next, we are given three intelligent women who face obstacles and are surrounded by secondary characters that propel the plot line. What’s more, Allen continues to be a genius at weaving magical realism within everyday characters and making it feel like a natural part of life. Paper Ghosts is no exception to that. However, with this novel comes a darker side that wasn’t as prevalent in Other Birds orGarden Spells. This is not a bad thing, but the themes explored throughout this 266-page novel are heavy and something to make note of when you’re deciding which seasonal read you pick.
FICTION Paper Ghosts By Sarah Addison Allen St. Martin’s Press Published September 1, 2026
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