Review of ‘The Spirit Engineer’ by A J West

This historical ghost novel was an odd read for me. I didn’t really enjoy it, although I did appreciate the detailed research that went into it. It’s based on real characters and is set in Belfast, 1914, referencing the First World War and the Titanic. Halfway through the book, I put it down for three days and wasn’t particularly keen to find out what happened next.

Book cover of The Spirit Engineer showing elaborate design.

The book is narrated by William Jackson Crawford, a pompous unlikeable scientist who is drawn into attending seances. At first, he thinks that the medium, Kathleen Goligher, is a fraud, but the ghostly happenings encourage him to undertake ever more drastic experiments to prove the existence of the afterlife.

Without wishing to spoil the plot, it wasn’t at all predictable and addressed themes such as patriarchy, class and mental health. I had some issues with the writing style, which tried hard to be authentic but modern words had crept in. The characters’ frequent snapping, gasping, snorting, growling, narrowing of eyes, etc, was very annoying. These should be used sparingly to avoid the description being ridiculously melodramatic.

In summary, this was an unusual read and I ought to have liked it more than I did.

First published in 2021.

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