Title: Vintage: A Ghost Story
Publication Information: New York : Haworth Positronic Press, Harrington Park Press, 2007
Number of Pages: 148
Geographical Setting: Small New Jersey town
Time Period: Contemporary
Subject Headings: Gay teenagers, Ghosts, Depression in teenage boys, Runaway teenagers, Friendship, Athletes, Goth culture (Subculture), Thrift shops, Supernatural, Jealousy, Funeral rites and ceremonies, Interpersonal relations, Suicide, Depression, Paranormal romance
Appeal: This eerie ghost story works on a few different levels. On its main level the book works as a coming-of-age story for gay teenagers struggling to come to grips with their homosexual identity. However, it may also appeal to other “outsider” groups as well such as those within the Goth subculture. In addition to its social commentary, the book also works as a straight-forward ghost story, playing upon the common small-town ghost legends with which many readers will identify. Further, the story incorporates elements of paranormal romance, which will certainly appeal to many readers. It is a slow-paced, atmospheric read with a few suspenseful moments sprinkled in for balance.
Plot Summary: A Goth teenage boy has run away and is living with his aunt in a small New Jersey town after a disastrous coming out to his mother. He works at a local thrift shop instead of going to school and has become friends with Trace, a girl obsessed with cemeteries and spirits. While walking home alone one night, the boy (the narrator remains unnamed throughout the book) sees a good-looking guy wearing an old-fashioned letter jacket. Since the narrator works in a thrift store, he is interested in where the guy got the jacket. The guy seems confused by the question and then disappears. When the narrator discusses the strange meeting the following day with Trace, she gets excited, and a little jealous, that his meeting was probably with a legendary local ghost. She wants to see the ghost for herself and the following night they try to recreate the scene. Sure enough, the ghost appears, but it only talks to the narrator. Trace sees it, but only for a moment. Things get even more weird for the narrator when he returns to his house, only to find that the ghost, named Josh, has followed him there. The narrator is both frightened and excited by the prospect of being with Josh. When they do finally embrace, the experience leaves the narrator extremely cold and close to death. He’s exhilarated, but also extremely wary of this dangerous experience. During the following days, the narrator starts to become close with Trace’s younger brother, Mike. When Josh finds out, he becomes furiously possessive and attempts to hurt Mike. Trace and the narrator try to figure out how to get rid of Josh and learn more about who Josh is by tracking down some of the people from Josh’s past. Trace thinks that Josh will leave them alone if he can let go of whatever is keeping him from passing on, so they attempt a seance to convince him to leave. After the seance, the narrator can finally form a real relationship with an actual boy and live as close to “normal” as possible for a gay teenage Goth boy who sees ghosts.
Similar Authors and Works: Jenkins, A. M., Beating Heart: A Ghost Story (coming of age, ghosts, sexuality); Wallace, Rich, Restless: A ghost's Story (teenage boys, ghosts, death, small towns); Block, Francesca Lia, Baby Be-Bop (gay identity, ghosts)
Relevant NonFiction Works and Authors: Gibson, Marley, The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal; Zoehfeld, Kathleen Weidner, Ghost Mysteries: Unraveling the World's Most Mysterious Hauntings; Huegel, Kelly, GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens; Basso, Michael J., The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality: An Essential Handbook for Today's Teens and Parents
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