Liv, Forever

Think Ghost meets The Sixth Sense, acted by the Brat Pack—this first novel from screenwriter Talkington has the feel of an elevator pitch. Readers who haven’t seen the movies shouldn’t have a problem with the lack of originality; the author’s prose is highly readable, her story is well-paced, and the three protagonists (while not much more than familiar types) are sketched with appealing deftness. Liv, the arty outsider, is accepted to old-money Wickham Hall, a boarding school in the woods of New Hampshire. She naturally gravitates toward Gabe—a strange, moody boy shunned by the rest—but her heart thrills to Malcolm, one of the most popular students. Gabe claims to see ghosts, which pragmatic Liv doubts, until she becomes one. Discovering who killed her drives the final two-thirds of the book. The relentlessly visual focus of the prose (with frequent references to William Blake, Giacometti, Haring, Caspar David Friedrich, and more) reveals Talkington’s personal vision, but it’s a vision that readers without a significant cultural vocabulary will find it difficult to fully share in. Ages 14–up. Agent: Blair Kohan, United Talent Agency. (Mar.)