Ghost Songs: A Memoir

This soul-wrenching memoir by novelist McBridge (The Land of Women) recounts the author’s time in a psychiatric ward at age 18, after her parents’ suicides, as she gets to know the other patients and copes with a flood of memories, both happy and sad, of her life before her parents’ deaths. McBride’s memoir contains lush details, but sometimes the multitude of memories overwhelms the narrative and takes away from the otherwise powerful depiction of a teenager understanding the complexity of newfound adult responsibility, poverty, and her parents’ identity, while coming to terms with the trauma of loss and her encounters with the miraculous. McBride discusses how theater and a concerned acting teacher try to help Regina cope with these problems, but it is ultimately a visit to Ireland that helps her understand her feelings and become whole again. Agent: Ellen Levine and Alexa Stark, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)