Aislinn Hunter's The World Before Us
OK, there's kind of a lot going on in this one, so I'll take it step by step:
Our main character is Jane, who:
--When she was 15, was babysitting a little girl who vanished in the woods, something that still haunts her;
--Has a Master's in archival processing and studies a long-closed mental institution and its records, particularly those involving a young woman who vanished in the same woods as the little girl;
--Currently works at a museum that is about to close due to lack of funding;
--Is having trouble dealing with the fact that the father of the aforementioned little girl is about to do a big speech at her museum;
--Has some minor family stuff going on.
The story is narrated by a pack of ghosts who have various ties to the above, and who follow Jane everywhere, hoping to glean clues about their identities. We also eventually get more information on the people studied by Jane and the girl's father, the enthusiast who founded the museum, his wife, and various scientist friends, as well as the inmates at the institution. It's beautifully written and completely engaging. I did wish Jane picked up on one piece of information earlier, but in general, I really loved this. A/A-
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.
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