Ghosts in the Bones

The novel opens with a sense of haunting—literal and metaphorical ghosts inhabit the bodies and minds of the main characters. Mabel, a young woman in 1959 Scotland, feels ghosts in her joints and bones, a manifestation of her trauma and confusion as she is told she is pregnant despite being a virgin. In 1965, Pearl, a nurse, arrives at Lichen Hall, also pregnant and unmarried, carrying her own ghosts of shame, loss, and longing. Both women are forced into isolation by their families and society, sent to Lichen Hall, a remote manor with a sinister reputation, to hide their pregnancies and give up their babies. The ghosts in their bodies are not just figments—they are the residue of generational pain, secrets, and the violence of being othered.

Lichen Hall's Dark Legacy

Lichen Hall is more than a setting; it is a character, steeped in Scottish folklore and tragedy. The hall's history is entwined with the legend of Nicnevin, a witch-queen who cursed the land after a monstrous child—part human, part fungus—was killed by its family. The hall is now a decaying, fungus-ridden estate, its east wing overtaken by rot and mushrooms, symbolizing the festering secrets and the inescapable curse that infects all who enter. The woods surrounding the hall, known as the ghost woods, are haunted by a malevolent presence, and the house itself is a place of both refuge and entrapment for the women sent there.

Two Mothers, Two Timelines

The narrative alternates between Mabel in 1959 and Pearl in 1965, both young, unmarried, and pregnant, sent to Lichen Hall to hide their shame. Mabel's story is one of confusion and denial—she insists she is a virgin, but is not believed. Pearl, a nurse, is more worldly but equally isolated, her career and family life destroyed by her pregnancy. Both women form uneasy alliances with the other residents—maids, other pregnant girls, and the enigmatic Whitlock family who own the hall. Their stories echo and intertwine, revealing the cyclical nature of trauma, secrecy, and the longing for belonging.

Arrival and Isolation

Upon arrival, both Mabel and Pearl are struck by the hall's grandeur and decay, and by the strict, strange routines imposed by Mrs. Whitlock. The other girls are a mix of hostile and kind, but all are marked by shame and the expectation that their babies will be taken from them. The staff—Aretta, Rahmi, and Morven—are themselves former residents, now bound to the hall by necessity and lack of options. The isolation is physical and emotional: the phone rarely works, letters are intercepted, and the outside world is unreachable. The house's rot mirrors the psychological decay of its inhabitants.

The Witch in the Woods

The ghost woods and the legend of Nicnevin loom over the narrative. Both Mabel and Pearl encounter a terrifying, headless, shadowy creature in the woods, which seems to embody the curse of the hall. The woods are a place of both magic and danger—glowing mushrooms, fairy rings, and the sense that something ancient and vengeful is watching. The house's history is full of stories of changelings, witchcraft, and children born of the woods. The supernatural is never fully explained, but it is deeply felt, blurring the line between psychological horror and folk myth.

Pregnancies and Secrets

The heart of the novel is the experience of pregnancy under duress—shame, secrecy, and the loss of agency. Mabel's pregnancy is a mystery, later revealed to be the result of sexual abuse by her stepfather, a truth she represses until much later. Pearl's is the result of a one-night stand after heartbreak. Both women are forced to give up their children, and the process is brutal and dehumanizing. Yet, moments of tenderness and solidarity emerge, especially in the relationships between the women. Mabel and Morven fall in love, as do Aretta and Rahmi, forming a found family in the margins of society.

The Children of Lichen Hall

Mabel gives birth to Sylvan, a child marked as different—he glows with an inner light, and as he grows, it becomes clear he has supernatural abilities: he can see things others cannot, and his body is subtly marked by the fungal curse. The children born at Lichen Hall are not just victims of social shame; they are also, in some sense, vessels for the hall's curse. The process of adoption is depicted as a second trauma, and when Sylvan is returned by his adoptive parents for being "broken," Mabel is allowed to keep him, but only at the cost of servitude and further isolation.

The Fungal Curse

The true horror of Lichen Hall is revealed to be a literal fungal infection—Cordyceps, a mind-controlling parasite that infects insects in nature, is here used as a metaphor and a reality. The Whitlocks, especially Mrs. Whitlock (possessed by Nicnevin), use the fungus to control, punish, and ultimately destroy those around them. The "fairy dust" ritual performed on newborns is a vector for infection. The staff and residents begin to show signs of the fungus: strange growths, hallucinations, and ultimately, death. The house is a laboratory, a trap, and a grave.

Sightings and Sacrifice

As Sylvan grows, his supernatural abilities are exploited by Mrs. Whitlock, who charges wealthy clients for "sightings"—sessions where Sylvan uses his gift to locate missing people or predict the future. The process is draining and dangerous, and Sylvan's health deteriorates. The women around him—Mabel, Aretta, Rahmi, and later Pearl—struggle to protect him, but are themselves weakened by the curse. The exploitation of Sylvan is a microcosm of the broader exploitation of women and children at Lichen Hall, and the price of survival is high.

The House Devours

As the fungal infection spreads, the house descends into chaos. The gardens and henhouse are destroyed, the staff begin to die or go mad, and Mrs. Whitlock's true nature is revealed—she is both victim and perpetrator, possessed by Nicnevin and driven to perpetuate the cycle of infection and sacrifice. The supernatural and the biological merge: the fungus is both a curse and a survival mechanism, and the house itself seems to hunger for victims. The climax is a fever dream of violence, fire, and desperate attempts to escape.

The Truth of the Spores

The survivors piece together the truth: the fungus is spread intentionally, through rituals and the air, and those infected are doomed to die or become vessels for Nicnevin's will. Mabel, Aretta, and Rahmi realize they are all infected, marked by strange growths. The only way to break the cycle is to destroy the house and themselves. Pearl, less infected, is tasked with saving Sylvan, who may be immune or different. The women's final act is one of sacrifice—they set the house ablaze, choosing death over further exploitation.

Fire and Ruin

The burning of Lichen Hall is both an act of vengeance and mercy. The fire consumes the house, the curse, and the infected women, ending the cycle of violence and control. Pearl escapes with Sylvan, barely saving his life. The fire is a cleansing force, but also a tragic one—so much is lost, and the cost of freedom is immense. The supernatural is not vanquished, but contained, at least for now.

Escape and Survival

Pearl flees with Sylvan, who is near death. She revives him, and together they escape into the world beyond Lichen Hall. The aftermath is bittersweet: the women who sacrificed themselves are mourned, and the truth of what happened at Lichen Hall is buried under rumors and official lies. Pearl adopts Sylvan as her own, forging a new life in Edinburgh. The trauma lingers, but so does the possibility of healing and new beginnings.

Aftermath and New Beginnings

Six years later, Pearl is on the verge of becoming a doctor, raising Sylvan as her son. The scars of Lichen Hall remain, but she has built a new family with friends who understand her past. Sylvan's supernatural gifts persist, but are kept secret. The world has changed—slowly, painfully, but with hope. The novel ends with a sense of possibility: the in-between spaces, the margins, are where new life and new stories can begin.

The In-Between Spaces

The final chapter and author's note reflect on the meaning of the story: the experience of being in-between—between childhood and adulthood, life and death, human and other, belonging and exile. The novel is a meditation on motherhood, trauma, queerness, and the violence of being othered. The ghosts, the fungus, the curse—all are metaphors for the ways society polices bodies and identities, and for the resilience of those who survive in the margins. The story ends not with closure, but with the promise of new beginnings, and the recognition that the in-between spaces are where life is most fiercely lived.

Characters

Mabel Haggith

Mabel is a seventeen-year-old from Dundee, sent to Lichen Hall after being told she is pregnant, despite her insistence on her virginity. Her psychological landscape is shaped by trauma—her father's death, her mother's coldness, and, as is later revealed, sexual abuse by her stepfather, Richard. Mabel's experience of pregnancy is one of confusion, shame, and dissociation, embodied in her sense of being inhabited by ghosts. She finds solace and love with Morven, and later becomes fiercely protective of her son, Sylvan. Mabel's journey is one of gradual self-realization, moving from victimhood to agency, but always marked by the scars of her past. Her love for Sylvan and her found family is her redemption, but she is ultimately consumed by the curse of Lichen Hall.

Pearl Gorham

Pearl is a young nurse from Edinburgh, sent to Lichen Hall in 1965 after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. She is practical, intelligent, and compassionate, but deeply wounded by the loss of her career, her family's rejection, and the forced adoption of her child. Pearl's psychological journey is one of grappling with shame, longing for love (especially from Sebastian), and ultimately finding purpose in caring for others. She becomes a protector and savior for Sylvan, risking everything to save him from the hall's curse. Pearl's resilience and capacity for love are her strengths, and her eventual decision to become a doctor is a testament to her refusal to be defined by her trauma.

Sylvan

Sylvan is Mabel's son, born under mysterious circumstances and marked by supernatural abilities—he glows with an inner light and can see things others cannot. He is both a victim and a miracle, exploited for his gifts but also cherished by his mother and her friends. Sylvan's innocence is contrasted with the darkness around him, and his survival is the novel's fragile hope. He is a symbol of the possibility of breaking cycles of trauma, but also of the dangers of being different in a world that fears and exploits difference.

Mrs. Whitlock / Nicnevin

Mrs. Whitlock is the owner of Lichen Hall, a woman of shifting personas—sometimes kind, sometimes cruel, sometimes lost and frightened. She is ultimately revealed to be possessed by Nicnevin, the witch-queen of Scottish folklore, who uses the hall and its residents to perpetuate a cycle of infection and sacrifice. Mrs. Whitlock is both victim and perpetrator, her own grief and loss twisted into monstrousness by the curse she carries. Her psychological complexity lies in her duality—she is at once a grieving mother, a scientist's wife, and a vessel for ancient, inhuman will.

Morven

Morven is a former resident of Lichen Hall who becomes its cook, midwife, and general caretaker. She is warm, funny, and fiercely loyal, providing comfort and solidarity to the other women. Morven and Mabel fall in love, forming a rare oasis of tenderness in the hall's harsh environment. Morven's fate is tragic—she is murdered, her death a turning point that reveals the true horror of the hall's curse. Her memory haunts Mabel and the others, a symbol of love lost to violence.

Aretta

Aretta is another former resident, now a maid and seamstress at Lichen Hall. She is practical, reserved, and deeply loyal to Rahmi, with whom she is in a secret relationship. Aretta's strength is her endurance—she survives by keeping her head down and doing what is necessary, but her love for Rahmi and her eventual act of sacrifice reveal her depth. She is ultimately infected by the fungus, her body marked by its growths, and chooses to die in the fire rather than become a vessel for the curse.

Rahmi

Rahmi is a former resident and now a maid, marked by the loss of her own child at Lichen Hall. She is gentle, artistic, and quietly strong, finding love with Aretta. Rahmi's grief is a constant undercurrent, but she channels it into care for others. Like Aretta, she is ultimately infected and chooses to die in the fire, her final act one of love and resistance.

Wulfric

Wulfric is the Whitlocks' grandson, a troubled, volatile boy who is later revealed to be the product of his father's experiments with the Cordyceps fungus. He is both victim and threat, his body and mind warped by the infection. Wulfric's psychological torment is palpable—he is haunted by guilt, rage, and confusion, and his fate is to be sacrificed by Mrs. Whitlock/Nicnevin as the cycle of violence reaches its climax.

Mr. Whitlock

Mr. Whitlock is a once-brilliant microbiologist, now a shell of himself, bedridden and poisoned by belladonna. He is both a perpetrator—having experimented with the fungus on his own son—and a victim, ultimately consumed by the very forces he sought to control. His decline is a metaphor for the dangers of unchecked ambition and the hubris of trying to master nature.

Sebastian

Sebastian is Pearl's childhood friend and former lover, whose betrayal and absence haunt her throughout the novel. He represents the life and love Pearl longs for, but is ultimately revealed to be unreliable and self-serving. His brief reappearance offers hope, but ends in further disappointment, underscoring the theme that true belonging and healing must be found within, not in the approval of others.

Plot Devices

Dual Timelines and Interwoven Narratives

The novel's structure alternates between Mabel's story in 1959 and Pearl's in 1965, with their experiences echoing and amplifying each other. This device allows the author to explore the cyclical nature of trauma, shame, and resistance, and to reveal the slow, cumulative effects of the hall's curse. The interwoven narratives also create suspense, as revelations in one timeline shed light on mysteries in the other.

Folklore and Supernatural Ambiguity

The use of Scottish folklore—Nicnevin, changelings, fairy rings—infuses the narrative with a sense of ancient, inescapable doom. The supernatural is never fully explained, but is always present, shaping the characters' perceptions and actions. The ambiguity between psychological horror and literal magic heightens the sense of unease and allows for multiple interpretations of the events.

Fungal Horror as Metaphor and Reality

The Cordyceps fungus is both a literal threat and a metaphor for the ways in which trauma, shame, and social control infect and consume individuals and communities. The spread of the fungus mirrors the spread of secrets, violence, and exploitation. The "fairy dust" ritual, the glowing mushrooms, and the physical symptoms of infection all serve as plot devices to externalize internal states and to link the personal with the ecological.

Locked Rooms and Entrapment

The recurring motif of locked doors, hidden rooms, and inescapable spaces reinforces the theme of entrapment—by society, by family, by the body, and by the supernatural. The characters' attempts to escape are repeatedly thwarted, and the house itself becomes a labyrinth of secrets and dangers. The final act of burning the house is both a literal and symbolic breaking of these chains.

Sightings and Prophecy

Sylvan's gift of sight is a double-edged sword—he is both valued and exploited for it, and it becomes a source of danger as well as hope. The device of the "sighting" sessions allows the author to explore themes of agency, consent, and the ethics of knowledge. The prophecies and visions also serve as foreshadowing, building suspense and deepening the sense of inevitability.

Analysis

The Ghost Woods is a masterful blend of gothic horror, folk myth, and social critique, using the haunted setting of Lichen Hall to explore the ways in which women and children are marginalized, controlled, and sacrificed by patriarchal and supernatural forces. The novel's central metaphor—the Cordyceps fungus—captures the insidiousness of trauma and the violence of being othered, while the interwoven stories of Mabel and Pearl highlight the resilience and solidarity that can emerge in the margins. The supernatural elements are never mere spectacle; they are deeply tied to the psychological and social realities of the characters. The novel's ending, with its focus on survival, new beginnings, and the in-between spaces, offers a hard-won hope: that even in the shadow of horror, life persists, and those who have been cast out can find belonging and purpose on their own terms. The Ghost Woods is ultimately a story about the cost of survival, the power of found family, and the necessity of confronting the ghosts—personal and collective—that haunt us all.

Last updated: May 9, 2025