Contrast - Hardcover

by Linda Coussement (Author)

"A timeless gem that will captivate and challenge readers for generations to come." -Andy Chaleff, author of The Connection Playbook: A Practical Guide to Building Deep, Meaningful, Harmonious Relationships

"The book's dreamlike quality makes for a compelling read. A haunting novel of forgotten traumas and restorative friendships." -Kirkus Reviews

"Coussement debuts with a searching, speculative drama about the meaning of life and death and how emotional wounds from our past affect our future. While very much a novel of the mind, Coussement's style allows readers to feel like they are hanging out with familiar friends somewhere between this world and the beyond." -Publishers Weekly Booklife Reviews

When mysterious circles, one of wildflowers and one of concrete, suddenly appear in two gardens separated by an imposing wall, a series of events is set into motion that will change the lives of everyone involved.

Ghost wakes to find that he is, in fact, dead, and has many more questions than answers. Why is he still here? Where else is he supposed to be? How is he supposed to get there?

Without a physical body, Ghost can no longer find comfort in the pleasures that helped him get by in life and is forced to search for the truth about his past and his present. He enlists the help of Leora and Xander, the neighbors who now live on the land that once belonged to him. As memories of Ghost's haunted past return, all three of them face existential turmoil that challenges their sense of self. Storms rage outside in the gardens and inside their own hearts. Leora, buckling under depression and grief, finds an unexpected friend in Xander, who doubts if he's ever really lived at all.

While Ghost dives deeper into his traumatic history filled with love and loss, the storms worsen and the wall grows higher until only one question remains for each one to answer: Do I have the courage to face what I fear most in order to find meaning in both life and death?