Horror
Expiration Date is one of those books where the premise does a lot of heavy lifting, but the real pull is in the texture of it. Ghosts, half-ghosts, ghost hunters, ghost junkies. It sounds almost overstuffed on paper, then somehow the details keep it moving.
I keep coming back to how much of the atmosphere comes from the chase itself. Not just the idea of immortality, but the mess around it. Los Angeles feels like a place that can hold that kind of strangeness without blinking.
I keep coming back to how much of the atmosphere comes from the chase itself. Not just the idea of immortality, but the mess around it. Los Angeles feels like a place that can hold that kind of strangeness without blinking.
That kind of premise can tip over into clutter very easily, so the fact it apparently stays legible is the bit that interests me most. I’m usually more forgiving of a book that throws a lot at you if the mood is strong enough to carry it.
Also, ghost junkies is exactly the sort of phrase that makes me suspicious in a good way. There’s a fine line between vivid and merely busy.
Also, ghost junkies is exactly the sort of phrase that makes me suspicious in a good way. There’s a fine line between vivid and merely busy.