Dancing with Ghosts by Rita H Rowe

 

Dancing With Ghosts by Rita H. Rowe tells the story of Alex, who has fled to Chernut, a small town in Australia, where she has accepted the gardener position at Lovelet Manor. She finds herself in a household where sorrow and defeat pull the small family living there under. Having her own demons and loss that haunt her every day, she is swept up in caring for the expansive garden, coaxing the dire-looking plants back to life. One night, she meets a man in the garden who wordlessly transports her back to a time when dancing came so easy and without guilt. As she becomes obsessed with Edward, she is shocked when she discovers who he is. Although Alex is not the most social person, she finds that the small family in the manor are hurting and alone, reminding her of her hurt and loneliness. She becomes friends with them, and when tragedy visits the house, Alex realises what she has to do to save herself and the family she fell in love with, but will everything work out as she hoped?

Rita H. Rowe writes a touching paranormal romance that deals with many dark and sad themes, such as death, grieving and broken relationships. The language in the novel evokes the theme of dance and music and has a soothing cadence, and the paranormal elements have a magical yet natural feel to them. As the main character, Alex tells her story through letters to her parents and her conversations with Edward. This poses an in-depth look at how internal conversations and thoughts wrestle in our minds to make sense of the sorrow and pain we experience. Only when Alex is faced with the slow death of a young girl does she see the effect death and grief have on a family, and she begins to understand her feelings of sorrow and guilt so that she, in the end, can become a stronger person. Dancing with Ghosts is a very touching and powerful novel that uniquely treats the theme of death and brings the reader peace. I strongly recommend this novel.