Ghoster tells the story of Kate, a paramedic who, whilst coping with going cold turkey on a crippling social media addiction, meets Scott, someone she previously noticed on Tinder. The two hit it off, get together, and eventually Kate agrees to move in with Scott, going from Leeds to his flat in Brighton. Just before she moves though, Scott drops out of contact. On arrival at Brighton, Scott's whole flat is deserted, all of his belongings are gone... apart from his smart phone. It's the only clue she has to work out what's happened, but as she works out how to start digging in, not only are there disturbing hints of a very different side to Scott's personality, but Kate starts experiencing some very strange things...
Ghoster is a very astute story about the place social media and smartphones can have in our lives. (BTW, before anyone makes the comparison, Jason Arnopp has amongst other things co-authored the book Inside Black Mirror, a full making-of look at the series.) The constant need for connection, the way FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is a factor some companies almost weaponise, the game of trying to get the most "likes" or shares; all of these are things that have been shown to have detrimental effects on our mental health. What's more, our phones, and the files they contain, have almost become appendages to our brains, an extra memory dump. If you've ever lost your phone, or had that moment when you've forgotten to back-up important files or photos, you know exactly what I mean by that. Therefore, with the story focussing on looking into someone else's phone, it makes clear what a major issue this is; a potential betrayal of privacy and trust, a peak behind someone's public face. What's more, the things Kate finds in the phone, imply, and indeed lead, to some very dark areas...
This also works as a very astute take on relationships, specifically the way that these are reassessed in retrospect. The chapters alternate between present tense narration and flashback, with Kate reassessing a lot of things across her relations with Scott as new clues come to light. It shows that moments that some may write off as "huh, that was odd" may have a deeper meaning and significance. Mind, it also makes clear that Kate has her own baggage, with a previous internet relationship and issues with social media going very badly, having some serious consequences. This does mean that she, and a friend of hers, are given to wonder if the way she is interpreting what she's discovered is right. It had to the horror content well, especially as more overtly supernatural events start happening, leading for her to speculate even more as to Scott's motivations. Whether or not she's right, and where this is all leading... I wouldn't even dream of giving away, but simply to say that when all is revealed, it's a superbly chilling ending.
Ghoster is a fantastic page turner, a fascinating mystery, and a chilling horror experience. It's an astute story, timely for this age; it's certainly made me have a bit of rethink on some of my browsing and social media habits. I highly recommend picking this one up, and if you like it, you should definitely pick up Arnopp's previous novel, The Last Days of Jack Sparks. If you have a look at his website, there are details of a few more novellas he's done; I do suggest picking up A Sincere Warning About the Entity in your Home, a ghost story you can have personalised in the form of a letter to you, saying that these events have taken place in your own house. Christmas is coming, the traditional time for ghost tales, so if you're looking for something to give an extra chill, or you want to really freak out a friend this year...
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