These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card

I’ve been waiting patiently for it’s release from the moment @aishathebibliophile recommended it. I low-key got
Homegoing vibes after reading the synopsis so I knew I was in for a treat.

These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card is a novel that truly lives up to its name. It’s ghostly not just in a supernatural sense, but in the way it uncovers the quiet, hidden hauntings that families carry from one generation to the next. It’s layered, mysterious, and deeply moving.

The story opens with a shocking reveal: a Jamaican man named Stanford Solomon confesses on his deathbed that he is not who his family thinks he is. Decades ago, he faked his identity and assumed the life of a dead man, leaving behind a wife, children, and a whole history in Jamaica. What unfolds is a beautifully intricate web of interconnected stories spanning across time, borders, and generations.

What really gripped me was how the novel explores what it means to carry a legacy that was built on silence, shame, or survival. Each character is dealing with ghosts both literal and figurative, and trying to make peace with the versions of themselves they’ve inherited. It reminded me how many people in the diaspora are shaped by secrets we didn’t ask for and histories we’re still trying to piece together.

As someone who reflects often on ancestry and identity, this book hit me hard. It made me think of the stories we carry in our blood whether we know them or not. And how the truth, even when painful, can be freeing.

Maisy Card writes with such emotional depth and quiet tension. Her characters are unforgettable and even though the narrative jumps between different voices and timelines, it never loses its soul.

If you’re drawn to stories about family secrets, migration, identity, and the invisible threads that connect generations, this novel will resonate with you.

Have you read this book? Or is it on your list? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

With love,
Deborah x