Haunt Sweet Home

Mara is failing community college, failing her family, and just generally failing at life when her cousin offers her a production assistant position on his reality TV show, Haunt Sweet Home. Of course, in typical Mara fashion, she drags her feet until it is too late, but jumps at a fortuitous second chance. As the night shift PA, it’s Mara’s job to set the stage for the spooky occurrences that happen throughout the day. Soon, however, there are haunted happenings that aren’t her doing, and Mara begins to wonder who is really controlling this paranormal production. Pinsker crafts a short, somewhat ineffectual, paranormal fiction. Though it ends with a good ghost plot, the exposition fails to build any anticipation or engagement. Episode transcripts interspersed throughout the story are an engaging way to combat the staleness of the slow-going narrative. Aimed at adults, this story is appropriate for YA readers; there is sparing use of expletives and no sexual content.