Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Ghost Story is a masterful, atmospheric novel, published in 1979, that weaves together supernatural horror and psychological depth. At its core, it’s about the power of stories, the lingering effects of the past, and the terror that comes from facing long-buried secrets. The novel has a chilling tone throughout, and it doesn’t rely on jump scares or overt gore—instead, Straub builds an ever-deepening sense of dread that crawls under your skin, making it one of the best in the genre.
The story revolves around a group of elderly men in a small town called Milburn, New York. These men form a club they call “The Chowder Society,” and they gather regularly to share ghost stories. But this isn’t just a hobby—these men are haunted by their own terrifying, real-life experience. Decades ago, they were involved in an event so horrible that they’ve never been able to shake its influence. This secret has festered in their minds and now seems to be returning to them in the most horrifying way possible.
The Chowder Society
The Chowder Society consists of five men: Ricky Hawthorne, Sears James, Dr. John Jaffrey, Edward Wanderley, and Lewis Benedikt. Each of them is well-respected in the community—pillars of Milburn society—but they are all haunted by a shared memory. As the story begins, they are old and brittle, burdened by their past.
The novel opens with the mysterious death of Edward Wanderley, one of the original members of the Chowder Society. His death is sudden, under strange circumstances, during the wedding of his niece. The other members of the society are rattled, and soon after, they all start having terrifying nightmares and strange experiences. The nightmares are so vivid and disturbing that the men grow afraid to sleep. It’s as if their past is trying to break into their present in ways they cannot control.
To cope with their growing dread, the men begin to tell each other ghost stories during their meetings. But these stories aren’t just fictional—they seem tied to real experiences, and this creates an unsettling atmosphere where the line between the supernatural and reality begins to blur. Straub does a fantastic job layering these stories within the larger narrative, each one deepening the sense of unease.
The Return of the Past
The Chowder Society’s real fear begins when it becomes clear that the nightmares and strange occurrences aren’t random. Something—or someone—from their past is coming back to haunt them. The group is tight-lipped about what exactly happened all those years ago, but through their stories and memories, the reader begins to piece together a sinister event involving a mysterious woman named Eva Galli.
Eva Galli was once a beautiful, charismatic woman who appeared in Milburn long ago and enchanted the men. Each of them, in their youth, was infatuated with her, though they didn’t fully understand her. But Eva was more than she seemed. One night, a terrible incident occurred that led to Eva’s death, though the circumstances surrounding it were murky. The men covered up the incident, but the repercussions of that night have been simmering in the background of their lives ever since.
Now, something that resembles Eva Galli seems to be back. It’s not entirely clear whether she is a ghost, a shape-shifter, or something else entirely, but her presence is deeply malevolent. As strange deaths and disappearances begin to plague Milburn, the surviving members of the Chowder Society must confront their past and try to understand what exactly they are dealing with. Is it a ghost seeking revenge? Is it something darker and more ancient? The tension rises as they grapple with the mystery.
Peter Straub’s Layered Storytelling
One of the things I love about Ghost Story is how Straub intertwines different layers of storytelling. At the core, you have the mystery of what happened to Eva Galli and how it connects to the present, but there are also numerous side stories that are just as engaging and creepy. These stories often intersect with the main plot in unexpected ways.
For example, there’s a subplot involving Edward Wanderley’s nephew, Don, who is a writer of supernatural tales. After his uncle’s death, Don is summoned to Milburn by the Chowder Society to help them figure out what is happening. His presence acts as an anchor for the reader as he gradually uncovers the truth about the strange events. His perspective offers fresh eyes on the haunting, and his role in the story is pivotal.
The way Straub handles time and memory is brilliant too. The narrative frequently shifts between the present and the past, revealing more about the characters and the terrible secret that has haunted them for so long. As the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, you get a deep sense of the psychological burden these men carry and how their repressed guilt has festered for decades.
The novel also explores the nature of fear itself. Straub doesn’t just rely on supernatural horror; he delves into existential terror—the fear of death, aging, loss, and, most of all, guilt. The idea that you can never escape your past, that the mistakes you made long ago will find their way back to you, is one of the most chilling aspects of the book.
The Atmosphere of Milburn
Milburn itself plays a significant role in the novel. Straub paints it as a seemingly idyllic small town, but beneath the surface, it feels suffocating, isolated, and eerie. The heavy snowfall and cold winter setting only amplify the tension, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. There’s a pervasive sense of decay, both in the physical environment and in the lives of the men in the Chowder Society. As the supernatural elements grow stronger, the town begins to feel like a trap, with no escape for the characters.
The isolation is palpable, and it works perfectly with the horror Straub is creating. Milburn becomes a haunted town, where the line between the living and the dead, the past and the present, becomes increasingly blurred. You can feel the chill of the wind and hear the creak of old houses as if the town itself is watching the events unfold.
The Supernatural Elements
What makes Ghost Story stand out from other horror novels is how Straub balances traditional ghost story tropes with something more ambiguous. The supernatural elements are never fully explained, which makes them all the more terrifying. The ambiguity allows your imagination to run wild, filling in the gaps with your own fears.
While Eva Galli is the most obvious supernatural force in the novel, she is not the only one. Straub introduces other strange, ghostly entities throughout the book, some of whom appear in the Chowder Society’s ghost stories. These stories act as echoes of the main narrative, suggesting that the boundaries between reality and fiction are paper-thin. The novel seems to suggest that stories themselves have power, that the act of telling a ghost story can summon something real into the world.
One of the most fascinating themes in the book is this idea of storytelling as a means of control. The Chowder Society tells ghost stories in an effort to keep their real fears at bay, but as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that their stories have a life of their own. The very act of trying to contain the horror through stories only gives it more power, as if the stories are gateways for the supernatural to enter the world.
Character Development
Another aspect that sets Ghost Story apart is its deep character development. Each member of the Chowder Society is fleshed out, with their own flaws, fears, and regrets. Ricky Hawthorne, for instance, is the kind-hearted lawyer who tries to maintain a sense of normalcy, even as his world crumbles around him. Sears James, on the other hand, is the rational, skeptical one, who refuses to believe in the supernatural even as the evidence piles up.
The interplay between these characters, and how they cope with the growing threat, adds a lot of emotional weight to the story. You feel their fear, not just of the supernatural, but of their own pasts and the inevitability of death. As the tension mounts, so does the strain on their friendships, making the reader question whether they will be able to survive—not just physically, but psychologically.
Final Thoughts
Ghost Story by Peter Straub is a haunting, intricate novel that taps into primal fears: the past coming back to haunt us, the inevitability of death, and the thin boundary between the living and the dead. It’s a slow-burn horror novel, filled with rich prose, atmospheric tension, and a growing sense of unease. Straub doesn’t rush to shock you—instead, he pulls you deeper into a web of mystery and dread, creating a story that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.
What I love most about it is that it doesn’t rely on cheap thrills or gore. It’s sophisticated horror, exploring the psychology of fear and guilt. The novel leaves you unsettled, not just because of the supernatural elements, but because of the way it forces you to confront the darker parts of the human experience. If you’re a fan of atmospheric horror with complex characters and a deeply unsettling plot, Ghost Story is a must-read.