The Night Tourist

Marsh, Katherine. The Night Tourist. 2007. 232p. 979-1-4231-0689-0. Available at FIC MAR on the library shelves.

Jack Perdu has never truly fit in at school. A freshman in high school, Jack would rather spend his time translating old text from Latin to English. His mother died eight years ago in a rather bizarre accident in New York City involving the collapse of a scaffold, so his father and him moved to New Haven, on the Yale campus, where his father works.

Always reading a book, even when walking, Jack is hit by a car and ends up in the hospital, where he begins to see ghosts. Returning home, he catches a ghost attempting to steal a map from his father’s office. This map is a strange one of New York City, showing all of the rivers and waterways over time, even the ones now buried under the city. Worried about his son, Jack’s father sends him to an appointment in New York City with a doctor friend of his, who takes his picture but doesn’t ask him any questions. Returning to Grand Central, Jack encounters Euri, another ghost who is pleased that he can see her. He follows her through the underground and he crosses the river that separates the world of the living from that of the dead.

Working with Euri, he investigates his mother’s death and attempts to find her ghost, while being chased by Cerberus and the guards of the underworld for trespassing. As he gets closer to resolving the mystery of his mother’s death, he learns details about Euri’s own life and death. As time runs out, Jack is faced with a dilemma. He can only bring back one person with him to the world of the living. Whom will he choose?

Based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Jack’s encounter with the ghosts raises many questions about what the afterlife is like. Fans of the paranormal will enjoy this book.