Eve is a frustrated young artist and the owner of what she believes is a haunted house. Sandra is an overworked producer at Searching for . . . the Invisible World, a paranormal investigations show perpetually on the brink of cancellation.
When the show descends upon Eve’s home, they’re intent on creating just another staged spectacle. But, unexpectedly, the crew encounters some very real activity—shelves collapse, electronics go haywire, a cameraman disappears in the dead of night. Meanwhile, the show’s teenage ghost hunter Caitlin is caught up in the unexplained events, convinced she’s glimpsing the “other side” and desperate to make contact—even if it means putting the investigation, and herself, in jeopardy.
As the terror mounts, it’s up to the show’s harried, skeptical producer, Sandra, to create order from the madness—or will the madness take her, too?
“The Invisible World” by Nora Fussner is what paranormal should be, vivid and spooky as it explores the reality of paranormal investigation shows and how your point of view determines your belief. The novel immediately pulls you into the world of the tv show, heightening the feel of the reality show with interspersing the events of around the characters with interviews and what shows on the film that the show captures. The use of multiple characters helps increase the pace of the book and the tension as the reader has to determine what is real and what is not.
Especially as the reader interacts with Eve, you soon realize that more is going on than is expected. Is the activity in the house paranormal or is it created by Eve? Are psychic talents at play? But as we encounter Caitlin, Sandra and the other characters, the questions arise about the reality of the events and the terror increases. I love the way that perceptions and the truth are questioned in a vivid and compelling way. The resolution of the story gives the reader some answers to the questions raised by the story.
One aspect that didn’t work for me as well was that because there were so many different point of view characters, I did struggle to connect to the characters. For me, I prefer to have a tighter point of view and this was third person which limited how much emotional content the reader encounters. The story is still vivid and spooky. And the exploration of the paranormal in the context of a reality show is brilliant.
If you like vivid and spooky, I would recommend trying out “The Invisible World.” I especially suggest it if you are interested in the paranormal or ghost investigation shows. It explores those aspects brilliantly and the different point of views adds to the illustration that each character actually experiences something different, just like real life. The resolution is thoughtful and compelling. Overall, this is a very different book about the paranormal and the kid in me who loved ghost stories loved this book.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 ghosts encounters
