The Girl on the Glider

by Brian Keene, Keith Minnion (Artist)

The Girl on the Glider is Brian Keene's take on the traditional, old-fashioned ghost story. This might be Keene's most personal — and powerful — work to date. This book is a must-have for every Keene fan, along with fans of classic horror tales told with a new twist.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Ghost Stories, Novella, Ghosts, Ebooks, Short Stories

101 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2010

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "mid-list" struggling horror author, facing deadlines, and a few other issues, has dreams about a girl on a porch glider. When his son gets excited and says hello to a glider that's swinging by itself, he can't help but connect the two.

This short novella was almost a "slice of life" piece with a ghost. I felt like a close personal friend of the author because so much of himself is spilled in these pages. He said this tale is 99.9 % true and I believe it, if only because it feels real and because the author doesn't flinch when he looks at himself.

This wasn't what I expected, it was better.

[LTJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Girl on the Glider” by Brian Keene is an awesome novella that blurs reality and horror brilliantly. This was beyond creepy as it all felt very real and ever since I got into Keene as an author when I loved “Darkness on the Edge of Town” last year, I’ve been hooked on his fantastic style of writing ever since. It’s very down-to-earth, relatable, and works well with writing horror because it adds that extra layer of creepiness.

It just felt very authentic and how it could really happen to anyone, which made it an even scarier read. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you but I absolutely loved how this blurred aspects of Keene’s real life with that of horror as this was such a fun and quick read. If you love anything to do with ghosts and haunted objects, this novella is definitely for you.

I really enjoyed how candid Keene was in this and the important lessons in life you learn from him putting it all out there when it comes to real-life situations and events. That’s not easy to do and I know for someone like me who is always super positive, it’s always good to be grounded in life regardless and just take things one day at a time. Tomorrow is never promised.

I give “The Girl on the Glider” a 4/5 as it was a solid and enjoyable read. The ending was alright as I was hoping for a bit more or some kind of final twist but overall, this was a very good read. If the ending was just a bit better, this would have easily been a 5/5 for me but that’s okay, I still had fun with this novella!

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An autobiographical short-story that Keene serves up and let's us see a brief snippet of a painful and haunted period of his life. In what he describes as 99.9% true, Keene relives a painful period of his life where a car accident outside his house claims the life of a young girl. At first, the events haunt Brian as they mix with the personal turmoil that he was going through at the time. In the end, he learns a valuable lesson. The tale he recounts will cause the hair to stand up on the back of your neck and the way he lets you in and allows you to take a peek at his personal life is very powerful. I have yet to see an author allow his readers to see this much of themselves, warts and all. It also gives me a new found respect for a writer whose work I already admire. Thank you, Brian.

5 out of 5 stars

You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...

TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear new manuscript that I’m typing on my laptop:
My name is Brian Keene and I am either losing my mind or I am being haunted.
Or both.

A four star ghost story with a five star autobiographical insight into Brian Keene’s writing process and his life as a “mid-list horror novelist.”

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl on the Glider reads like part autobiography and part live journal. In the beginning of this novella the author goes on record to state that working on this helped him through some dark times in his life. At the time Brian Keene reveals that he was having problems with his health, his marriage, and his writing career. Like any talented individual who is passionate about a art, we sometimes use those talents as a outlet during difficult times. Sometimes it can pull us through whatever hardships we are facing, like a anti-drug or a therapy session. I understand where Brian Keene is coming from and I also sympathize with his situations. I am also self-employed and while it certainly has it's benefits, being self employed also has some serious drawbacks.



It is very true that writing acts like ones own therapy, the reader can especially see this while reading the novella. Though it is just over sixty pages, you can tell the writer was bleeding his soul out on the paper, leaving him in a very vulnerable state. I admire Brian Keene for the courage that it took to put something so personal out there in the public. As someone who would also like to be a professional writer someday, I can see why his fans admire his honesty even when it could come back to bite him in the ass. Brian Keene doesn't try to pretend to be someone he isn't. In this day and age we could use more role models like him out there in the public, the world would probably be a better place. The man is a hero to every male and female looking to break in to the writing industry.

Essentially this is a story about a writer who is haunted by the death of a girl. While there are some terrifying moments, it's the personal relationships between the writer and his loved ones that build up the tension. If this had been a book about anyone else, I don't know if I would of cared as much. Because I knew about the writer's work and personal history, a lot of what was said in this eBook his close to home for me.



As a fan who has read both Scratch, Halves, and Brian Keene's various other work I have learned a great deal about his personal life. I have taken the time to read Brian's author notes, as well as his personal blog entries he has posted on his website. When I picked up the The Girl on the Glider for the first time, I already knew of the locations, friends, and family members who were mentioned in this eBook. I think it was this accumulated knowledge of Brian Keene's personal life that made this story that much more terrifying. I didn't enjoy seeing someone I admire and care about going through such terrifying situations. (Despite the fact I knew he would be ok.) Like I said before I could tell everything was sincere because I knew mostly what Brian was referring to the majority of the time. It's those horror stories that are based on fact that contain the true scary moments.



Overall I give The Girl on the Glider a solid five out of five stars. Yes this is a ghost story, however underneath it is so much more, it essentially tells the story of a man trying to save and preserve what is most important to him. It is hard not to enjoy a story like this.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book only knowing what the brief synopsis said, M.R. James mixed with Hunter S. Thompson. That did not prepare me for what the story would really be. This really was some outstanding writing by Keene. But the whole time I read it, I felt uncomfortable, as it felt like at least some, if not much of it, was non-fiction, as if the reader was experiencing what Keene actually thought and experienced in real life. And as it turns out, *SPOILER*, this "meta-fiction" is actually quite autobiographical. Putting himself on the pages made for an excellent story.

[Hunter Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly Keene's best. Wow. And aside from a spooky ghost story, it's also a fantastic peek into the life of a horror writer. Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be horror writers.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a five star for me. It might not be for you, I don't know.

I have been reading Brian Keene for a few years now. I have read about 90% of what is out there, minus any special editions. Certainly all of the main books. Also, even though I am not a fiction writer, I am fascinated by the process and the pain of being one. Through Goodreads I have even gotten to know a few very talented writers. I believe that a writer of fiction doesn't just create stories in his or her head and transfer them to the page for our enjoyment. I think that good fiction writers mine their own soul for pain, joy, love and loss and share these experiences with the reader in the form of the story lines and characters in their works. They are their characters. Hemingway said you can't write about war unless you have been on the battlefield. His scenes of war ring so true with the reader simply because they are. They happened. He is processing them, if you will. Keene says that writing is a form of therapy and I know that many authors agree with that statement.

I loved this book for the same reasons I enjoyed Stephen King's "On Writing." It pulls aside the curtain and lets us see how it all works. The practicalities and finances as well as the courage it takes to share that much of yourself with strangers. Also the cost of being a slave to one's muse.

I respect Keene as a writer, and enjoy his books immensely. Those two concepts don't always go hand in hand. There are plenty of great writers who I can't stand reading and plenty of writers that I enjoy despite the fact that they really aren't artists by anyone's standards. Keene is both, in my opinion, and I enjoyed getting to know him a bit better.

5 stars and a favorite for me.

[Kaisersoze · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly personal and (if you'll pardon the expression) haunting novella of a writer and his young family who may be experiencing proof of life after death following the tragic loss of a teenager in an accident at the front of their property. Keene has gone on record as stating most of this novella is true experience, and it really shows. There's a sincerity to the writing that I've not seen matched within the horror genre. For a guy who frequently describes himself (in real life and in this novella) as a "mid list horror writer", this is very, very powerful and deserves to be read by as many people as possible who have been touched by death or worried about their own mortality.

And let's face it. Who doesn't fall into one of those two categories? Present reviewer most definitely included.

5 stars for The Girl on the Glider.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a personal book for Brian and can be for those of us who've been to that house, slept on his couch, and sat on the glider which was haunted. It's also personal because it's not told as a story. It's the author, Brian Keene, telling you what happened to him, his (now ex) wife, and their child. All the names are the same and from the events I can about guess when it all happened. I even found myself mentioned (and not killed...normally Brian kills his friends in his books).

The book is about 100 pages long and, because of the way its presented, it's a very quick read. I read from front to back cover in a little over an hour. In that time I found myself becoming sympathetic to the ghost instead of disturbed by it. This is, of course, because I'm reading the story from a book. Had it happened to me the way it happened to the Keene's I'm sure I'd feel differently. Especially with the way the ghost and the small child seemed to communicate. That's kinda creepy, and I don't even believe in ghosts.

The book was printed as a bonus to give to purchasers of another limited edition book, so there were only enough copies printed to give to buyers. No spares. There's none left sitting in a box at Cemetery Dance Publications. BUT! You can still find them online. Try Ebay. Try Abe Books. You'll pay between $50 and $100 dollars for a copy (though if you pay near the high end...make sure you get a numbered copy and not a PC copy), but if you're Brian Keene completist that shouldn't bother you. I know the story won't. It's very entertaining.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been acknowledged by reviewers and by the author himself as Keene's best work.

Those of you looking for a horror novel are best suited to look elsewhere, as The Girl on the Glider is mostly an autobiographical tale which is also a ghost story.
There is the odd creepy moment in this, and it is a finely written story, but for the most part there wasn't a whole lot new for me.
Brian Keene started a horror podcast this year, and I listened to about 20 episodes. His podcast is highly personal, and it gives interesting insight into the life of a writer. A writer who has had countless difficulties with publishers who owe him money, who struggles to manage debt, who has health issues, and occasionally winds up sloppy on bourbon by hour's end.
I've since tired of the formula and have stopped listening. Maybe someday I'll go back to it.

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that apart from the ghost aspect, a lot of this was a rehash of Brian's life that I had already heard about. And that's fine. If you don't know anything about his life, you are encouraged to read it. It's well written eye-opener to the plights of writers, a pretty good story, and not a huge time commitment.

[Shawn Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Keene battles some real demons in this excellent novela. Some times the pen really is mightier than the sword.

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Отдавна харесвам творчеството на Кийн. Още когато случайно прочетх The Rising, тършувайки из мрежата за зомби книжки, останах запленен от мрачния размах на идеите му. В последствие преполових доста богатото му творчество и определено намерих там, каквото търсех, но точно тази малка книжка ме направи верен фен на автора.
„Момичето на верандата” е съвременна призрачна мета проза, в която личния живот на автора се преплита със свръхестественото. Написана е до болка откровено, а паранормалния елемент успя наистина да ме накара да изтръпна.
След нелеп пътен инцидент в близост до къщата на Кийн в дълбоката провинция, една тийнейджърка загива. Докато авторът се опитва да балансира между сметките, здравето си, отдадеността си на музата и семейството, започват да вижда и чува странни неща. Ситуациите зачестяват и проявите на необяснимото присъствие ескалират, а той се опитва да ги игнорира, защото не му трябва и психиатър за капак на всичко, докато в един момент призракът не става опасен за малкия му син.
Книгата е една чудесна призрачна история, освен това е добра автобиографична такава. Но най-вече е повест за това как живота на един човек се плъзга полека надолу и той се бори с всички сили да задържи нещата които са важни. За съжаление се стига до кризисен избор, при който нещо голямо ще трябва да се пожертва.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful ghost story by Brian Keene. The author blends the story with aspects of his own life, and gives us readers a little insight into the life of a horror writer. A great story for anyone.

[Angela Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the Description:

Considered by many critics to be one of Brian Keene’s best works, The Girl on the Glider has been long out of print – until now!

The year is 2009, and the world’s financial and publishing sectors are in chaos. In the midst of this disarray, a burned-out horror writer finds himself haunted by a variety of ghosts, both real and metaphorical. And as the ghosts increase their attacks, his struggle to make a living quickly becomes a fight to hold on to his family – and his very sanity.

This meta-fictional take on the traditional, old-fashioned ghost story is a deft mix of M.R. James and Hunter S. Thompson, and makes for one of Keene’s most personal and powerful novellas.

The Girl On The Glider is a very interesting ghost story. It does have some unsettling and spooky moments but that's not what made it such a great read for me. I loved this story for it's autobiographical nature. The glimpse we get of the man behind some truly enjoyable books as he deals with everyday life and struggles with the same hardships we all face. Dealing with lack of money and trying to keep a family together is hard enough without a ghostly presence hanging around your home. While this book isn't the usual type of story you expect from Brian Keene, no zombies, demons or other creatures here. It is one of the most believable true ghost stories I've read. This story touched me more than I would have expected because of the focus on the real fears and flaws we all have. A solid 4 star read.

[The Behrg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blurring the lines of fiction and non-fiction, Keene has created a quiet masterpiece with this short novella. Intellectually provocative and deceptively honest, this is the type of writing that's rarely achieved by an author, where the auteur's soul (almost) literally bleeds onto the page.

Touching upon the horrifying truths of every day life while balancing the scales with a supernatural ghost story, it would have been so easy to cast a character into this novella that would then tackle some of the emotional and physical ordeals the author was dealing with at the time. Instead, Keene casts himself, opening the door to a mirror where truth and reality and what could be, or could have been, collide.

As an author, this is a must read. But truthfully I would recommend this to just about anyone I know. A haunting story, beautifully told.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved (and felt relief) when reading the following sentence early on in the narrative..."what I've written so far is nothing more than the incoherent, self-indulgent babblings of a madman."

That's exactly what I was thinking! And then Keene lays out the narrative like a master, bringing the reader along on a journey that is both highly believable and scary as hell. Every time I was afraid there was too much ego, Keene would bring the narrative home in a humbling way that smacks of the way life is. Good stuff, and this is a no-brainer read for Keene fans.

[Stephanie Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror Book Review: The Girl on the Glider by Brian Keene
8/16/2019 0 Comments
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The Girl on the Glider is the first book I’ve read by Keene, and I am so glad it was. After reading this book, I honestly feel connected to Keene. That may sound creepy however the reader is literally looking into Keene’s diary and into his life.

The Girl on the Glider is a 99 page short and written in diary form with chapter titles named “Entry 1, Entry 2, etc.” So what’s the story about? Keene is a horror writer and this story is about his very personal, and very real experience about being haunted by a girl who died in a car accident at the top of his driveway in Pennsylvania. This actually happened.

Keene also name drops actual people within the horror community who are his friends, business partners, and confidants. He explains who each of these people are by using footnotes, opening up opportunities for the reader to discover other horror writers and publishing houses. I really appreciated this.

Keene describes the strange events that followed the death of this girl and how it affected his family: his wife, his baby, his dog and cat. He writes about it in the moment and moved on to publish it as a short book. It falls in line with classic accounts of haunting experiences that you might hear from a friend, a coworker, or a family member. Naturally, the reader learns about his writing process and his life as a writer. It’s so raw.

Was it scary? Yes. It wasn’t the type of fear you experience from reading about demons or vampires. It’s that fear we have all felt when we are purely alone, maybe alone in the dark, and you just feel something around you and you know something is there that you can’t quite see. The real fear that exists in real life.

Keene’s writing is authentic, sincere, and genuine, so much so that I teared up at the end. I teared up because although it’s creepy, the death of this girl at the top of his driveway forces Keene to turn inward and he discovers some truths about himself and his life. But it’s not just a discovery for him. It’s a discovery for the reader, one that keeps you thinking about your own life too. It’s an emotionally deep storytelling about someone haunting his house and haunting him.

This book is not merely entertainment. Imagine finding a writer’s diary, opening it up, and reading an entry called The Girl on the Glider.


(Oh yeah, and I found a signed copy at a bookstore near my house.)
​

Here are some of my favorite quotes from The Girl on the Glider:

The only part of my body I couldn’t write without is my brain, and apparently, my brain has decided to declare war on me.

They make fun of Whitley Strieber for saying he was abducted by gray aliens possessed with a disturbing fascination for his bunghole.

My name is Brian Keene and I am either losing my mind or I am being haunted. Or both.

Writing books like that - pouring your personal shit into a novel or short story - that’s like confession and an exorcism and six months of therapy all rolled into one.

“Chugga chugga, choo choo, spin around. Every letter has a sound.”

You might just be an echo of time.

...it was over before it had ever even really started.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be about a girl on a hang glider until I started reading. I didn't know a glider was another name for a swing seat. Learn something new every day and all that. Lol.
Anyway, I loved this novelette/novella by Brian Keene. It's honest and heartfelt. It's also 99.9% true according to the afterword, and it really did tug at those heartstrings.
It's a memorable piece and I think many writers will relate to it.
Wonderful.
Five stars.

[Simon Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I pick up a Brian Keene book, I know I’m going to enjoy it. For me, that’s a certainty.
This was no exception. In fact, I’d say this was one of his best works.
This nonfiction novella gripped me from the start, it gave me chills, and bought a tear to my eye.
A brilliant read and highly recommended.

[Craig Jex · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something about Brian Keene’s writing when he’s writing about his life that is so accessible. I’ve read a lot of his non-fiction and tend to breeze through them quicker than his fictional works. This one is clearly more personal than most of his other work and whilst insightful is also creepy. Very recommended for a stormy night.

[Jesse Rohrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Poignant

I really liked this little novella. It’s an interesting blend of autobiography and fiction, and it’s got some important lessons for a guy like me, nearing 40 and in need of an occasional reminder of what really matters in life. Check it out!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art imitating life of life imitating art? Either way, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER is great. There's and honesty and rawness in Keene's writing which exemplifies the spooky equally as much as the emotionally charge elements.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Brian Keene. Both the products of his writing and the person he presents to the public. I feel a connection to and affiliation with him. To a degree, I shouldn't really since from what I know of his life, we don't have that much in common from our younger lives. However, it's his ruminations over the last few years that has built my man crush for him. His concerns about life and friends and the world and death have struck a chord within me. They are all things about which I find myself thinking. He's only one year younger than me and I suppose it's a natural thing to ponder at this stage of life. Death is on my mind a lot more now than 20 years ago.

Anyway, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER ends up addressing exactly these points. Keene has said that the story is semi-autobiographical; I remember him saying "completely true up to a specific point." The book reads that way too. He continually mentions real life friends and authors by name and discusses his life as he also describes it on his podcast. The story itself is a straight-forward ghost story: a girl dies in a horrible accident near Keene's house and then spooky things start happening.

What keeps it gripping and creates the emotional impact is how real life surrounds the event. The readers aren't in some isolated small town or ancient castle or haunted house. We're sharing a bourbon and cigar with a friend as he tells about what happened to him. It's real. While it's probably due in part to the events actually happening to Keene (to a point) but it's also due to his power as a writer. Looking back, the story follows all the markings of the ghost stories of 100 years ago: a person, almost always a man, is sitting with another person, also almost always a man, drinking a bourbon and recanting a story that was told to him and which is difficult to believe. However, instead of feeling old, the story feels new. It's a modern version of that same ghost story. Instead of ending with an old-school, 100-year old hook, Keene's denouement is thoughtful and powerful and evokes thoughts on life and death. It left me wistful and hopeful.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER by BRIAN KEENE

Like a good novella is suppose to be, The Girl on the Glider is a short and sweet tale by mid-list horror author Brian Keene. The story is an interesting piece of metafiction presented in an epistolary style. I have found after reading over 20 of Keene's publications that a novella really is the correct dose of this author. His longer works tend to be plagued with terrible dialog and inconsistent writing but this novella is not only well-written but lacks bad dialog entirely. Perhaps this is because it has very little dependence upon quotes to keep itself moving forward. This little book provides a rather bleak look into the life of an author trying to make a living to support his family and also shows how tough it is to spend time with his family while atempting to provide for them because of the mind-numbing amount of time one has to dedicate to writing. For me, the supernatural element of the mysterious young ghost of a girl who ocasionally appears to Brian through out the narative was a secondary plot to that of simply trying to survive in a world full of harsh realities and deadlines. For fans of Keene, the ensights he puts down in these pages will be shocking and also will let the reader in on a few of the creative moments behind some of his other novels and short stories. The tone of this is exclusively negative until the ending which I found to be rather abrupt and also the only thing about this book that I didn't much care for. I have nothing against open-ended stories or abrupt endings if they feel natural but this felt as though Keene had a speedy deadline approaching on this particular book and slapped a quick resolution on it before shipping it off to the publishers. Despite this, the story is an emotional one with a few genuinely creepy moments and the metafiction presentation adds a unique quality to an already engrossing read.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star read every day of the week!

I love Brian Keene! I've read just about every damn thing he's written, and paid large sums of money for some of his rare hardcovers and limited editions, and yet this whopping $3.00 NOOK book is one of the best things he's written.

Without going into it, if you are looking for crazy zombie kills, giant worms, or shoot-outs against strange creatures in the middle of the woods, then go read some of Brian's other material. You'll find nothing like that here. What you will find is a very personal story with a slightly supernatural twist. Nothing more and nothing less. To me it's a fascinating look into the mind of a "mid-list" author - his troubles in coping with everyday life, deadlines, marriage, parenthood, and the strain that choosing his lifestyle has put on his family and himself.

Very personal stuff! It's stories like these that make you look at Brian Keene the individual instead of Brian Keene the author. Check this one out folks, you won't be disappointed, and even if you are, tough crap! As he says in his afterword, he didn't write the book for you, he wrote it for himself.

Well done!

[Jessica Eck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting

This is the first time I've read anything of Brian Keene and certainly not the last, although skipping through his other books it seems that the one seems to be an unusual topic for him.

"The Girl on the Glider" is a traditional ghost story in a modern setting and, so it seems, a very personal tale for the author. It has an autobiographic touch which makes it, together with the writing in diary style, very authentic. The author even explains how real events inspire his books.

If you're looking for a scary, dark or even hardcore horror novella, look somewhere else. There are no monsters, there's no real action and certainly no gore.
It is creepy now and then but not really to the point of being scary. The atmosphere is tense, you want to know what happens next at all time, but there’s no real suspense.
If you like classic ghost stories, you will love this one.

In the end, however, the main purpose of the story is not to scare you. Instead it will make you think about your life and the way you live it every day.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know something's great when it inspires me to stop procrastinating and write. THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER did that for me. It's a different Brian Keene story than most readers are used to (sorry, no crazy monsters here), which makes me worried that many are going to dismiss this novella. They shouldn't. Not only is it creepy and thoughtful and intelligent (not to mention sweet), it's probably one of the best things Keene has written.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl on the Glider is an autobiographical short story with just a hint of fiction, it follows Brian as he deals with the struggles of being a writer, father, husband and with the aftermath of a nearby accident. It’s a personal story imbued with emotion; Keene’s writing takes on a much more delicate style leading to a melancholy atmosphere throughout. It’s very much a departure from Brian’s usual work, it's surprisingly beautiful yet haunting, I’d highly recommend it.

[Thomas Cancglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t pass by a housing development without laughing at its name anymore.

Absolutely wonderful novella, written in a very personal way that feels truly organic, as if the words just leaked from the author onto the paper because they needed to be there. I very much recommend the version containing the Afterword from the author, Brian Keene.