Ghost Chant

by Gina Ranalli

Cherie Drew is tormented by the little neighbor girl. Young Maggie Kerr is in her flowerbed, in her yard, in her house, even in her dreams. Over the course of one surreal night, Maggie takes Cherie on a horrific journey where the past and future collide with a startling revelation.

Genres: Horror, Ghost Stories, Novella, Bizarro Fiction

90 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2014

About the author

Gina Ranalli is the author of several novels, including Mothman Emerged, Rumors of My Death, Praise the Dead, House of Fallen Trees, Suicide Girls in the Afterlife, Chemical Gardens, Wall of Kiss, and Mother Puncher. Her collection, 13 Thorns (with Gus Fink) won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Story Collection of 2007. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications including Bits of the Dead, The Beast Within, Horror Library Volume 3, and Dead Science, among others.

Gina lives in Washington state where she is working on her next novel. You can communicate with her online at www.ginaranalli.com and on twitter at http://twitter.com/GinaRanalli

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read by Gina Ranalli, and it is assuredly not my last.  A day's events are recounted by the narrator, who is slowly revealed to be a very disturbed person.  Whether she is telling the truth about what occurs or if she is delusional, the story remains eerie and unsettling.  As the character's psychological profile and history are revealed, we come closer to the truth.  It is not until the very end that we know what really happened that day and night.  This was a menacing and very compelling novella.

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

the moral of this 81-page book:

if you can’t take the heat, don’t murder a little girl.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the final book I read this Halloween season. It's a tense and claustrophobic psychological horror novella about paranoia and potential madness that reads like a mix between the movie version of The Shining and Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart". It's a story about ghosts and regret, which, as we all know, are many times one and the same.

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little ride into insanity. Our lead, Cherie, envisions some strange things, including one that centers around a little girl that lives nearby. Through sleep deprivation, hallucinations, psychosis, trauma, and flashbacks, we journey through a series of events that leave the reader totally disoriented. What’s real and what’s not? What is Cherie actually experiencing? Things come together by the end, but is it past the point of no return? This was well-crafted and hit all the right notes. Possibly my favorite Gina Ranalli experience to date.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my first Ranalli's read. Nor was it her best. She can certainly write, but I just didn't find this story of a past secret coming to haunt a woman while the neighborhood kid drives her out of her mind particularly original or compelling and the main character wasn't very likeable either. Perfectly decent read, very quick, but nothing special really.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Review to come.

[Auntie Raye-Raye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gina Ranalli is either one of the very few or perhaps the only author that writes horror that manages to freak me out. She is amazing.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Chant is a glance into a nightmare. I am not quite sure whether it is a ghost story or a study of madness. It is probably a little of both. And that is the way I like my novellas, laced with a generous dose of dread and uncertainty. What we do know is that the protagonist Cherie Drew is troubled. That hint of a troubled mind comes in the shape of annoyance with her neighbor's daughter. Maggie is often where she shouldn't be; in Cherie's flower bed, her driveway, and even in her house. She is a quiet child, described as having a vacant stare and possibly autistic. The bulk of the novella takes place in one night when Cherie acts on her anger toward Maggie and it soon escalates in a form of terror that feeds on her past and her fears.

Being as short as it is, under 100 pages, it is necessary to leap quickly into the nightmare. There is little back story at the beginning,. But we do find out some very important things about Cherie as the tale continues and this is whatworked so well for me. The reveals come naturally in the weaving of the story. They make sense yet they surprise right to the tense ending. There are nice bits of The Yellow Wallpaper wrapped up in a layer of Polanski's Repulsion...with ghosts. The question comes up; Is Cherie being haunted or is she haunting herself? Such an intriguing question.

Ghost Chant is as tight as a straitjacket and as disturbing as blood on the carpet. It is a quick read yet ready made for chills and shudders. If you are looking for a ghost story that is more than that, then this book will fit the bill.

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story, and really liked the unexpected ending. Ranalli and Grindhouse Press together, what more could I ask for?

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a very creepy ride. Given that she was catching and squashing frogs to death at a very young age, I thought that the "reveal" would be that she is the one who killed her sister (and her father, and her husband.) Wonder if the dead cat was actually just a scrub brush? She seemed obsessed with ordinary things seeming whiskery. Too much pain can break your brain

[Russell Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy hatchet head chop, I did not see that coming! Maybe this is a vicious little book, or maybe it is an observational horror story with some vicious characters? Maybe it just kicks ass and I'm overthinking it? Probably that last one there. (I was considering saying "maybe the latter" but I usually get confused about the use of "former" and "latter" and, can you use that combo if you've made three statements instead of just two?) Anyway... I really, really liked this. As the first work I've read by Gina Ranalli, I feel that this was a wonderful introduction. This book is dreary and soaked in rain, darkness, and dread, taking the most benign suburban setting and flipping it upside down into a nightmare world. The story took turns that I never saw coming. From page to page, I never knew what might happen next, which made for a tense experience. The psychological and visceral horror elements meld and stack on top of each other, increasing the dread quotient through until the end. Harrowing, disturbing, beautiful, excellent. Definitely check this one out if you are into suburbia-gone-wrong kind of horror, or if you're looking for something totally unexpected.

[David Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got blindsided by Gina Ranalli's Ghost Chant last night. I ordered it because I am a huge fan of Grindhouse Press but I picked it up on a whim last night because I wanted to read something quick. I got blindsided because the book is fucking awesome! Now I'm going to have to buy more of her books. Also I saw on FB last night that Jordan Krall from Dynatox said Ranalli would be releasing a book on Dynatox in 2015. I was meant to be a fan of this writer. I know none of this has to do with the book but I think it's obvious I liked it. It's like a woman with a demon vs creepy ghost child. The lady has a meltdown and murders a little girl and were off to the races! It's fucking great! There are a lot of scary parts and a lot of funny parts. I will be reading more Gina Ranalli in 2015 and more Grindhouse Press for sure.

[Dave Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced psychological horror-thriller that conjures evocative imagery and induces claustrophobic paranoia until reaching a narrative crescendo punctuated by a conclusion more terrifying that any traditional ghost tale. The unreliable narrator's seemingly normal life spins out of control almost immediately, and though she is undeniably unlikable, Cherie is a flawed and obviously traumatized woman, haunted by the past and tormented by the present. Traveling to the root of her delusions is a bloody, entertaining ride for fans of unflinching horror.

[Justin Grimbol · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways its a classic ghost story, but its just strange enough to feel unpredictable and unsettling.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Modern Day Tell Tale Heart

Wow! Despite being a short story, it sure packs a punch that leaves you gasping! Compulsively page-turning, creepy and more than a little disturbing. Can't wait to read more by this author.

[Jorge Palacios Kindelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished ‘Ghost Chant’ by Gina Ranalli, really creepy and atmospheric tale about guilt abd troubled childhood manifesting into supernatural trauma. Ranalli truly makes you feel the darkness of it all feel natural. A quick read that packs a punch

[Rachel Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a goodreads giveaway.

This was a very unsettling horror story. Well written with good plot/character development. It's a quick read and keeps a fast pace throughout.

[Vi Reaper · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word describes this book the best: haunted. Cherie, the main character, is haunted by both her actions in the present but also by her memories of the past. All these things come together in a perfect storm to turn a average normal day into a hideous, violent and terrible night. A single rage filled action turns Cherie's world upside down and it is enough to invite all those past, mostly forgotten thoughts to come bubbling to the surface bringing back guilt, horror and anger but also shame and anxiety. This book lives in a kind of nightmarish reality where the readers sense of reality is constantly being shifted and undermined. You never really feel safe in what is really happening and what is imagined by Cherie. This makes this book completely unpredictable and a very uncomfortable read. It is well written and extra credit should be given to the author for having the courage of conviction and following the story to it's true conclusion no matter how disturbing and totally horrific it turns out to be. A brilliant horror that maybe short on gore but never lacking in sanity troubling images.

[Michael Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very twisted tale of a haunting, or of insanity. It could be either.

This is a story in which almost every character is not what they first appear to be, but are all very damaged people. It is brutally and horrifyingly shocking in places, dealing body blows that are even more forceful because of its first person narrative.

As the long night progresses and tension rises due to events taking place outside the house, the unnatural phenomena increase and become more insistent, revealing past horrors as well as current.

The ending is unexpected, but wholly in the tone of the book.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected or wanted to read about. This was one twisted, creepy story. Even though the story is not very long, it did give me several little frights, so I have to give the author credit.

[KnNaRfF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gina Ranalli takes the reader on a very uncomfortable and terrifying ride through a very well drawn twisted characters mind. Ranalli has an incredible talent for getting inside your head and totally messing with it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so disturbed now, that I need to go sit quietly. Perfect and gruesome.

[Ivo · Rating 1 out of 5]

An old cliche! A girl molested by her father, secret past, guilt etc.
Yawn!!

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a woman's descent into murder and madness.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good horror story that can be read in a few hours. Definitely an author I'll be keeping an eye on.