Unraveling the Spirits of the Past: Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country

The landscapes of Britain are steeped in mystery—ruined castles cloaked in mist, lonely moors whispering with unseen voices, and ancient churches where time itself seems to stand still. In Ghostland, Edward Parnell embarks on a deeply personal and evocative journey through the haunted spaces of Britain, blending memoir, folklore, and literary history to explore the ghosts that linger in both place and memory.

Through encounters with eerie landscapes and the spectral presence of classic ghost-story writers—M.R. James, Shirley Jackson, and Susan Cooper, among others—Parnell delves into how the supernatural has shaped British culture and storytelling. But as he unearths these haunted histories, he is also confronting his own grief, reckoning with the ghosts that are not just found in fiction but within his own past.

Beautifully written and richly atmospheric, Ghostland is more than just a travelogue of the uncanny—it is a meditation on loss, longing, and the way that stories, like ghosts, continue to haunt us long after they are told.