The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Bookseller recommendation

“A Canadian Combat nurse returns to the trenches of World War I to find her brother Freddie. Her parents died in the Halifax explosion. Is Freddie dead too? His effects were returned but why were there two dog tags? Is he still alive?  And who is the mysterious German Hans Winter?  What is happening at Farland's hotel?  This is a historical novel plus fantasy from a Vermont author. ”

— Pat • Village Square Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“Quite possibly my favorite book this year, The Warm Hands of Ghosts will lovingly haunt me forever. Its WWI setting mixed with fantastical labyrinths and thin veils between life and death is harrowing, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. It's evident Arden put her everything into crafting this story. Laura, Freddie, and Winter's chapters intertwine perfectly to make it one of the most captivating stories I've ever read. It utterly consumed my attention. Not to mention the audiobook narrators' impeccable performances that brought me to tears more than once. I know that I will return to this book over and over again. ”

— Jacey • Rediscovered Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The dual narrators do a fantastic job of bringing you in to this gripping tale of war and sorrow, family and love. ”

— Chelsea • Sidetrack Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“This novel still haunts me- I get chills just thinking about it. How far will you go to save the ones you love? ”

— Chelsea • Sidetrack Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“If anyone is going to get me to read a WWI novel, it’s Katherine Arden, and thank goodness she did. The pages sparkle with grief and magic, heartbreak and love, death and life. This one will stick with me.”

— Margaret McCampbell • Reads & Company

Bookseller recommendation

“How do we deal with grief? Run? Remember? Fight? The Warm Hands of Ghosts is magical realism at its best, set against the haunting backdrop of WWI. Poignant and heartbreaking.”

— Yvonne • Author's Note

Bookseller recommendation

“When you read a novel set during war, you might expect some terror, some tenderness, a buddy story or a love story, and you will find those elements told movingly in this book, but this book is more. Dialogue and description are full of beautiful moments, and the two narrators for this production inhabit their characters beautifully. The historical content is good enough to teach. And for those who love literature, think Twelfth Night, but with a villain more worthy of Milton, and with such nightmares and memories as you would fear from the war that changed all wars, yet it resolves on a true and cathartic note. This will be on all the top 10 lists for 2024. ”

— Nialle • The Haunted Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Such a captivating story set during WWI that touches on what it means to love someone and what you might give up for that love. This was a novel where the horror is war, real and daunting, and the ghosts were what kept you holding on and living. Katherine Arden has such a beautiful way with words that she pulls you into terrible moments and settings in a delicate and warm way. Her depictions of dirt and muddy earth, make shift war hospital bays, and despair in the trenches was horrifying and heartbreaking. The relationships she was able to build between the characters and their vulnerability is what kept me reading, I had to know how their stories would end. The narrators were brilliant; they really made the story come to life. ”

— Tori • BookPeople