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Synopsis
A rural Illinois woman encounters ghosts, fear, and lethal hatred after surviving the 1918 influenza outbreak in this gothic psychological thriller. Twenty-five year-old Ivy Rowan rises from her sickbed after being struck by the great influenza epidemic of 1918, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days. But Ivy's life-long gift—or curse—remains. For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked for and unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918, Ivy sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother's chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy's older brother Billy in the Great War. Horrified, she leaves home and soon realizes that the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. She even enters into a relationship with the murdered German man's brother. But as her "uninvited guests" begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once again, and terrifying secrets will unfold. Perfect for those who loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or The Vanishing by Wendy Webb.