Archive · 8 Nov 2025
Book Review: Daisy Rockwell's 'Alice Sees Ghosts' Explores Family Dysfunction and Love
Imagine a woman named Alice who thinks she sees ghosts.
These ghosts take her on a journey from America to India and back.
While chasing these ghosts, Alice starts to understand her parents better, especially her mom who had a tough time.
The book also shows that Alice and her husband, Ronit, have a great love story.
It talks about secret loves and how some people in society judge others.
We're not sure if Alice really sees ghosts or if she's just imagining them.
Her husband even wonders if she needs to see another doctor!
When Alice goes to India, she feels more accepted because people there are more open to strange experiences.
The book also looks at how families can be messed up, like Alice's mom causing problems.
It even makes us think about what it means to be a family, whether it's the people you're born with or the people you choose.
The end might feel a bit fast, but it wraps up Alice's story and her search for love and belonging.
Daisy Rockwell's novel 'Alice Sees Ghosts' follows protagonist Alice Ramsey's journey dealing with family dysfunction and perceived supernatural encounters.
The narrative spans from America to India, exploring Alice's past trauma of abandonment by her father and neglect by her alcoholic mother.
The book examines taboo subjects like bigamy, adultery, and the societal judgment of homosexuality.
Questions arise about the reality of Alice's ghost sightings, with her psychiatrist husband Ronit Roy initially skeptical.
Ultimately, the novel delves into the meaning of family, contrasting biological ties with chosen, 'found' families.
- Who
- Alice Ramsey and her family, including her husband Ronit Roy and her mother Clare.
- What
- A book review of Daisy Rockwell's novel 'Alice Sees Ghosts', which explores themes of family dysfunction, abandonment, mental health, and love through the protagonist's encounters with ghosts.
- When
- The review discusses events and themes within the novel, but does not specify a real-world publication or event date.
- Where
- The story unfolds between Alice's family home in America and India, with reflections on American high society.
- Why
- The novel uses Alice's experiences with perceived ghosts and family issues to explore the meaning of family, love, and overcoming neglect and abandonment.
Ambiguity of Alice's Visions
Clarity of Alice's Visions
Alice's connection to ghosts
Ambiguity of Alice's Visions
Alice might be 'a little off in the head' given she met her husband Ronit as a patient, and he considers referring her elsewhere.
Clarity of Alice's Visions
Alice's visions have purpose and rules; her grandfather's ghost appears differently in India versus America, suggesting a genuine supernatural element.
The novel's resolution
Ambiguity of Alice's Visions
The ending may seem 'a bit too neat' and 'rushed,' with 'a bit too tell and little show' compared to the detailed beginning.
Clarity of Alice's Visions
Alice's 'foreignness' in her approach to life leads to the novel's resolution, highlighting the theme of 'found family' versus biological ties.
- Author
- Daisy Rockwell
- Translator
- Daisy Rockwell
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury
- Pages
- 272
- Price
- Rs 699