Book Review: A Ghost of Caribou by Alice Henderson

Henderson, Alice. A Ghost of Caribou. William Morrow, NY: 2022.

The front cover of A Ghost of Caribou by Alice Henderson, with some lichen from my yard (because lichen has a role in the novel)

A Ghost of Caribou is the third volume in the Alex Carter series, which includes A Solitude of Wolverines and A Blizzard of Polar Bears. This book is so scary and riveting, it kept me up at night. The occasional comic relief is much appreciated in such a scary novel.

The characters come alive so vividly that I caught myself talking to characters. When Katherine talks about her enthusiasm for learning languages and astronomy, and she dismissively says she’s just a nerd, I related and said, “At least your interests are more practical than obsessively reading up on Spiritualism history.”

I relate to Alex’s alienation from people and her struggle to connect with people and make friends. But nowadays I’ve come to accept that. Better to have a tiny number of empathic friends than to socialize with a bunch of narcissists.

This book has a wealth of information about caribou sprinkled with harrowing action scenes. I much appreciate not only the animal rights message but also the feminist message. This book spits in the eye of ageism.

page 93: C. H. U. D. “cannibalistic humanoid underground dwells”

Alex’s phone conversations with her friend Zoe are a relief amid all the scary…