Description: What if the dead could help the living? The Spirit of Loughmoe Abbey: A Novel is a book about a troubled girl named Gwen who doesn’t fit in at boarding school, but everything changes when she encounters a mysterious ghost who reveals a family secret.

Verdict: In what is a very creatively written ghost story, one where there are no planted jump scares or maniacal beings roaming with bad intentions of harm, but moreover one that provides a genuine sense of mystery, of companionship, of impassioned curiosity, The Spirit of Loughmoe Abbey: A Novel by author Megan Wynne has quickly jumped into the Top 10 of my best books of the year with a bullet!

I live on the other side, said the ghost.

Gwen swallowed. Of what?

Of life. The spirit girl’s eyes shone with silver tears.

I mean, come on people, that right there is enough to have you stop what you are doing, sit down and find out just what is going on. I mean, yeah, sure, what if the dead could help the living? A question posed by Megan that has been doing the rounds for centuries, but here in this delightfully written, wholly engaging book, we travel alongside our central characters as they discover pain, friendship, grief, humor, and all the things that make us human (or otherwise).

The storyline is that home schooled all her life, Gwen is packed off to boarding school when her mother goes into hospital. Gwen believes the key to making her mother better is to be a success at school. Trouble is Gwen doesn’t fit in. She is bottom of the class, useless at games and doesn’t get along with her classmates, but in 1980s Ireland, nobody has heard of neurodivergence - especially in girls!

Gwen wishes she could make friends but doesn’t know what a ‘real’ friend is. To make matters worse she is haunted by a mysterious spirit who wants to help Gwen and her mother. Can Gwen trust the spirit? And can the two of them make Gwen’s mum better?

An endearing work of heartfelt prose art, The Spirit of Loughmoe Abbey: A Novel is not overly long at just 172 pages, and thus brings forth with it a spirt (sorry, not sorry) of hope, an eagerness to believe, a sense of an invisible magical veil that once pierced might just soulfully engage us in a way that changes our lives forever.

It’s a novel that transports us - via an extraordinary ghost story about a family mystery - and that enraptures our inner child from the very first page, and that makes us smile again. And don’t we all need more of that in our lives these days.

About the Author: Living in Dublin, Ireland, Megan Wynne is a writer and fully qualified teacher. Megan gives workshops in journaling to support mental wellbeing. She also teaches creative writing to children, teenagers and adults. In 2022/23 Megan was an awardee on the Evolution Program for emerging writers with the Irish Writers Centre. In 2022 and 2024 she received an Agility Award from the Irish Arts Council. She has received five literature bursaries from her local County Council Arts Office.

Official Book Purchase Link