Synopsis
Grounded in contemporary life and infused with traditions of Africa and the Caribbean, A Good Haunting: Stories spins myth, magic, and realism into heartrending tales of characters seeking love and connection. Death is the primary antagonist in each of these stories, sometimes appearing as death of self, other times as death of a loved one, and often as both.
In the title story, “A Good Haunting,” a widower in the midst of an unorthodox death ritual uses humor to deal with grief and guilt while coming to terms with unsavory details about his spouse’s sudden death. In “The Way of the Volt,” an eighteenth-century African queen is made immortal, sold into slavery, and left to face a series of impossible choices that force her to struggle with what it means to be human. In “The Sunset Toll,” members of the last community on earth disappear one by one until there are just three people left, trying to maintain hope even as they question the forces that keep them trapped on earth.
The characters wrestle with foes, agonize at crossroads, and face painful truths, all while grappling with grief, love, betrayal, motherhood, and ideas of home. Some triumph, some do not—but they all emerge irrevocably changed by their experiences.
About the Author
Carol Mitchell holds an MFA from George Mason University and is a fellow of the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Her short stories have appeared in several Caribbean journals and she reviews books on her blog and for various journals. She has published eighteen books for children, including three with HarperCollins UK. Four of her short stories have been long-listed for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She lives and teaches writing in Virginia.
Reviews
“Carol Mitchell’s masterfully crafted tales are mined from the marrow of horrors both ordinary and extraordinary, told with poetic insight and, at times, wicked humor. A fantastic collection!”
—Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory
“I’m awed by Carol Mitchell’s prose and utterly compelled by the hauntings—real and imagined, personal and structural—that run through A Good Haunting. This is masterful storytelling, straddling memory and myth, tradition and self-actualization. A stunning addition to my bookshelf of Caribbean short story collections.”
—Alexia Arthurs, author of How to Love a Jamaican
“Caribbean islands have always seethed with ghosts and Carol Mitchell’s eerie short story collection welcomes them to the page. Swirling with the lives and voices of women facing rupture and revelation, A Good Haunting transports the reader across oceans, time, and landscapes to settings where the uncanny is commonplace. Original and provocative.”
—Diana McCaulay, author of A House for Miss Pauline
“Each story in Carol Mitchell’s masterful collection, A Good Haunting, is an immersive page-turner. In unforgettable prose, she transports the reader to vivid worlds that speak to the human condition. Surreal, dark, and full of life, these stories will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page.”
—Ghassan Zeineddine, author of Dearborn
Publication Details
- Publication date: November 3, 2026
- Publisher: Akashic Books
- ISBN: 978-1636143132 (hard cover) November 3, 2026
For review requests contact Akashic Books or Carol Mitchell using carol at carolmitchellbooks.com
For interview or other speaking requests, contact Carol or her literary agent: Murray Weiss at murray at catalystlit.com