The Uninvited - by Cat Winters (Paperback)

About the Book

Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her sickbed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days. But her life-long gift--or curse--remains. For she sees the uninvited ones--ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she 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, to discover 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. But as her 'uninvited guests' begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

Book Synopsis

Set during the fear and panic of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919, The Uninvited is part gothic ghost-story, part psychological thriller, perfect for those who loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or The Vanishing by Wendy Webb.

Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, 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, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she 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, to discover 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. But as her 'uninvited guests' begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

The Uninvited is an atmospheric, haunting, and utterly compelling novel.

From the Back Cover

Twenty-five-year-old Ivy Rowan rises from her sickbed after being struck by the great influenza epidemic of 1918, only to discover that the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy's lifelong gift--or curse--remains. 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 in the Great War of Ivy's other brother, Billy.

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 today, because they could be stricken by nightfall. She even enters into a relationship with the murdered German man's brother, Daniel Schendel. 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.

Review Quotes

"a fascinating historical fiction tale with a decidedly supernatural twist. [...] Readers who like getting immersed in a historical setting will relish Cat Winters' ability to create an almost mesmerizing atmosphere." - Fresh Fiction

"an excellent ghost story: the type that is healing and moving rather than scary. Highly, highly recommended." - Kirkus

"Read this book. [...] This story is a gem with so many facets that uphold the tenets of the Gothic genre, the sensibilities of a romance, and the illuminative window to the past of a historical piece." - USA Today, Happy Ever After blog

"The Uninvited is an eerily haunting, beautifully tragic, dream-like page-turner fueled by passion, fear, and anger." - San Francisco Book Review

"Evocative and lushly written, THE UNINVITED also features a twist I never saw coming." - April Henry, New York Times bestselling author

"A wonderfully atmospheric and intriguing novel. Cat Winters portrays a fascinating period in American history with clever writing and a delicious plot twist. A novel that is sure to keep readers hooked to the end." - Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author

"Writing of an era whose horrors cast a long shadow over those struggling merely to endure, Winters' novel illustrates how the tenacity of the human spirit combines with the audacity born of necessity to triumph over even the most unthinkable challenges. Would that every chapter of history be presented in such captivating, lushly-written prose. Brava!" - Bestselling Author Sophie Littlefield

"Winters' novel illustrates how the tenacity of the human spirit combines with the audacity born of necessity to triumph over even the most unthinkable challenges. Would that every chapter of history be presented in such captivating, lushly-written prose. - Bestselling author Sophie Littlefield

"dark and romantic [...] The author effectively captures the dangers of the period, and yet Ivy finds bastions of human kindness and acceptance. Her compelling voice carries this gothic coming-of-age story, at one horrifying and tender, toward a revelatory yet hopeful conclusion." - Publishers Weekly

"THE UNINVITED is an affecting novel, dark in fiction and in fact. Set in 1918 against the parallel epidemics of the Spanish influenza and an equally terrifying strain of "superpatriotism," Cat Winters' latest offers resonant characters, a stunning twist, and an emotional, satisfying conclusion." - Michelle Gable, International Bestseller of A PARIS APARTMENT

"A mesmerizing story of life and death in one of America's darkest periods." - Megan Shepherd, author of THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER

"compulsively readable, beautifully written and populated with characters that will hover in the air around you, long after you've set the book on your nightstand. I finished this story and wished very much I had written it." - Wendy Webb, author of The Vanishing and The Tale of Halcyon Crane

"Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity." - Kirkus Reviews on In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"[A] gorgeous production...The book's historic setting is as much a star as the plucky Mary Shelley..." - Library Journal on In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"Words like 'unputdownable' and 'irresistible' are simply not enough for Cat Winters's In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Days after finishing this story, it remains the first thought I have in the morning, and the thing that haunts me until I sleep." - --Lauren DeStefano New York Times bestselling author Lauren DeStefno, New York Times bestselling author of The Chemical Garden trilogy

Praise for In the Shadow of Blackbirds: "Winters's masterful debut novel is an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery... Deliciously creepy." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"Unconventional and unflinching." - Booklist (starred review) on In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"Winters deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance...the story and setting are atmospheric and eerie." - School Library Journal (starred review) on In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"Cat Winter's debut novel is creepy good." - Boston Globe on In the Shadow of Blackbirds