The Disconsolate

by B Elizabeth Bell

Aislin receives an unexpected phone call from James' brother. The only man she's ever loved is dead. She immediately packs her car and starts the long drive from the Pacific Northwest to her college town. Settling into the guestroom at James' mansion is complicated by the uneasy company of his widow.
As the summer heat winds down in Coachella Valley, California, Aislin finds James haunting the hallways. Death cannot stop love and sparks reignite. But it turns out that Aislin isn't the only one who can see James. Soon, a spiral of uncertainty ensnares the family. A plan to help him move on conflicts with the pain of saying goodbye forever. Questions arise about the mystery of his death, and the family scrambles to cover up a secret that will tear them apart.

312 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2023

About the author

B Bell lives in Portland, Oregon with
her husband Jeffrey, their cats Artemis and Tansy and spirit cat, Basil.

Her debut novel, The Disconsolate, naturally combines a lifelong fascination with ghosts and love for the epistolary.

B loves cooking, eating, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and collecting rocks from any location, but especially the Oregon Coast or the mountains and deserts of Arizona. She shares a weekly writing practice with the Fly-by-Nights. Visit her work online at Cat Over Clock. She is a writing workshop facilitator for the non-profit, Write Around Portland.

As an addition to her debut novel, Bell's historical fiction--an epistolary set in the late 19th century--is currently in the works.

Reviews

[Ryan Flett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bell uses a supernatural framework to explore love and loss in a tale that weaves together grief, mystery, and the bonds that tie family together. Filled with beautiful and unique prose, the book deftly shows the reader how tangled together we are with our loved ones, even in death. Bell uses letters between the main characters, inserted at the end of chapters, to really flesh out the relationship between the main character, Aislin, and her dead former flame James. I loved all the little details that the letters added. There was a bit of a plot twist that I won't spoil here, but it was one that added more depth to the story.

If you're a fan of the supernatural and romance, give this book a try! It's well worth the read.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literary without being stuffy, serious without being heavy, this novel explores grief, longing, and regret in both family and romantic relationships. Highly detailed in both physical observations and human thoughts and feelings, the first 2/3rds are more deliberately paced, setting up mood and describing more of an emotional haunting of the characters, sometimes bringing to mind television’s Six Feet Under. The last third quickens the pace in the form of a more traditional mystery. Recommended

[Melissa Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Disconsolate is a great story that explores the raw and relatable complex of the human experiences of love, purpose, passion, family life, and also death. It offers vivid scenery, an enticing glimpse into the afterlife, and beautifully entangled characters with depth that are both relatable and feel, well... alive...,though not all are living. Highly recommend.

[Felicia Seay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so well written. The author takes you through the journey of life, death, love and love-lost, all while dealing with the effects of poignant grief. The paranormal aspects of the tale are perfectly scripted. I highly recommend this book. Just be sure to keep tissues handy, you're going to need them.

[Debbie Pyette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written family drama that explores the possibility of the afterworld and the complexities of love and loss. The personalities are well developed. The story is interesting and poetic. This one will stay with you. I received a copy for an honest review

[Lesley Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a couple of chapters to get into but had me hooked after that. Enjoyable read