Come Back, I Love You:

by Kathleen Novak

On the shores of a vast and ancient lake stands a tiny cottage where Franny Hale once raised her children over a century ago. Now, the cottage has been sold to a woman seeking a simpler life, but Franny remains, tipping paintings, chilling the air, pushing papers to the floor, and appearing again and again, shadowy, restless, and wanting. The narrator— whose name remains a mystery— shares her own memories and reflections, weaving together fragments of the past that are both surprising and ordinary. As summer unfolds and the days grow shorter, the ghostly presence of Franny begins to fade, leaving behind questions of what remains after the story seems to conclude. Come Back, I Love You (A Ghost Story) invites readers to explore the intertwining of memory and existence, revealing that every narrative, filled with tragedy or triumph, may not truly end. Is a final breath or sigh the end, or merely a transition into something new? This haunting tale challenges the boundaries of life and legacy, bidding contemplation on what lingers in the spaces we leave behind.

176 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Katherine Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac, a woman determined to break free from her past seeks a secluded life along a lake in a new setting but, despite herself, becomes involved in the lives of the people she encounters there. Like Brookner, Kathleen Novak writes eloquently. In Come Back, I Love You, the protagonist is Floria, a relatively young widow. She befriends a talkative older woman named Maeve and her dog, Eddie. Maeve lends Floria a red rowboat. Floria hires a cheerful handyman named Bo Linney, who regularly visits the lake in his rattling old van; he gradually wins her affection. From the start, he sees through her made-up name. The story also features another supporting character, the late Franny Hale, whose artwork hangs in Floria’s cottage. The novel hints at a touch of spookiness. Like Neil Gaiman in The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Novak writes conversationally, making supernatural elements feel real. The strength of this book lies in its blend of everyday and extraordinary elements. The author vividly depicts the cottage and lake in all kinds of weather and moods. Meanwhile, she shares the protagonist’s thoughts on her new garden and what to cook for dinner, alongside memories of her Italian grandmother. There’s also the ghost who occasionally demands attention. Kathleen Novak’s prose feels dream-like in this charming literary novel.

[Margaret Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a voice as ethereal and luminous as the novel’s subject, Kathleen Novak lulls the reader across the thin line between here and the hereafter, exploring how we show up for others—or don’t, creating our own fleeting realities. Lakeside, summer—the story’s lush setting is finely etched, masterfully evoking how a person’s longing for a place is as strong as any love for a person. Come Back, I Love You [A Ghost Story] is a marvel, leaving me to wonder that we may all be ghosts, merely passing through this hauntingly beautiful world.