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

[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.