What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghosts of Bergen County
Gil Ferko is a private-equity lieutenant who commutes to Manhattan from the New Jersey suburbs. His wife, Mary Beth, has become a shut-in since a hit-and-run accident killed their infant daughter. When Ferko reconnects with Jen Yoder, a former high school classmate, Jen introduces him to heroin. As his dependency on the drug grows, his downward spiral puts his life in danger and his career in jeopardy.
Mary Beth has also found an escape—first in prescription drugs that numb her senses, then in the companionship of a mysterious girl who heightens them. A ghost? Mary Beth believes so.
And Jen is also haunted. Years ago she witnessed a man she had just met fall from a rooftop. She walked away from the accident and has been haunted since by the question of why she did so. As her quest to rectify that mistake starts to collide with the mystery of the hit-and-run driver who killed Ferko and Mary Beth’s daughter, all of the characters are forced to face the fine line between fate and happenstance.
Mary Beth has also found an escape—first in prescription drugs that numb her senses, then in the companionship of a mysterious girl who heightens them. A ghost? Mary Beth believes so.
And Jen is also haunted. Years ago she witnessed a man she had just met fall from a rooftop. She walked away from the accident and has been haunted since by the question of why she did so. As her quest to rectify that mistake starts to collide with the mystery of the hit-and-run driver who killed Ferko and Mary Beth’s daughter, all of the characters are forced to face the fine line between fate and happenstance.
399 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2016
12 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
About the author
Dana Cann
1 book17 followersDana Cann's debut novel, Ghosts of Bergen County, will be published by Tin House Books in April 2016. His stories have appeared in The Massachusetts Review, The Sun, The Gettysburg Review, Bethesda Magazine, Fifth Wednesday Journal, The Florida Review, and Blackbird, among other journals. He's received a Pushcart nomination and fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 1, 2018
Collective burden, defined as the aggregate, internalized guilt and complicity of a group of people, is the wellspring from which spirits arise.
this is the kind of book that if you saw a background character on The Leftovers reading, you would think, "hey, nice detail!"
it's nothing like the show in its treatment of the theme, but both concern loss and grief and the survivor's guilt-fueled self-destruction/self-erasure that can fill the gaps left in the lives of those experiencing profound loss, when they isolate themselves from the possibly comforting influence of their fellow-sufferers and instead fall into depression, drugs, work, sleep - any desperate attempt to either numb or prolong their suffering.
but this book isn't the bleak parade that that makes it sound like.
and it's the kind of book whose appeal is based in its accumulation; as the separate storylines begin to stick together to make one giant snowball, so it's hard to find an entry point here that isn't just going to fall flat on the page if i start discussing it episode by episode: ferko plays softball, jen visits her father, mary beth goes to the library. they are small events, but they matter. and in between these small events, ghosts appear, mysteries are solved, lives are changed.
it took a while to draw me in - the first part of the novel was very businessy-boring and i wasn't connecting with any of the characters, but once the plot started rolling, i was impressed. the writing is lovely - not flashy, but evocative, and the characters grew on me after that slow introductory portion. especially mr. yoder. ♥
my only complaint is that i wish there had been a little more overlap/tying threads together because i'd assumed that
apart from that, i thought this was a very strong debut in that quiet, assured way which proves you don't need fireworks to tell a good story with emotional resonance.
come to my blog!
this is the kind of book that if you saw a background character on The Leftovers reading, you would think, "hey, nice detail!"
it's nothing like the show in its treatment of the theme, but both concern loss and grief and the survivor's guilt-fueled self-destruction/self-erasure that can fill the gaps left in the lives of those experiencing profound loss, when they isolate themselves from the possibly comforting influence of their fellow-sufferers and instead fall into depression, drugs, work, sleep - any desperate attempt to either numb or prolong their suffering.
but this book isn't the bleak parade that that makes it sound like.
and it's the kind of book whose appeal is based in its accumulation; as the separate storylines begin to stick together to make one giant snowball, so it's hard to find an entry point here that isn't just going to fall flat on the page if i start discussing it episode by episode: ferko plays softball, jen visits her father, mary beth goes to the library. they are small events, but they matter. and in between these small events, ghosts appear, mysteries are solved, lives are changed.
it took a while to draw me in - the first part of the novel was very businessy-boring and i wasn't connecting with any of the characters, but once the plot started rolling, i was impressed. the writing is lovely - not flashy, but evocative, and the characters grew on me after that slow introductory portion. especially mr. yoder. ♥
my only complaint is that i wish there had been a little more overlap/tying threads together because i'd assumed that
apart from that, i thought this was a very strong debut in that quiet, assured way which proves you don't need fireworks to tell a good story with emotional resonance.
come to my blog!
November 18, 2015
4.5 stars. This is a book that requires a bit of patience at the beginning; it took me about 50 pages to get into the flow of the author's voice and pacing. By page 200 I was gob-smacked. The bits of magical realism make perfect sense as you make your way through the book. Language at times that will break your heart and give you pause. Truly excellent character study, a fast read with a twist at the end that dove-tailed expertly. Definitely recommend.
(Only one small criticism, when the character, Gil, goes to Jen's apartment for the first time, he is perusing the items on her coffee table and uses the word zines to refer to magazines- this is just a personal pet peeve of mine- please people, just use the whole word!)
ARC from Tin House- thank you!
(Only one small criticism, when the character, Gil, goes to Jen's apartment for the first time, he is perusing the items on her coffee table and uses the word zines to refer to magazines- this is just a personal pet peeve of mine- please people, just use the whole word!)
ARC from Tin House- thank you!
June 13, 2016
I was a bit hesitant about reading this book with the sort of depressing description of an infant death and heroin addiction, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The book itself is beautifully written, with haunting passages that made me stop and catch my breath, and the plot is a series of fascinating twists and turns that all come together in a very satisfying ending. Highly recommend!
March 19, 2016
I received a copy of ghosts of Bergen county from goodreads giveaways and I really enjoyed it! I love stories about ghosts and unsolved mysteries and this book has a little of both. The story is well written and engrossing and its very surprising how it ends, I was not expecting it to turn out the way it did! I loved it!
June 5, 2016
This is a great summer read for serious readers. It's a page-turner with some gravitas; you won't be embarrassed to read it at the pool or beach.
Cann's writing is elegant and engaging. The story is an amalgam of the failing, building, and repairing relationships of Perotta (The Leftovers) and Ng (Everything I Never Told You), Doerr's interconnections of lives and after life (All the Light We Cannot See), and a glimpse into the world of finance just before the financial meltdown (The Big Short). The protagonist, Gil Ferko, much like Annie Proux's Coyle (The Shipping News), is a character the reader grows to root for and yearns to protect.
Thought provoking. Evocative. Insightful. And fast paced.
I'll also let Library Journal's review do some talking...
Cann, Dana. Ghosts of Bergen County. Tin House. Apr. 2016. 288p. ISBN 9781941040270. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9781941040287. F
In perfectly balanced prose, debut novelist Cann tells the story of Gil and Mary Ferko, who move to New Jersey’s Bergen County as young parents and are devastated when infant daughter ¬Catherine is killed in a hit-and-run accident. While Gil connects with bad-news Jen Yoder, an old classmate with vague acting ambitions who pulls him into heroin use, Mary Beth remains shut indoors. That Mary Beth spots the flickering image of a pigtailed girl and Jen once walked away after witnessing a man’s death are factors tied together in an escalating mystery. VERDICT Absorbingly written, this will appeal to readers of literary fiction as well as high-end mystery.
Cann's writing is elegant and engaging. The story is an amalgam of the failing, building, and repairing relationships of Perotta (The Leftovers) and Ng (Everything I Never Told You), Doerr's interconnections of lives and after life (All the Light We Cannot See), and a glimpse into the world of finance just before the financial meltdown (The Big Short). The protagonist, Gil Ferko, much like Annie Proux's Coyle (The Shipping News), is a character the reader grows to root for and yearns to protect.
Thought provoking. Evocative. Insightful. And fast paced.
I'll also let Library Journal's review do some talking...
Cann, Dana. Ghosts of Bergen County. Tin House. Apr. 2016. 288p. ISBN 9781941040270. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9781941040287. F
In perfectly balanced prose, debut novelist Cann tells the story of Gil and Mary Ferko, who move to New Jersey’s Bergen County as young parents and are devastated when infant daughter ¬Catherine is killed in a hit-and-run accident. While Gil connects with bad-news Jen Yoder, an old classmate with vague acting ambitions who pulls him into heroin use, Mary Beth remains shut indoors. That Mary Beth spots the flickering image of a pigtailed girl and Jen once walked away after witnessing a man’s death are factors tied together in an escalating mystery. VERDICT Absorbingly written, this will appeal to readers of literary fiction as well as high-end mystery.
September 23, 2016
My second read of this book. Just a delight. I found the characters fully engaging, their dialogue real and funny and touching. I gave myself over to the plot's connections, its coincidences, and enjoyed the doubling (comparable and contrasting) that happens throughout the book: The two little girls, the chicken-stealing brothers, Jen and Mary Beth, the houses that existed nearby but just at another time, New York City and New Jersey. Sure, the book spins out from the hit-and-run and the daughter's death, but it never felt to me sad or depressing; these people are figuring things out, and you are right along with them, solving mysteries that carry them and you forward, into the next phase, the next stage, whatever that might be.
March 24, 2016
BRA (Biased Reader Alert)
I read this book for the first time several years ago in its manuscript form. At the time, I imagined it would some day have, emblazoned across the cover, words akin to "a stunning achievement." It's both literary and gripping and to say that I'm happy to see it in print is the most sincere of understatements. The world that Dana Cann built was strong enough that it never left me. It was almost a relief to again be swept into the lives of Ferko, Mary Beth and Jen, and in the incidents and accidents and ghosts that connect them -- that connect us all.
I read this book for the first time several years ago in its manuscript form. At the time, I imagined it would some day have, emblazoned across the cover, words akin to "a stunning achievement." It's both literary and gripping and to say that I'm happy to see it in print is the most sincere of understatements. The world that Dana Cann built was strong enough that it never left me. It was almost a relief to again be swept into the lives of Ferko, Mary Beth and Jen, and in the incidents and accidents and ghosts that connect them -- that connect us all.
February 7, 2016
Captivating! I love ghosts! This is so much more. I know this book will go on my shelf to read again. The story slowly pulls you in and then Bam! there are so many levels and connections that you are engrossed. I love the characters and neighborhood descriptions as well as the friendships current and past. The author truly paints a picture so you are standing on the sidelines watching the lives of the character unfold. A well written book and a good read.
July 6, 2016
This took me some time to get in to, I didn't like any of the characters until we met Mary Beth, and I struggled to relate to anyone in the novel. That said, I did find the plot interesting enough to keep reading and in the end when all the pieces fell into place, it was a nicely crafted finale that felt satisfying.
June 16, 2016
The characters draw you in and keep your attention. Great read for the summer if you have a chance.
May 21, 2016
This novel was a surprise – I’m not sure what I was expecting from Ghosts of Bergen County, but I didn’t think I would be so drawn in to this unusual, captivating debut novel. Yes, there are ghosts here, but they are less the frightening kind and more the “collective burden” of the mistakes of our pasts. The burden is based on the guilt and complicity of the decisions we all make, and while this novel is sorrowful, it is never bleak.
Gil Ferko is crippled by mediocrity – he works in the financial world of New York, yet he is unfulfilled and feels almost like a fraud when he is successful. His wife, Mary Beth, became hooked on prescription drugs after the death of their baby, and she has barely left the house since. He feels isolated at home and at his workplace. When Ferko unexpectedly reconnects with former classmate Jen Yoder, life suddenly becomes exciting again. Jen was always the cool girl, and Ferko finds himself drawn to her lifestyle – the friends, the fun, and even the heroin addiction.
Ferko and Jen begin to skip out on work to explore the seedy underworld of New York City. They go on adventures that could only be entertaining if you were high on heroin, which they are. Jen even introduces Ferko to her father, who wrote several books about ghosts. He explains to Ferko the concept of ghosts as a collective burden, viewing guilt as the place from which spirits arise. This theory applies to Mary Beth, who witnessed her infant daughter being killed by a hit-and-run driver, as well as to Jen, who watched a man fall/jump from the roof of a building – neither woman has recovered from the experience, and their guilt haunts them.
Meanwhile, Mary Beth begins to spend time with a young girl named Amanda who she meets in the forest near her home. She believes the girl is a ghost, and delving into her mysterious appearance gives Mary Beth a sense of purpose. Because Ferko and Mary Beth are both abusing hallucinogenic drugs, it’s hard to know if Amanda is really a ghost, or if the apparition is simply a case of folie à deux. Amanda exists while she serves a purpose for the living, then she is gone.
Ghosts of Bergen County is a quiet novel to begin with, but as the various plot threads come together, the pace increases – it is truly exciting when everything comes together. I did guess some of the outcomes, but certainly not all, and it was thrilling to witness the author work his magic. There are so many levels to the story that eventually intersect, and although some were a little convenient, it was still very enjoyable. The characters are all very real, which makes their experiences truly heartbreaking. In the end, when Mary Beth is asked who they are, she responds with “Ghosts” – and says she’s never felt more alive.
I received this novel from Tin House Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gil Ferko is crippled by mediocrity – he works in the financial world of New York, yet he is unfulfilled and feels almost like a fraud when he is successful. His wife, Mary Beth, became hooked on prescription drugs after the death of their baby, and she has barely left the house since. He feels isolated at home and at his workplace. When Ferko unexpectedly reconnects with former classmate Jen Yoder, life suddenly becomes exciting again. Jen was always the cool girl, and Ferko finds himself drawn to her lifestyle – the friends, the fun, and even the heroin addiction.
Ferko and Jen begin to skip out on work to explore the seedy underworld of New York City. They go on adventures that could only be entertaining if you were high on heroin, which they are. Jen even introduces Ferko to her father, who wrote several books about ghosts. He explains to Ferko the concept of ghosts as a collective burden, viewing guilt as the place from which spirits arise. This theory applies to Mary Beth, who witnessed her infant daughter being killed by a hit-and-run driver, as well as to Jen, who watched a man fall/jump from the roof of a building – neither woman has recovered from the experience, and their guilt haunts them.
Meanwhile, Mary Beth begins to spend time with a young girl named Amanda who she meets in the forest near her home. She believes the girl is a ghost, and delving into her mysterious appearance gives Mary Beth a sense of purpose. Because Ferko and Mary Beth are both abusing hallucinogenic drugs, it’s hard to know if Amanda is really a ghost, or if the apparition is simply a case of folie à deux. Amanda exists while she serves a purpose for the living, then she is gone.
Ghosts of Bergen County is a quiet novel to begin with, but as the various plot threads come together, the pace increases – it is truly exciting when everything comes together. I did guess some of the outcomes, but certainly not all, and it was thrilling to witness the author work his magic. There are so many levels to the story that eventually intersect, and although some were a little convenient, it was still very enjoyable. The characters are all very real, which makes their experiences truly heartbreaking. In the end, when Mary Beth is asked who they are, she responds with “Ghosts” – and says she’s never felt more alive.
I received this novel from Tin House Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2016
5 ways to know you're reading a great book:
1) You read anytime you can steal a moment- even if a pot is boiling over, you finish the page.
2) On the other hand, you slow down when you're nearing the end.
3) You care about the characters so much that you dream about them.
4) You start bending pages and underlining passages because the writing is touching you.
5) You wonder about the message being delivered and how that impacts your life.
I'm giving Ghosts of Bergen County 5 out of 5 stars because it delivered on all counts. If you like a character driven book, you will really enjoy it. Gil, Mary Beth and Jen battle through the demons that confront them. I was drawn into the story quickly and completely. The writing is vivid and memorable. I love, love, loved this book and can't wait to read another by Dana Cann.
1) You read anytime you can steal a moment- even if a pot is boiling over, you finish the page.
2) On the other hand, you slow down when you're nearing the end.
3) You care about the characters so much that you dream about them.
4) You start bending pages and underlining passages because the writing is touching you.
5) You wonder about the message being delivered and how that impacts your life.
I'm giving Ghosts of Bergen County 5 out of 5 stars because it delivered on all counts. If you like a character driven book, you will really enjoy it. Gil, Mary Beth and Jen battle through the demons that confront them. I was drawn into the story quickly and completely. The writing is vivid and memorable. I love, love, loved this book and can't wait to read another by Dana Cann.
August 27, 2016
For a tale of loss, grief, dysfunction, addiction, & the paranormal, this was actually quite charming. I liked the language and the story line kept surprising just enough to keep me absorbed without any eyerolls. Even the ghost factor was handled with dignity and didn't aggravate any of my woo-woo allergies. Extra points for that there-but-for-the-grace-of feeling of having narrowly missed being someone who still lives in an East Village walkup with a garbage bag taped over the bathroom window. Enjoyable, and recommended to all the usual suspects.
April 26, 2016
Ghosts of Bergen County was a solid, engaging read I've recommended a few times. The well crafted plot actively moves along while the author's observations elevate the reading experience. I was able to really relate to, for example, the characters' recollections of high school while I'll just accept as accurate of some of their more current drug-addled thinking. I liked the healing supernatural elements.
August 11, 2016
An intriguing tale about death and ghosts and over coming grief by becoming numb to the world around you. This is not a page-turner type of story but one that you will want to continue reading to discover if the characters will ever recover from their self-induced escape from reality. I'm not a big believer in ghosts, but I enjoyed the book very much.
Read
September 13, 2016Read Dani Hedlund's interview with Dana Cann on Ghosts of Bergen County: http://tetheredbyletters.com/intervie...
July 5, 2019
Intriguing with characters that were so real. Great married couple.
I always wondered if you could touch a ghost.
This book also explained awful DRUGS (sometimes MEDICINE) that change the brain to always want IT. Awful.
This book was a page turner.
I always wondered if you could touch a ghost.
This book also explained awful DRUGS (sometimes MEDICINE) that change the brain to always want IT. Awful.
This book was a page turner.
July 8, 2021
It took me forever to finish this book. I just wasn’t engaged with the story or characters - whenever I thought the book was going somewhere interesting- it never happened. There is, in fact, a ghost…
May 9, 2017
Wow, this was pretty interesting. Had to keep up with the different characters because they will all come together in the end.
April 15, 2019
Kind of a not-very-ghost-story-like ghost story.
July 22, 2019
Easy beach read, was decent.
March 13, 2023
Started off a little weird. But I really liked Ferko.
Lots of profound insights about death and ghosts.
Lots of profound insights about death and ghosts.
December 26, 2025
I really appreciated this book. The intertwined storylines as it progresses kept me really attentive.
April 21, 2025
The first 200 pages of this book were extremely boring and I almost DNF. I'm glad I stuck it out though because once all the storylines started to connect, I was hooked. I will remember the characters for a long time.
April 20, 2016
This was one of those books that made me miss the characters once I finished it. The story was both complex and relate-able, even with the mystical elements. I found myself rooting for the main characters to conquer their demons. An enjoyable page-turner - perfect for a summer weekend. Looking forward to a follow-up effort from this author!
lost-interest
August 22, 2016i just cannot get into this one at all. it's not bad or anything, it's just a really slow start. and i'd probably try to stick it out if i didn't have a bunch of other library books out that i want to get around to. so, i'm letting this one go.
one day i'll go through my lost interest shelf and try to revisit some of these, i think.
one day i'll go through my lost interest shelf and try to revisit some of these, i think.
July 14, 2016
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. It annoyed me at first with its common tropes of grief, drug abuse, bullying, etc., but something kept me reading. Whatever it was, after the first few chapters I couldn't put the book down. A supernatural thriller like nothing else I've ever read.
January 13, 2016
I liked this books more for its descriptions of small, normal moments between spouses and between friends than I did the actual story, though that was perfectly nice and entertaining. I'm happy I read it - a good, tidy example of closure
I received this book free as a Goodreads First Read.
I received this book free as a Goodreads First Read.
November 2, 2016
Ironically, I ended up connecting with the female characters who were initially not the focus. The male character drove me nuts! The plot line is very creative and the details are interwoven very well. The ending was satisfying and the various plot threads tied up neatly.
Read
January 29, 2017Nicely plotted with the different ghost tales converging through a group of characters. I heard Dana Cann read from a chapter of the novel a few months ago, and from that, I was prompted to read it and am glad I did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews