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The Wake
It was an unusually cold December... Oxford student Michael has been summoned to the will reading of his old music teacher, Miss Callahan, in the remote West of Ireland. But not everyone is pleased to see him return. As mourners gather around the deceased, secrets Michael thought were long buried are unearthed, and with them a past he realises he can never escape... Quietly compelling and deeply chilling, The Wake is a haunting story about the inescapable power the dead continue to wield over the living.
111 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2020
78 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
NP Cunniffe
2 books38 followersNP Cunniffe was born in the West of Ireland, surrounded by dark forests, fairy hills and deep, mysterious lakes. He won a young writers scholarship to the Winchester Writers' Festival in 2017 and was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award in 2020. When the pandemic hit, he self-published a novelette, The Wake: An Irish Ghost Story, in August 2020, selling over 500 copies by the end of that year. He holds an MA in Writing the Modern World from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich. The Weejee Man is his first novella.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 22, 2025
She's Coming...
She's Coming...
SHE'S COMING...
THE WAKE:
An Irish Ghost Story for the Long Dark Nights
By NP Cunniffe
4 1/2 stars. Teresa Callahan lay dead and waiting in her front room. Her parlour. She would repose there until her funeral...
Michael sat in his car, snow falling, heater going, wondering why he had been called to hear the reading of her will...
It was an unusually cold December with temperatures in the minus...
It was painfully cold...
Everyone inside the house would be wondering why she'd bequeathed him something...
His anxiety level was high as he entered the house. The room reeked of incense and cigarettes...
Michael was pale and sweaty...
His hair was long and greasy...
He looked deathly...
He'd never, as an adult, had to express sorrow for the dead. He would be expected to now. He should have practiced...
Inside the house...
The hands of the grandfather clock had been stopped at four-thirty...
The time of death...
Mourners sat all around the room and the open coffin. He remembered the house. He couldn't forget it no matter how he tried...
Maybe now...
He could say goodbye to her, her house and its odors for good...
Soon...
The house, with its dark corners and many rooms, would be buried along with her...
His aunt pushed him into a chair, forcing sandwiches and tea into his hands...
It was a big mistake to come here...
The priest arrived, and everyone gathered around the coffin for the prayers....
Michael slipped away to use the loo upstairs. It brought back bad memories of her, being up there with the piano he took his lessons on...
He felt uncomfortable and anxious...
She's coming...
She's coming...
SHE'S COMING...
This was a surprisingly good short story (about 100 pages). The very chilly atmosphere is established from the start and continues until the very end.
The causes of Michael's anxiety are many and varied. You may be able to figure out the end as I did, but the story still compels the reader to turn the pages until its climax.
This is a great winter story, and I recommend it for a chilling December read!
She's Coming...
SHE'S COMING...
THE WAKE:
An Irish Ghost Story for the Long Dark Nights
By NP Cunniffe
4 1/2 stars. Teresa Callahan lay dead and waiting in her front room. Her parlour. She would repose there until her funeral...
Michael sat in his car, snow falling, heater going, wondering why he had been called to hear the reading of her will...
It was an unusually cold December with temperatures in the minus...
It was painfully cold...
Everyone inside the house would be wondering why she'd bequeathed him something...
His anxiety level was high as he entered the house. The room reeked of incense and cigarettes...
Michael was pale and sweaty...
His hair was long and greasy...
He looked deathly...
He'd never, as an adult, had to express sorrow for the dead. He would be expected to now. He should have practiced...
Inside the house...
The hands of the grandfather clock had been stopped at four-thirty...
The time of death...
Mourners sat all around the room and the open coffin. He remembered the house. He couldn't forget it no matter how he tried...
Maybe now...
He could say goodbye to her, her house and its odors for good...
Soon...
The house, with its dark corners and many rooms, would be buried along with her...
His aunt pushed him into a chair, forcing sandwiches and tea into his hands...
It was a big mistake to come here...
The priest arrived, and everyone gathered around the coffin for the prayers....
Michael slipped away to use the loo upstairs. It brought back bad memories of her, being up there with the piano he took his lessons on...
He felt uncomfortable and anxious...
She's coming...
She's coming...
SHE'S COMING...
This was a surprisingly good short story (about 100 pages). The very chilly atmosphere is established from the start and continues until the very end.
The causes of Michael's anxiety are many and varied. You may be able to figure out the end as I did, but the story still compels the reader to turn the pages until its climax.
This is a great winter story, and I recommend it for a chilling December read!
November 21, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this Haunting Irish Novella. I could not stop until finished my first read by Mr Cunniffe
Read
September 20, 2024I hope you are all enjoying THE WAKE. Here is the link to buy the book: https://bit.ly/TheWakeUK (you might need to copy and paste).
Keep up with all the promotions (including book giveaways) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/npcunniffebo...
I hope you enjoy the book. I had a great time writing it and I hope to write more.
NP
Keep up with all the promotions (including book giveaways) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/npcunniffebo...
I hope you enjoy the book. I had a great time writing it and I hope to write more.
NP
October 2, 2024
3.5⭐️
October 8, 2020
What a lovely surprise this novella was, I thought it was so cleverly written and I really enjoyed it! It’s about a man being called back to his hometown to attend a wake for his old school teacher, but it’s riddled with secrets that he’s kept hidden until now, the author does an amazing job of making this feel Irish without isolating you if you aren’t Irish, which is a fine line! This was quite a quirky read and definitely creepy, footing for this spooktober! I thought it was excellent the way you weren’t sure where it was going and I couldn’t stop reading it! I’d say it was a 4 ⭐️ read and a perfect inbetween read for this season! Trigger warnings for Trauma & abuse! Huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this! I look forward to seeing what you write in the future!
October 3, 2020
What a creepy little novella! The sense of panic and fear and desperation jumps off the page and infests the reader's mind, seeps into the bones like a cold winter day. The main character is haunted not only by ghosts but also by the past and we are pulled along with him up the dark staircase of madness. An excellent read, once I started, I couldn't stop until I had finished. I hope to see more from NP Cunniffe!
December 26, 2024
Such a fun little read
Wonderfully spooky. Very enjoyable read. Just the right amount of misdirection that I had to read some passages more than once to make sure I got all the details.
Wonderfully spooky. Very enjoyable read. Just the right amount of misdirection that I had to read some passages more than once to make sure I got all the details.
August 8, 2024
Irish ghost story
Quick read. It's so good. It's ghost story as only 100 pages. Its creepy and sad too. Really enjoyed it!
Quick read. It's so good. It's ghost story as only 100 pages. Its creepy and sad too. Really enjoyed it!
March 17, 2025
“Haven’t you always wanted to be dead?”
Trapped in a house of suppressed memories and hallucinations, Michael knows he's unwell long before stepping inside the doorway. Mrs. Callahan was his music teacher of his youth who haunted his dreams for years has finally passed away and in doing so, left him behind in her will. Summoned back from Britain to his secluded hometown in Ireland, he can't fully remember how he came to hear of her passing, only that he now was waiting on his parents to join him at her wake. Seeing countless people he didn't recognize and others he remembered, he can't keep his thoughts straight as he is the only one convinced it was Callahan's funeral. While those gathered around him shed tears for him, he was being chased by the demons of his past as he removed all the abuse and fear that woman had inflicted upon him. Seeing Molly (an old friend), she was getting him to drink liquor brewed by a family friend as his mind spiraled away from him. Seeing his mother on the stairs comforting a much younger version of himself, he couldn't come to the terms that he was the one who passed away and that his parents have been gone for several years. Killed by an automobile accident, they were never the ones who summoned him back home and as everyone around him begins leaving the house, he's left to accept he's trapped with the one person he fears most for the rest of time.
“They’re dead anyway and not going to feel it.”
Trapped in a house of suppressed memories and hallucinations, Michael knows he's unwell long before stepping inside the doorway. Mrs. Callahan was his music teacher of his youth who haunted his dreams for years has finally passed away and in doing so, left him behind in her will. Summoned back from Britain to his secluded hometown in Ireland, he can't fully remember how he came to hear of her passing, only that he now was waiting on his parents to join him at her wake. Seeing countless people he didn't recognize and others he remembered, he can't keep his thoughts straight as he is the only one convinced it was Callahan's funeral. While those gathered around him shed tears for him, he was being chased by the demons of his past as he removed all the abuse and fear that woman had inflicted upon him. Seeing Molly (an old friend), she was getting him to drink liquor brewed by a family friend as his mind spiraled away from him. Seeing his mother on the stairs comforting a much younger version of himself, he couldn't come to the terms that he was the one who passed away and that his parents have been gone for several years. Killed by an automobile accident, they were never the ones who summoned him back home and as everyone around him begins leaving the house, he's left to accept he's trapped with the one person he fears most for the rest of time.
“They’re dead anyway and not going to feel it.”
February 7, 2024
A super quick read. In my humble opinion it was no way near as good as The Weejee Man, which I adored. I just couldn't get to grips with the main character, whereas I liked Rick.
January 21, 2025
This is a chilling short story. Based in Ireland, Michael receives a letter advising him that his teacher passed away. He returns to his hometown for the wake. When he gets there, he begins to remember things from his past that he repressed over the years.
Considering this is a short story, the subject matter is varied. It touches on addiction, mental health, abuse, and grief. All elements that add to an unreliable narrator, which made the twist all the more potent.
This story highlights how thin the veil is between the living and the dead. There are a few things that I'm still thinking about and wondering if the author did it on purpose. I will definitely be forcing someone else to read this, with the intention of a heated discussion.
Considering this is a short story, the subject matter is varied. It touches on addiction, mental health, abuse, and grief. All elements that add to an unreliable narrator, which made the twist all the more potent.
This story highlights how thin the veil is between the living and the dead. There are a few things that I'm still thinking about and wondering if the author did it on purpose. I will definitely be forcing someone else to read this, with the intention of a heated discussion.
January 22, 2021
The story follows Michael. Recently named in a former teacher's will, Michael has returned home to Ireland and Miss Callahan's wake. At a traditional Irish wake, such as this one, the deceased is wrapped in a white sheet and presented in the front room; the mourners pay their respects and catch up with each other, there's usually food and rather a lot of tea/whiskey.
When his ageing aunts ask if he's eating properly, Michael wonders where his parents are before being accosted by former friends he hasn't seen in years. The question is: why did Miss Callahan leave something to Michael in particular? And what was the nature of their relationship?
It was good and creepy, very atmospheric and beautifully written. I think I got so caught up in the beautiful writing that I slightly lost track of the story but don't let that put you off. I just lost track of who was dead which, in a scary story, is no bad thing.
When his ageing aunts ask if he's eating properly, Michael wonders where his parents are before being accosted by former friends he hasn't seen in years. The question is: why did Miss Callahan leave something to Michael in particular? And what was the nature of their relationship?
It was good and creepy, very atmospheric and beautifully written. I think I got so caught up in the beautiful writing that I slightly lost track of the story but don't let that put you off. I just lost track of who was dead which, in a scary story, is no bad thing.
November 7, 2020
EXCELLENT! This creepy novelette had some unexpected twists I was not expecting. Author NP Cunniffe's narrative is among some of the best I have read. A perfect rainy night read! I highly recommend it!
February 23, 2021
A strange story!
Very well written but, not for me I'm afraid. The setting was totally alien to me and rather disturbing to boot.
Very well written but, not for me I'm afraid. The setting was totally alien to me and rather disturbing to boot.
January 10, 2021
A brilliant horror story, full of suspense and twists. A triumph
July 28, 2024
Creepy little novella, I thought it was a good quick spooky read it but loved The Weejee Man by the same author more. Can't wait for more books.
February 26, 2025
I really liked the vibes in this! It’s a great ghost story, and the sense of unease was built up really well.
December 29, 2020
This ghost story is the first that has kept me awake at night in a long time. Not only because of the creepy elements, but also because of the descriptions and the backgrounds of the characters. The author manages to create a mood of tension from the first minute. It was clear that something must have happened in his past, but the unfolding of the story and the ghosts was both uncomfortable and scary to read.
I'll admit, I'm still not entirely sure I got the ending right, but the atmosphere, characters, and setting kept me trapped. And I'm sure I'll come back to this Irish ghost story again.
I'll admit, I'm still not entirely sure I got the ending right, but the atmosphere, characters, and setting kept me trapped. And I'm sure I'll come back to this Irish ghost story again.
April 3, 2023
I enjoyed this novella. It definitely took a turn that I wasn’t expecting (TW: mentions of abuse), which thankfully, was more alluded to by the author, than graphically written.
I loved that this creepy little story was set at Christmas time. The author set the scene very well, and had a beautiful way of describing the surroundings and building atmosphere, without rambling.
Overall, I would recommend this to fellow horror fans, given that 1) it’s very short and 2) it really is beautifully written.
I loved that this creepy little story was set at Christmas time. The author set the scene very well, and had a beautiful way of describing the surroundings and building atmosphere, without rambling.
Overall, I would recommend this to fellow horror fans, given that 1) it’s very short and 2) it really is beautifully written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2021
Only 108 pages, It was dreadful. After reading David Ralph Williams this Christmas this book failed miserably to pass as a ghost story. It had been well recommended. Really disappointing. I like books in this genre to be of a Susan Hill standard this one came nowhere near that/
April 7, 2025
Excellent cover here but what about the story inside? Michael is attending the wake of his former piano teacher. She seemed to have abusive tendencies towards her students. Soon the story becomes a bit confusing. It's about ghosts and you don't know any longer whose wake you're really reading here. Interesting eerie details but I would have liked to have broader focus on the teacher and her mischievous action. Then the tale would have been more stringent. So it was about a lonely and unhappy character and its ending. Nevertheless an intriguing and at parts very uncanny novella. Recommended!
December 18, 2025
This is a short, creepy horror story that fills you with an increasing sense of dread. Michael flies home to Ireland when asked to attend the reading of the will of his old piano teacher. But what he finds is no ordinary wake. A rare snowfall covers the land and everyone is acting increasingly strange. His parents are nowhere to be seen, and the haunting shade of his teacher is bringing back disturbing memories.
Told in NP Cunniffe’s racy, effortless prose, this is a perfect winter chiller with a shocking twist. Recommended!
Told in NP Cunniffe’s racy, effortless prose, this is a perfect winter chiller with a shocking twist. Recommended!
December 25, 2024
This book engenders a believable atmosphere. The description of the wake in part one will strike a chord with anyone who has attended a wake in Ireland, North or South. I have sat in enough to realise Cunniffe has caught the aura of a wake perfectly.
The hero is easy to empathise with and his story will move the reader.
The hero is easy to empathise with and his story will move the reader.
September 11, 2025
This is the second book I read by NP Cunniffe and I have enjoyed both. The Weejee Man is the more horror of the two whereas The Wake has more of a gothic feel to it. A man arrives at a wake to pay his respects but all is not as it seems...dum, dum, dum.
You are invited to this wake...if you dare.
You are invited to this wake...if you dare.
September 11, 2020
Sped through this gripping story in one sitting! An atmospheric, creepy tale that will leave you questioning everything...
October 20, 2023
I was really disappointed. It would have been better as a shorter story, and even then child abuse is not something that I enjoy as subject matter!
January 13, 2024
Short but creepy.
July 14, 2024
Horrifying
Thank goodness that this is only a short read. Made my blood run cold. The lead up much too real for my liking. I hope this isn't based on a true story.
Thank goodness that this is only a short read. Made my blood run cold. The lead up much too real for my liking. I hope this isn't based on a true story.
August 28, 2024
Subject matter was NOT for me. Wish there would have been a content warning on this one (or maybe just missed it)
September 23, 2024
I really loved the weeje man by this author.
Just left confused by this book.
Just left confused by this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews