The Wrong Turning:

Encounters with Ghosts

by Stephen Johnson

Why do people love ghost stories, even when they don’t believe (or say they don’t believe) in ghosts? Is it simply the adrenaline rush that comes from being terrified by a great storyteller? Or is it that such tales give form to our own inner demons?

‘Looking back over nearly a quarter of a century of serious therapeutic work,’ writes Stephen Johnson, ‘I’m struck by how often, in trying to explain my own terrifying mental states to psychotherapists, I’ve resorted to images or turns of phrase in some of my own favourite ghost stories.’

With contributions from Alexander Pushkin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Tove Jansson, Penelope Lively, Flann O’Brien and more, this uniquely curated anthology brings together some of the most chilling – and enigmatic – stories from around the world.

Whether it’s ghosts, curses, disordered states of mind or monsters, all of the scary happenings in these stories are guaranteed to send shivers down the spine – just don’t read them in the dark…

Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

A charming little ghost compendium has just been published called The Wrong Turning. The editor Stephen Johnson contends that many of the best chillers are based on the protagonist making a faulty decision – a metaphoric “wrong turning”. He’s quite on the money here. Take The Monkey’s Paw by WW Jacobs – one of the most influential ghost stories ever written. Everything swings on the two central characters, a bereaved mother and father, taking a mortally foolish step while grieving for their lost son.

Neil Mackay, The Herald