“An eerie and virtuosic debut” (Helen Phillips, author of The Need) about a paranormal investigations TV show that loses control of its subject.
Eve is a frustrated young artist and the owner of what she believes is a haunted house. Sandra is an overworked producer at Searching for . . . the Invisible World, a paranormal investigations show perpetually on the brink of cancelation.
For Eve, Searching for . . . is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for validation; for Sandra, it’s another soul-crushing week of work at a dead-end job. But then the impossible happens: shelves collapse, electronics go haywire, a cameraman disappears in the dead of night. And behind the camera, is teenage ghost hunter Caitlin finally glimpsing the other side? As the terror mounts, it’s up to Sandra to create order from the madness—or will the madness take her, too?
Praise for The Invisible World
“A thought-provoking debut novel. . . . Readers are more likely to be kept up at night because they can’t put the story down than because of any truly terrifying scares. More than anything, The Invisible World invites readers to consider a more human proposition: What happens when a woman is dismissed — and what power may be unleashed when she is finally believed?”
— The New York Times Book Review
“Captivating and atmospheric. . . . The Invisible World offers a refreshing take on horror, inviting readers to question the boundaries of reality and the human psyche. If you relish the enigmatic allure of Twin Peaks and crave a spine-tingling experience, Nora Fussner’s novel is a must-read, showcasing her mastery of evocative storytelling in the realm of the supernatural.”
— Maudlin House
“Fussner has polished the jagged edges of the typical haunted-house novel through subtlety and sleight of hand, making its composition all the more unsettling for the audience.
VERDICT Akin to Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It but unlike any ghost-hunting novels before it, this is a masterpiece of innovative storytelling and psychological horror.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
“Fussner does a deft job of writing three extremely different, well-rounded women whose desires clash with their significant others and one another. She knows how to balance the incredibly scripted, predictable nature of the TV show with the more traditional aspects of the horror genre, which makes Invisible World a unique and outstanding novel.”
— Booklist
Like Shirley Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, Nora Fussner’s THE INVISIBLE WORLD follows an investigation of the paranormal as it slips wildly from the investigators’ control–into territory that terrified and thrilled me. Hauntings, in this acutely observed novel, are frightening because they’re so personal, because they entwine so deeply with our innermost selves. I will be haunted, in the best way, by Fussner’s ghosts for a long time to come.
— Clare Beams, author of THE ILLNESS LESSON and WE SHOW WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
Whatever you do, do not read this novel alone, at night, in an old house that creaks at unexpected intervals—because you will be terrified. Nora Fussner is a maestro of suspense and a herald of the paranormal. THE INVISIBLE WORLD takes readers on a journey into reality television, American culture, as well as the most intimate corners of her character’s lives, reminding us just how much we might discover if we peer beyond the veil.
— Allegra Hyde, author of THE LAST CATASTROPHE
The Invisible World takes us on a thrilling, unexpected journey into the lives of three very different women – a cynical producer of a reality TV show, a frustrated artist, and a passionate, teenage ghost hunter – and, as the three are forced together to investigate the inexplicable events haunting a house, reveals their surprising connections. The novel deftly moves between the everyday and the supernatural – even mythological – and compellingly questions assumed lines between physical, psychological, and spiritual realms. While our main characters are tasked with probing the nature of external forces plaguing our physical world, we soon understand that their job is much deeper and more complex than that. The Invisible World is a soulful excavation of each of these three women’s internal worlds – their desires, blocks, and, most rivetingly, their entangled, unlocked potential.
— Kimiko Guthrie, Author of Block Seventeen