Four things you need to know about Paul Tremblay’s new novel:

• It moves. There are no subplots in Ghosts. No significant narrative convolution. Yes, there is a frame story (one of the main characters is being interviewed for a book about her experiences years after the main events of the novel), and a few chapters written as blog posts, but the biggest chunk of the book is about one series of events (a possibly possessed girl and her family “star” in a brief reality show) in one setting over a limited time period. There is only one viewpoint character (Meredith, who is eight years old). The adjective I would use to describe Ghosts is sleek, which is definitely a compliment. Too many novels become burdened with unnecessary bloat, diluting the power of the narrative. Ghosts says what it has to say and gets out, much like contemporary mystery novels. I appreciate that.

• It’s ambiguous. I know I sound like I’m beating a drum, but I really like ambiguous narratives. I think part of the reason is because the supernatural experiences you or I have in real life are probably not “I saw a unicorn in the garden” sort of encounters. It’s much hazier, vague, uncertain. In sum, ambiguous. Tremblay understands this, and does a nice job of presenting Marjorie (the central character of his book, although not his narrator) as possibly mentally ill or possibly possessed, or both. He never really tips his hand either way, which works.

• It’s twisty. I’m envious of anyone who can do a nifty twist at the end of their stories. The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects rank as favorite movies simply because of how their twist endings recontextualize everything that came before it (same with Dan Chaon’s marvelous novel, Await Your Reply). Ghosts doesn’t aspire to that momentous a twist, but he does have some significant surprises waiting at two crucial points in the novel, both stunners.

• It’s awesome. I’ve enjoyed Tremblay’s short fiction for quite a while, and have a few of his older novels on my “to read” list, but Ghosts will move anything he writes to the top of the pile. Tremblay has a lot to say about the pervasiveness of pop culture, celebrity, and old-time religion, and he says it well. I love his characters, love how he ably captures the psyches of children, love his pacing. The main thing I learned from reading this novel? I want to write something as good as this.