The Saturday Night Ghost Club

A Novel

By: Craig Davidson

Narrated by: Corey Brill

A irresistible and bittersweet coming-of-age story in the vein of Stranger Things and Stand by Me about a group of misfit kids who spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends

"A celebration of the secret lives of children, both their wonders and their horrors . . . Immensely enjoyable, piercingly clever, and satisfyingly soulful." (Jason Heller, NPR)

Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls - a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place - Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns 12, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly light-hearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.

With the alternating warmth and sadness of the best coming-of-age stories, The Saturday Night Ghost Club is a note-perfect novel that poignantly examines the haunting mutability of memory and storytelling, as well as the experiences that form the people we become, and establishes Craig Davidson as a remarkable literary talent.

©2019 Craig Davidson (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Davidson makes beautifully clear how the ghoulish tales we feared when we were young can't compare to the blood-bathed teeth we eventually encounter as adults. The Saturday Night Ghost Club is a tale for those who like their Stranger Things spiked, Stand by Me charred, and who are battered enough yet still brave enough to revisit that moment when made-up horrors finally come to root in a world beyond invention. A novel that both stabs and breaks your heart." (Mark Z. Danielewski, best-selling author of House of Leaves)

"The Saturday Night Ghost Club is not only creepy and chills-down-your-spine fun, it's also incredibly poignant and heartwarming. This is a tender coming-of-age story that isn't afraid to face the darkness in the world or meditate on the power of memory and the mysteries of the human brain. Craig Davidson is such a nimble storyteller and his latest novel is proof of his remarkable gift." (Edan Lepucki, New York Times best-selling author of California and Woman No. 17)

“A well-crafted, whimsical coming-of-age tale.... Davidson creates a quirky landscape and colorful characters, resulting in a novel that will entertain readers while providing a nice dose of nostalgia.” (Publishers Weekly)

Worth the ending

At a glance, the story seems to be the telling of the remembrances of a boy’s childhood antics with friends and a kooky uncle intermixed with his present day experiences, but the story is much more than that. Details matter so listen.

great story

nNt sure why everyone gives us book such a hard rap. It really is a fantastic story and worth the listen

Coming of Age in the 1970s

Reminiscent of the movie, Stand by Me. I think this could make a cool Netflox series.

Everything and more

The Saturday Night Ghost Club is perfect for spooky season, but don't forget to turn the lights on! This novel is haunting, yet still a beautiful tale of mental illness & about a group of misfit kids who spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends. Craig Davidson has a gift for descriptive language. A quick read but bursting with humor. Corey Brill's narration made this book for me. I will re-read again shortly! The Saturday Night Ghost Club doesn’t disappoint. Absolutely loved it, read In a day!

I mean… it’s alright

If you’re looking for a stand by me type of cozy coming of age story with a little tradgedy, self reflection and growth, this is for you.

If you’re looking for anything spooky or cohesive any anyway, look the other way.

Finished this in a day, I’m not mad I listened but it’s get it’s faults. It spends too much time jumping back and forth in time for self reflection and not enough time on the titular activities. Twist is pretty easy to see coming but was handled very well and saved the story overall. This could have benefitted from being about 2-3 hours longer and just expanding in every aspect.

A Nice Surprise

This wasn't the story I thought it would be. Instead, I found a bittersweet gem where sadness creeps up on you, and you find yourself reminiscing over ideas you held in childhood, friends moved on, and family whom we better understand as adults.

My Unicorn: a Hidden Gem of a Ghost Story…

There’s something about the way this story was told that’s going to forever keep it atop my favorite ghost stories. It was the storytelling, the narrator, the story itself, the characters, the nonlinear timeline of sorts, but most importantly…it’s the nostalgia it invokes…?!

There’s a crazy uncle that does a lot of questionable things; reminded me of both the crazy professor from Back to the Future and one of my uncles. Good times. There are visits with dead people that are more endearing than creepy. And, there’s a story within a story that just brings it all together.

This is not a book that I would have picked out except that I came across it in one of the Audible book sales; and combing through the pages of books from all kinds of random genres, this one was sitting there. The title got me, the book cover art grabbed me, but that nostalgia….it crept in and hasn’t let go.

This is a new kind of ghost story. Read it. Let it sit with you.

Definitely recommend giving it a listen!

I saw alot of negative reviews for this book. If you're looking for something in the horror genre with a bite to it this one isn't for you. However if you're constantly looking for a story that will take you back to your youth, a story that will leave an impression on you the way that The Goonies, Monster Squad or Stand By Me did the first time you saw them as a kid then I encourage you to give Saturday Night Ghost Club a shot. While I wasnt super impressed with the narration and can understand why some found it to be boring and monotone I thought it came off as relaxing and easy to listen to. It was heartfelt and nostalgic with a spooky coming of age theme.

Good mystery novel

I was in the mood for something spooky, adventurous and mysterious and it delivered. Could have had a little more content but the story was solid none the less. Good.

Beautiful Coming of Age Ghost Story

I chose this book expecting it to be a horror story, and what I got was a wonderful, whimsical ghost tale, but with a somewhat bittersweet and lovely ending. A tale of the bonds of friendship and of family…even the weird Uncle. Great presentation. Sometimes I felt like the narrator sounded like John Malkovich and made me like the story even more!