SuitabookCome back, Lucy
Pamela Sykes
- Reading
- Consider reading together if ghost stories feel intense; pause when Alice’s behaviour changes and invite the reader to notice how their view of the friendship shifts.
- Themes
- Belonging after loss: After her aunt dies, Lucy moves in with relatives and feels out of step in their household. The story explores how loneliness and a lack of connection leave Lucy longing for companionship.
- Friendship turns unsettling: Alice first appears to offer Lucy companionship, but becomes increasingly possessive and wants Lucy to remain with her. The book takes a critical view of this.
- Worth knowing
- Bereavement and loneliness shape Lucy’s situation; the ghost story also builds an unsettling, sometimes frightening atmosphere, with Alice becoming increasingly threatening.