Review by Sophia Thomson
Penguin Teen Canada
Published: August 5, 2025
Pages: 400
14 and up
ISBN: 9781774882818
Queer YA romance, supernatural/historical fiction, mystery
“There was something here—I saw…” I trailed off.
“Are you drunk?” Dad peered into my face.
“No!”
He pulled Benny from me. “Your eyes are huge. Did you take drugs?” Suspicion loaded his voice.
“I didn’t even have a burger!” This, I realized, was not the most logical comment to make.
“Sleep it off,” he said, disbelieving.
I opened and closed my mouth. I didn’t know what to say, because now anything would make me sound high.
Dad watched me leave.
I went to my bedroom, flicking on the light as fast as I could. I tried not to think about the frightening things the writer of the diary had describes and the idea that they were coming for me. I couldn’t shake it though: the dread, the dear—and the embarrassment of being so afraid. Who could I tell, who would believe me? Even if they did believe me, what could they do?
I stood in the middle of my bright room trying not to blink, because every time the darkness of my eyelids descended, it felt like I was lying in the grass again, the wind knocked out of me, all those eyes watching and nobody to help me up.
Being a regular teenager is a challenge on the best of days, but for seventeen-year-old Adam, the everyday horrors go far beyond the norm when he finds a diary that changes his life in ways he never could have expected.
Clara Kumagai’s sophomore YA novel, Songs for Ghosts, draws readers into a haunting dual narrative that spans a century, following two protagonists bound by longing and their parallel search for family and identity. This story centres Adam, a Japanese American teen who doesn’t quite fit in anywhere: not in his predominantly white school, not at home with his absent military dad or his preoccupied stepmother, and certainly not in his relationship that’s just ended. While nursing a broken heart and navigating the disconnect he feels at home, Adam finds an old diary full of stories dated over 100 years in the past.
The diary entries chronicle the life of an unnamed Japanese woman, her marriage to an American naval lieutenant, and, most compellingly, her accounts of seeing ghosts and helping them pass on. Unsurprisingly, Adam is captivated by the diarist and her life, however, what begins as an enthralling read turns into much more when Adam starts seeing the ghost of the writer herself.
From there, Adam is drawn deeper into the story, into the Japanese history and folklore revealed through the diary entries, and onto a quest to figure out who the diarist was, what she wants from him, and how to help her pass on before it’s too late.
Songs for Ghosts is a beautifully written novel that balances various themes including those of love, loss, belonging, remembrance, cultural identity, sexuality, forgiveness, grief, and family. Kumagai portrays Adam and the diarist’s emotional struggles with so much tact, care, and truth while masterfully managing to capture their distinct tones, life experiences, and individual and intertwining narratives.
Adam feels unmistakably current as a 21st-century teenager, with a strong voice that carries throughout the novel. Readers meet him fresh off a breakup and nearing the end of the school year, just before summer break. He can be dramatic, and he often thinks of himself before others, but his wonderfully dry sense of humour delivers genuine laugh-out-loud moments of levity. On top of that, Adam’s angst and sense of loss feel earned, deeply rooted in the grief of losing his mother as a child and compounded by his disconnect from his Japanese heritage, shaped by growing up in America.
Kumagai brings us along through Adam’s many lows, making his eventual highs all the more euphoric. Watching his growth unfold is a joy, particularly after a pivotal turning point midway through the novel, when Adam travels to Japan for a summer homestay. There, he begins to explore Japanese culture more deeply, unravel the diarist’s unfinished business, and he begins to see how his behaviour impacts others.
The diarist herself is also such a fantastic character. We spend the most time with her in the beginning 200 pages. We meet her through diary entries addressed to her late grandmother and follow her journey from teenager into adulthood. As she becomes a wife, a mother, a writer, and a ghost, the diary entries show us how her life experiences change her. I found myself rooting for a ghost, hoping Adam would be able to somehow put her to rest. The mystery of who she is throughout the novel is all consuming and the threads Kumagai lays out are just as incredibly intentional as they are well concealed. I love a story where I don’t know what will happen next or how things will come together, and Kumagai delivers.
From modern-day teenage woes to the tragic, powerful history of the past, Songs for Ghosts is a poignant novel about grief, cultural identity, and the courage it takes to face what haunts us. Though rich with supernatural elements, the story remains deeply grounded and real. Spanning a hundred years and bridging the worlds of the living and the dead, Kumagai captures the messiness of life with relatable and compelling characters, moments of chilling horror, and authentic portrayals of family, love, relationship struggles, and cultural diaspora. All this to say, there’s something for every reader in this beautiful novel.
Sophia Thomson graduated with a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in 2023 and is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. She has a soft spot for stories about love, friendship, and family, which is probably why most of her YA and screenwriting projects end up featuring a mixture of the three.
YOUNG ADULTING 