Concerning Those Who Have Fallen Asleep: Ghost Stories

Adam Soto returns with a collection of ghost stories that examine how the living and the dead haunt one another through choices, institutions, and dreams. The title story follows a one-armed Harlem Hellfighter searching for his altered uniform while influenza ravages Philadelphia. "Sleepy Things" binds a man to his comatose girlfriend who invades his mother's dreams. "Wren & Riley" tracks a couple visiting a friend in Wyoming after she killed her abusive husband. "The Vegetable Church" features Syrian sisters at a crossroads in Europe, guided by the whispers of their dead father. Soto, whose debut novel This Weightless World was called the social novel for the 21st century by Robin Sloan, moves through time and place to explore these unsettling spaces. The stories do not rely on jump scares but rather on the quiet intersections where grief and memory take physical form. Readers who prefer traditional haunted house tales may find the narrative focus on psychological weight and institutional impact less satisfying. This collection suits those interested in literary horror that bridges personal trauma with broader social commentary. The work stands as a bridge between supernatural fiction and contemporary social issues. It draws on the traditions of ghost stories while grounding them in specific historical and cultural contexts. The organization moves from the early twentieth century to modern refugee experiences, showing how trauma persists across generations. Soto uses these varied settings to demonstrate that haunting is often a result of systemic failure or personal loss rather than mere supernatural occurrence.