The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor
The town where this story takes place has a ghost problem. There are people who are basically ghost exterminators. When these folks rid the haunted places of the ghosts in a process referred to as exorcism, it is incredibly gruesome and inhumane. It’s completely disrespectful of the humanity of who the ghost was and obliterates the ghosts, preventing them from finding proper eternal rest. Our main character, Dorian Leith, has a much more humane way of helping the ghosts release whatever is tying them to the world of the living so they can move on and go through death’s door to continue on completely in the afterlife. This amazing process is none other than therapy! Yes, he gives the ghosts therapy.
Dorian has the ability to do this because when he was a child, something tragic happened and though he lived, he was left with the ability to actually see and speak with ghosts. Other living people cannot do that, so he’s made it his life’s work to help all people, both living and dead. Of course, other living people are freaked out by his abilities so while they use his services, the people of the town aren’t exactly welcoming of Dorian. Brody is the only exception. Brody runs the bookshop in town and has allowed Dorian to rent a spare room in the apartment he lives in above the shop. They are also mutually crushing on each other.
Dorian is hardly ever alone because the ghost of his grandmother is always with him. She’s snarky and a bit harsh and doesn’t always have Dorian’s best interests in mind, even if she says she does. Dorian is doing his ghost therapy work and helping ghosts release their burdens to move on, but all of a sudden, the ghosts are returning, and they’re incredibly upset. They can’t go through death’s door because it is locked and the key is missing. So now the living world is getting all crowded with ghosts and people are calling the exterminators in. Dorian is trying to take everything on alone and he’s losing himself along the way.
In addition to the things mentioned in the intro, content warnings for emotional abuse, mental illness stigma, body horror, and deaths of characters of a variety of ages.