Incisive horror, great writing

This is a truly stunning novel. The way Douglass deftly weaves traditional horror tropes with contemporary YA elements as well as incisive commentary on white supremacy, homophobia, and toxic masculinity was breathtaking to see on the page, and it results in a book that I read in practically one sitting, unable to put it down. Jake's experience with racism from fellow classmates, teachers, administrators, and others was all-too realistically depicted, but I appreciated that the book never pulled its punches or shied away from representing the ways micro- and macro-aggressions were a constant source of misery and anxiety for him, in addition to his ability to see dead people and at time commune with them. There is heavy stuff in this book, including discussions of sexual assault, possession, gore, body horror, etc., but there's lightness and joy too: I loved the way Jake's best friend and then his love interest get introduced and drawn into the story, and I loved the way they supported him throughout his increasingly high-stakes attempts to rid himself of the ghost Sawyer's attention. That being said, the only critique I have of the novel is the choice to include school-shooter Sawyer's "voice" via intermittent diary chapters...I get the ultimate point about homophobia and toxicity, but I didn't love reading the murderous boy's point-of-view (and I think it opens the novel up to readings about mental health and violence that are problematic and almost assuredly unintentional). Aside from that, this is a very literally breathtaking book.