No matter how many times people told me this had nothing to do with The Girl with All the Gifts, I found myself still scouring the book for signs that it could be connected. Silly me. I failed. 
 But that doesn't mean that this wasn't a good tale! On the contrary, it might be a must read if you like to learn to like characters that you normally wouldn't give a fig about. Specifically, a woman who is self-destructive enough that she wouldn't even work on her own defence at her trial, who has, off and on, had a drug problem, and who is occasionally suicidal while barely scraping by within the women's prison, Fellside. 
 So what's this about, then? 
 It's a ghost story. :) 
 Not really intended to be scary, though, but it does have a lot of great conflict and tension, with a very robust plot and good character-rounding. I had a good time. :) Especially when it came to the ghost. The ghost had a lot more definition and character building and twists and turns than I usually get to enjoy in such tales. It's not like the ghost is hard to find or traditionally "Mysterious", either. The real trick is in the mind, and what can I say? I love that kind of thing. :) 
 This is definitely a character-driven novel, and you can expect some pretty deep immersion into the nature and intricacies of guilt. It's quite fascinating and it was a fun read. :)