By Kate Norrish Staff Writer On the surface, it seems like this graphic novel is an interesting concept delivered in a preachy way, and while that is true, said concept is delivered in such a unique and heartwarming way, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. In a community where the ghosts of the dead are treated like vermin and exterminated by specialists, Dorian, using his ability to see ghosts, advertises himself as a more humane option. Instead of using force, he acts as a therapist for the dead - helping them with their problems so they can move onto the next world. Admittedly, the themes of this story are on the nose. Even though it’s a children’s story, I feel there should have been more under the surface for audiences to talk about. However, that does not mean that unique ideas were not utilized. The strong emotions that the ghosts experience manifest as their forms decaying, and plants growing out of their bodies. When Dorian helps them, their appearance grows more human-like, and the plants are shown flowing into his body - an interesting way to portray putting others' needs in front of one’s own. While I’ve seen a similar artstyle in a wide variety of graphic novels and webcomics, the visual format is fully utilized. The imagery of decay has a mystical, glowing feel that adds an intriguing aesthetic, and a subtle sketchy quality appears in the art in the more intense moments. The characters, however, are the real heart of the story. Dorian is simple, but extremely likable, acting as an emotional detective figure. The ghosts he helps, such as his grandmother, with whom he has a complicated relationship, and a young girl coping with being dead while her father is alive and grieving, feel human, more so than the living characters, in fact. There is also a way of portraying such themes as depression in a way that the target audience of preteens may have never seen before, for example, Dorian literally taking the ghosts’ struggles leading to anxiety, insomnia, and illness. However, these themes lend themselves to a major plot hole in the story. There is a minor conflict involving Dorian almost being sent to a psychiatric hospital when he was younger due to him being able to see ghosts. Considering, however, that ghosts are a well known thing to exist in the world, the disbelief that a person would be able to see them seems unreasonable. While I can see a few implied ways that this plot point could make sense, they are too subtle for me to believe that most casual readers would pick up on them. The way the characters are portrayed is nice. There are many scenes where we get to know the characters by simply watching how they behave in domestic spaces, such as Dorian baking scones with his boyfriend, or caring for the ghost of a cat. I find this trope to be less common in this type of story than I’d like it to be, and considering it is a staple amongst many of my favorite authors, it was nice to see it here. They also included a recipe for scones in the back of the book, which is always fun to see. Overall, “The Ghostkeeper” is a standard comfort read that is well worth its many flaws. Rating: B Flawed but beautiful