The Haunting of Adrian Yates

Name: The Haunting of Adrian Yates
SKU: 28623
Availability: InStock

$9.99 – $19.95

by Markus Harwood-Jones

Fall 2023

Available in paperback (for customers living in Canada and in the US), PDF (worldwide), and EPUB (worldwide).

Adrian’s best friend and his boyfriend don’t get along. Oh, and his boyfriend is a ghost.

Adrian Yates expected his summer would involve sharing Slurpees with his best friend Zoomer and pretending not to hear his dads’ whispered fighting. And that’s exactly how it was going, until the night Sorel appeared in the graveyard by Adrian’s apartment. Sorel gets Adrian in ways no one else has; the fact that he’s not technically alive only makes things exciting. But Sorel can’t always control his otherworldly behaviour, and Zoomer’s worried he might be hiding something. On stormy summer nights behind the cemetery’s iron gates, Adrian and Sorel meet in secret and the pair begin to experiment with consensual possession. Despite the warning signs, Adrian is certain he has everything under control—until suddenly he finds himself fighting for his life.

Markus Harwood-Jones (he/they) is a proudly queer and trans space-case who has been writing since he can remember. Markus specializes in writing young-adult fiction and has a soft spot for sappy love stories. He lives in downtown Toronto with his husband, their platonic co-parent, and their extra-cute kiddo. Markus is an aspiring TikTokker and can be found on social media under the handle @MarkusBones.

SKU: N/A Category: Books

Author: Markus Harwood-Jones

ISBN: 9781998898008 (print)

ISBN: 9781998898015 (EPUB)

ISBN: 9781998898107 (PDF)

Cover art and design: Keet Geniza (makeshiftlove)

Paperback, 328 pages
Printed in Quebec
Published October 24, 2023

“The Haunting of Adrian Yates is honest in its grimness, tackling taboo subject matter such as adolescent depression, suicide, and codependency with nuance. Despite the fantastical premise, Markus Harwood-Jones’s story rings true to the experiences of many readers, especially 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, who may see themselves reflected in Adrian’s perspective as he struggles with, confronts, and eventually heals from his ordeals.”
—Nujhat Tabassum, Quill & Quire

“Markus Harwood-Jones cleverly uses the narrative possibilities of the ghost story to explore issues of consent, toxic relationships, possessiveness, and boundaries. They allow their richly developed teen characters to breathe, make mistakes, and be messy. It’s a gift for queer and trans teens — and any ghost boy/girl/theyfriends they may or may not have.”
—65 of the Best Queer Books of 2023, Autostraddle

“Adrian learns to appreciate his uniqueness. Zoomer learns to trust her friend Adrian. Sorel learns about the joys of everyday life outside the graveyard. In the end, they must all learn to accept themselves as individuals who have agency and worth.”
—Myra Junyk, CM: Canadian Review of Materials, recommended

“Markus Harwood-Jones’ The Haunting of Adrian Yates is like your high school best friend: heartfelt, funny, and a little strange. A wild story about life beyond death, friends against lovers, and the power of names, you’ll want to tramp through cemeteries late into the night with these characters long after you turn the last page.”
—Morgan M. Page

“Great galloping ghostbusters! Trans YA author extraordinaire Markus Harwood-Jones has given us all an incredible gift in The Haunting of Adrian Yates. Brimming with enough steamy drama and wry humor to entertain any soap-opera fan, Harwood-Jones’ sharp storytelling and poetic prose also deliver several moments of true pathos that will haunt readers long after they close the covers. Phantasmagoric hijinks notwithstanding, the trio of central characters in the book spring to life from the page as they navigate the twists and turns of desire, depression, consent, and codependence while steadfastly refusing such binary categories as ‘hero’ and ‘villain.'”
—Kai Cheng Thom, author of Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars