Every Room Remembers: A Novel

A Ghost Story for the Living

After her husband, Wyatt, is killed in a sudden accident, interior designer SJ Monroe believes she must navigate her devastating grief alone. But she isn't alone. Wyatt remains trapped in a liminal space between life and death, forced to watch in silence as the woman he loves struggles to survive in their unfinished farmhouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Helpless to comfort her, he relives everything left unresolved between them—the family they never had, the depression that shadowed his life, and the fractures that threatened their marriage long before his death.

As the months pass, SJ slowly begins to emerge from the fog of loss. Anchored by Wyatt's loyal dog, Hawk, and comforted by small rituals—including late-night drives for fries and a chocolate shake—she accepts a restoration project at the historic Osprey House in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. There, surrounded by old friends, new beginnings, and the quiet pull of home, she begins to imagine a future she never thought possible.

Wyatt follows, searching desperately for a way to reach her. As mysterious signs from the natural world seem to guide SJ toward healing, unseen dangers gather around her. Unable to intervene, Wyatt must discover whether love can bridge the divide between the living and the dead before grief, guilt, or something far more sinister claims the life she is finally beginning to reclaim.

A moving story of enduring love, redemption, and the courage to begin again, A Ghost Story for the Living asks a timeless question: if someone you loved had one last chance to speak to you, would you hear them?

About the Author

Tara Badstubner was a Writer-in-Residence at Craigardan (2022-2023) and is an alum of Bookgardan. She received a Continuing Studies Novel Writing Certificate from Stanford. More recently, she was an artist-in-residence of Hewnoaks where she worked on her upcoming second novel. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her daughters, husband,and dogs. This is her debut novel.

Praise for Every Room Remembers

“Badstubner has created the most beautiful space: a novel we can sink into, that we don’t want to leave. This luminous debut is masterfully built and beautifully detailed, echoing with the fullness of life—the dark moments as well as the glorious light.”
—Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

“In prose as sure and subtle as a steadying hand on one’s shoulder, Badstubner’s characters find a way to walk into their unimagined futures, where love and memory, the author reminds us, have the power to outlast us all.”
—Kate Moses, author of Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath and Cakewalk: A Memoir