Dorian Leith can see ghosts.

Not only that, but he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is, except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.

Then one day the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s the only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it’s too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by the ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.

As the rot continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless - even if that peace comes at the cost of his own...

To begin with - the front page contains the warning - The Ghostkeeper is a story about coping with grief, loss, death, anxiety, burnout, and trauma. Although its narrative is ultimately one of healing and hope, the story contains frank discussions about and depictions of the deaths of adults and children, emotional abuse, mental illness stigma, and brief scenes of body horror. Please keep this in mind if you chose to read this graphic novel.

Dorian sees ghosts, actually he works as their counselor helping them deal with being dead until they can move on to the afterlife. One day a ghost child named Lucy steals the key to Death’s Door trapping all the ghosts in the mortal world where they are being slowly consumed by a ghostly rot that will eventually turn them into banshees. Dorian is overwhelmed at trying to help them all and Lucy needs help most of all as she learns how to cope with her feelings that are preventing her from going back to Death’s Door and passing into the afterlife. As Dorian becomes more and more overwhelmed, consumed with helping the ghosts, his boyfriend Brody considers a drastic solution to eliminate the ghosts and save Dorian.

I will admit this is not what I was expecting in a graphic novel about ghosts. The themes are most concerned with loss, grief, anger and how to cope with those emotions so they do not eat one alive as well as how to create boundaries so that one does not lose oneself in an attempt to fix the problems of others for them. There is also an implied gay relationship between Dorian and the owner of the bookshop, Brody.  The artwork, also by Ms Taylor, is striking and compliments the serious tone of the story. I will say I also loved the ghost cat. This is a story that will live in the mind of the reader long after they have turned the last page. Recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon