When Morality Gets Murky: A Review of Invocations to the Dead by Gill Schierhout

You know, some people collect coins. Others collect stamps. Jonas Peterson? He collected… body parts.

Yes, you read that right. And no, this isn’t a crime documentary — it’s a short story that could give any true crime series a run for its money. In Invocations to the Dead, Gill Schierhout takes readers on a chilling journey through tragedy, obsession, and moral ambiguity, all centered around a man whose life spirals from accident to pathology, and a nurse named Grace Jaffe who becomes inexplicably entangled in his story.

This isn’t a tale of love, or even sympathy. It’s more like being handed a cursed puzzle you didn’t ask for — one that refuses to be solved.

What the Story Is About

At its core, Invocations to the Dead is a dark, reflective short story about the human psyche, moral responsibility, and the shadows lurking behind everyday life. Its tone is unsettling yet contemplative, with a pace that alternates between slow, creeping dread and tense immediacy.

The story opens with Jonas Peterson, a man whose pelvis was shattered in seventeen places during a catastrophic accident. Hospitalized for six months, Jonas forms a bond with the nurses who care for him — particularly Grace Jaffe. Two years later, Jonas reappears in Grace’s life, conveniently when she is navigating a cold relationship and a recent divorce. He becomes the ideal housemate, doing all the chores and offering companionship — but lurking beneath the surface is a darkness Grace could never anticipate.

A Disturbing Tale Without Easy Answers

Jonas’s life takes a macabre turn when he secures a job at the hospital washing dead bodies. One night, Grace discovers a human lung hidden in his clothing — a discovery that shatters any sense of normalcy.

Two years later, Jonas is in a psychiatric hospital facing charges of necrophilia. Importantly, he is not accused of defiling a corpse, but rather for illegally possessing human body parts without explanation. The hospital report notes “atypical necrophilia” and “some tendency to magical thinking,” yet Jonas cannot articulate why he did what he did.

Grace is brought in to perform a three-day psychiatric assessment, a role that forces her to confront questions of morality, duty, and compassion: Is Jonas premeditated in his acts? Does he show remorse? Is he likely to re-offend? Before any conclusions can be drawn, Jonas escapes — and in a twist that leaves the reader reeling, Grace helps him flee. Not out of love, the story emphasizes — but because of something far more complex and morally ambiguous.

Themes That Haunt

Several themes linger long after you finish reading:

• Mental illness and the legal system – How do we assess culpability when the individual cannot even explain their actions?

• Duty vs. morality – Grace’s role shifts from caregiver to evaluator, yet she chooses compassion in a way that defies protocol.

• Death and the human psyche – Jonas’s work with corpses seems to awaken something pathological, leaving questions unanswered.

• Loneliness and dependency – Both Grace and Jonas navigate isolation and need, creating a connection that is neither romantic nor purely platonic — but deeply disturbing.

Schierhout avoids easy judgments. Jonas is not a monster on a page; he is a deeply troubled human being. Grace is not a heroine. She is a moral enigma. Together, they explore the blurry lines between ethics, empathy, and responsibility.

Why This Story Matters

What makes Invocations to the Dead unforgettable is its refusal to offer closure. There is no trial, no neat redemption arc, no comforting resolution. Instead, the story leaves readers with an open-ended moral question: What would you do if faced with Jonas Peterson?

It’s a story that unsettles, provokes, and forces reflection. The tension comes not from gore alone, but from the ethical dilemmas it presents. Grace’s final decision — helping Jonas escape — lingers long after the last sentence, a testament to Schierhout’s skill in crafting complex, morally gray characters.

About the Author

Gill Schierhout lives in Sydney and balances life as a mother, academic, public health consultant, and aspiring runner. Her first novel, The Shape of Him (Amazon link) was shortlisted for multiple awards, including the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Schierhout’s work often explores human psychology, moral complexity, and the intricacies of human relationships. Invocations to the Dead is featured in the 2010 Caine Prize for African Writing anthology, A Life in Full and Other Stories (Amazon link), cementing her reputation as a master of nuanced, thought-provoking fiction.

Who Should Read This Story

You’ll enjoy Invocations to the Dead if you:

• Appreciate morally complex narratives.

• Are drawn to dark, psychological storytelling.

• Like stories that leave you questioning human nature and ethics.

You might struggle with this story if you:

• Prefer clear-cut heroes and villains.

• Need fast-paced action or definitive resolutions.

• Are uncomfortable with unsettling psychological exploration.

Final Verdict

Invocations to the Dead is not for the faint of heart, but it is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the human mind and moral ambiguity. It’s chilling, reflective, and morally provocative — the kind of story that lingers, long after the last page is turned.

Grace Jaffe and Jonas Peterson will stay with you — not because they are heroes or villains, but because they are human, complicated, and morally ambiguous in ways that make you think.

If you want to read the story that challenged my sense of duty, empathy, and morality, check out A Life in Full and Other Stories (Amazon link) and experience the moral puzzle yourself.