Amos Kilbright; His Adscititious Experiences With Other Stories

"Amos Kilbright; His Adscititious Experiences" by Frank R. Stockton is a fantastical tale that examines what it means to truly live. The story follows Amos Kilbright, an unusual fellow who finds himself back among the living after spending more than a century as a spirit. Told through the eyes of Mr. Richard Colesworthy, a lawyer, the book tells of Kilbright's efforts to adapt to a very different, modern world and the problems that arise. When Kilbright mysteriously appears, seeking to sell tickets to a spiritualist event, Colesworthy quickly learns that Kilbright isn't who he seems: he's a spirit who was accidentally brought back to life during a séance. Kilbright's story, shared with Colesworthy, is about the struggle to find a place in this new existence, a place that is threatened by spiritualists who want to return him to the spirit world. As Colesworthy listens, he decides to help, beginning a story that touches on themes of identity, freedom, and what it really means if spiritualism is real as Kilbright searches for where he belongs in a world that has moved on without him.