Search - The Ghost Writer

A multi-layered story set partly in Australia and partly in the UK, with stories inside stories and lots of freaky goings-on. Hard to describe--suffice it to say, it's very suspenseful and very difficult to put down particularly in the early going. With elements of suspense, Gothic horror, mystery, and fantasy, I selected it as my 'spooky read' for October 2006. It wasn’t what I'd call out-and-out 'scary' but definitely a bit spooky and an inspirer of weird dreams. I can see it being made into a very suspenseful movie if done right!

While it was compelling, at the same time, there were moments when I felt the story bogged down and just got too convoluted especially towards the end--despite that, I had pretty much figured out the thing way before the end so it wasn't a huge surprise. I thought the main character was--I don't know. A bit of a dip? Way too gullible to be believed? But still, very inventive storytelling and enjoyable nonetheless.

I read Harwoods, debut novel, "The Ghost Writer" based on an "If you liked" recommendation after reading "The Thirteenth Tale" and overall was not disappointed. Harwood has ingeniously created three subplots in one book: first, the tale of the protagonist, Gerard, a lonely young man and his quest to unravel the mysterious past of his mentally unstable mother, Phyllis. Gerard relocates to England hoping to find her childhood home and piece together the events that unraveled her relationship with her older sister, Anne.

The second story within the book, revolves around Gerard's grandmother, an aspiring author who wrote ghost stories. Gerard discovers her stories hidden in his mother's room and at her childhood home in England. These tales are satisfyingly creepy, mysterious, and intriguing.

In the third story, Gerard has corresponded with a pen-pal, Alice, for over a decade and fallen in love even though they have never met. Besides investigating his family's history, Gerard hopes to meet Alice with the hopes of having their long-distance relationship change into one more romantic and physical.

Gerard is mousey, bookish, and emotionally withdrawn, much like Margaret in The Thirteenth Tale, which creates such a sharp contrast when compared to other flamboyant, creepier characters. I also agree with other reviewers comments that the ending Hardwood wrote has it's faults: a bit awkward, confusing, and ultimately, not that surprising.

If any of the creepiness of The Thirteenth Tale had the hair on the back of your neck standing up, The Ghost Writer offers much more. This book offers you suspense, paranoia, fantasy, unrequited love, deceit and murder. For a gothic horror read, I was not disappointed.

A fairly gripping plot about a man who has had a penpal since childhood, whom he has never met, but with whom he has fallen in love. There is some mysterious connection between the penpal and other aspects of the main character's life; the secrets are revealed as the book goes on. Reminded me a bit of "Shadow of the Wind." The final reveal is a bit predictable and therefore disappointing, but on the whole a good read.

John Harwood is a good writer, and the story of Gerard's search for the truth of his mothers past life, and his quest to find his one true love and pen-friend Alice Jessel, was riveting and tinged with creeping horror.

In the beginning, I enjoyed the Victorian-style ghost stories inserted every few chapters. However, it became increasingly confusing to keep all the stories-within-a-story straight, not to mention the myriad characters. The highly anticipated ending was strangely flat and anti-climatic, and not worthy of the well written build-up, in my opinion.

What a wonderful book! I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I have picked this book up many times before finally purchasing it, and in the past, would set it down after reading the back description, which just didn't spark my interest at all. Now that I have read this book, I am amazed at how little justice the back description gave the book. Not only does this have a solid plot, but the writing is more vivid and intense than a Victorian-inspired novel tends to be. What really set this book apart was its unique structure - a main narrative interspersed with short stories, letters and diary entries. And the way the story unfolds the different structural elements don't in any way detract from the developing action. Nothing seems choppy or anything like that. The book is a great story and an impressive piece of writing from a technical and as well as entertainment standpoint. I am looking forward to reading more by him!

As a college student I find myself craving some one-on-one me time. This book was a great way to indulge myself. It is suspenseful without being cheesy and with a plot that wasn't too easy to figure out, this book is, as they say, a thrilling page-tuner.