Shirley P. (booknookchick) reviewed The Ghost Writer is as intriguing as The Thirteenth Tale on + 117 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
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Gerard is mousey, bookish, and emotionally withdrawn, much like Margaret in The Thirteenth Tale, which creates such a sharp contrast when compared to other flamboyant, creepier characters.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.
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Gerard is mousey, bookish, and emotionally withdrawn, much like Margaret in The Thirteenth Tale, which creates such a sharp contrast when compared to other flamboyant, creepier characters.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.
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