#89 - The Ghost Writer

Book No: 89
Title: The Ghost Writer
Author: John Harwood
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2004
Obtained: 2008/Paperbackswap
Completed: 12/13/08
No. of Pages: 369
Rating: 3.5/5*****

Gerard Freeman lives in a dull and typical suburban town on Australian’s southern coast, not far from the ‘dead heart’ desert. His mother is extremely overprotective, his father rather distant and absent. At ten years of age Gerard’s favorite time spent with his mother is when she tells him tales of her childhood growing up in the English countryside at her family home of Staplefield. One day while snooping through is mother’s possessions Gerard came upon a photograph of a beautiful woman. When his mother finds him she goes into a rage, beating Gerard and punishing him. It is not until things are patched over between them that Gerard realizes she never speaks of Staplefield again. Lonely and hungry for friendship Gerard begins a pen pal correspondence with a young girl named Alice, who lives in England. She has been in a terrible auto accident and is confined to a wheelchair. Over many years they form a written relationship that evolves into love. After his parents death Gerard decides to go to England to finally meet Alice and perhaps find the Staplefield home of his mother’s family. Is there some strange connection between Alice and his mother? What was it his mother had been so afraid of? And what secrets is Alice keeping?

This book should have garnered 5 stars. It has so many elements of the kind of ghost story I enjoy. There is a slightly deranged mother, a mysterious relative, a haunted house, and a very gothic tone to the story. There were smaller stories within the story, absolutely creepy ghost stories that added to the overall tone of the book. So what happened? The ending happened, an ending that I read two or three times over and am still not sure I understand everything that happened; up until that point the tension and sense of foreboding was palpable, the ending was a complete let down. I would definitely read another book by Mr. Harwood, I think he has a real flair for creating dark, brooding stories he just needs to work on his endings and tying all the loose threads more tightly together.