When John Harwood’s *The Ghost Writer * was first published, I heard a good review on NPR, and it’s been on my list ever since. I finally got it from the library, and read it in two days, reading every chance I got. I liked it so much, I’m tempted to read it again right away. And at the same time, it perplexed me so much that I want to read it again right away, and dissect it with other people who’ve read it.
For the uninitiated, it’s a sublimely creepy book, but not what I would call “horror” per se. The main story is about a boy, his overprotective mother, and his penpal. To a certain extent, it’s a family mystery story. However, a good portion of the book is devoted to short stories and excerpts of stories written by the main character’s grandmother in the Victorian era.
Normally, I get impatient with this kind of meandering - I skim, waiting for the real story to resume (cough-Wizard and Glass-cough). But I love these stories. I’m pretty sure I’ll buy a copy and just read the short stories from time to time. And with the overt nod to Turn of the Screw, it looks like that’ll be near the top of my list, too.
Anyway, my drugs are kicking in (wheeeeeee!), so here’s the upshot: has anyone read this? Wanna discuss it? Interested in reading it? Want us to wait for you or read along and discuss piece by piece? Let me know.