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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This short novel was brought to my attention in a NYT list or review. While I enjoyed the writing, the language, voice(s), and pace (slow-ish), the theme of the story (interactions with the spirit world) left me a bit cold. So my rating is a bit of an average.
The story includes an important take on mental illness and family, particularly conflict between family of origin (parents, sibling) and chosen family (spouse).
The story includes an important take on mental illness and family, particularly conflict between family of origin (parents, sibling) and chosen family (spouse).
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
This is a story about Nick and Hannah, a struggling couple who decide to move from NYC to work upstate as caretakers of a historic house. There is love, disaster, mental illness, loss, and supernatural goings-on.
The plot starts slow, but the prose are captivating and I feel for the characters. The writing is split between Nick's point of view and diary entries, town records, and museum notes. The story telling is done in a way that leaves nuggets of hints foretelling what's to come, so this also makes me want to keep reading. Journal entries are written in a stream of consciousness style, and at times even Nick's point of view feels close to stream of consciousness.
The book is split into three parts. The first two had me intrigued, but as I said, were slower. The third part had me turning pages fast to find out what happens. And that ending... I admittedly teared up.
I would recommend this book if you don't mind a slow descent into despair and madness, with a redeeming ending. It was beautifully written and the overall message of the story was heart-warming. I don't want to give it away, but feel free to message me if you want to talk about it. I think this book would be perfect to spark discussions for a book club.
The plot starts slow, but the prose are captivating and I feel for the characters. The writing is split between Nick's point of view and diary entries, town records, and museum notes. The story telling is done in a way that leaves nuggets of hints foretelling what's to come, so this also makes me want to keep reading. Journal entries are written in a stream of consciousness style, and at times even Nick's point of view feels close to stream of consciousness.
The book is split into three parts. The first two had me intrigued, but as I said, were slower. The third part had me turning pages fast to find out what happens. And that ending... I admittedly teared up.
I would recommend this book if you don't mind a slow descent into despair and madness, with a redeeming ending. It was beautifully written and the overall message of the story was heart-warming. I don't want to give it away, but feel free to message me if you want to talk about it. I think this book would be perfect to spark discussions for a book club.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hannah & Nick are recently engaged and relocate from NYC to a countryside museum in a town called Hibernia. The museum is shrouded by the past history of the owners, The Wright’s, and the tenants that came after them.
I loved that this book was a lighter read, and it most definitely kept my attention the whole way through. I did find Hannah and Nick’s relationship to be a bit strange, but I guess that added to the vibe of the novel. Overall, I enjoyed it, but wish there was a bit more suspense tied into the “ghostly” side of the plot.
I'm not sure how to categorize this book. A ghost marital drama? Self exploration wrapped in literary horror? When I got to the last page I set it down feeling confused. Not a bad confused, necessarily, but also not the sort of confusion that leaves you wondering and explorative. I just finished this one moments ago, set it down, and it will be easy to walk away from, because something didn't quite stick. I didn't really understand whether this was trying to be spooky, or an examination of relationships or...well. I don't know.
It was weird, and I do really like that about it. It was strange and very different from anything else I've come across in a while. I very much liked the snippets of quotes, discussion questions, stream of consciousness bits that were interspersed throughout the story. It gave it a bit of an avant garde, labyrinthian feel, like a crooked story about a creepy, crooked house.
I think this would be a great, haunting read to pick up in October, when the air is starting to bite, and a cast of grey spills over the sky as the sun sets.
It was weird, and I do really like that about it. It was strange and very different from anything else I've come across in a while. I very much liked the snippets of quotes, discussion questions, stream of consciousness bits that were interspersed throughout the story. It gave it a bit of an avant garde, labyrinthian feel, like a crooked story about a creepy, crooked house.
I think this would be a great, haunting read to pick up in October, when the air is starting to bite, and a cast of grey spills over the sky as the sun sets.
This book wasn't as ghost-y as I thought it would be... but I'm not mad about it. I definitely enjoyed it, but I wish it was told from the female's perspective... I feel like it could have been interesting to get inside her mind, considering her story.
If you are expecting a traditional horror story about a haunted house, this is not it. It's mostly a story about grief. To be fair, there are ghosts, but they don't play a role until the end and it's mostly offscreen.
A good ghost story haunts you, chills you with its dark atmospherics, fills you with the dread and horror of the unknown. In real life, our choices are what haunt us: past mistakes, fear of the unknown consequence. Failed relationships. Failed careers. In The Ghost Notebooks, Ben Golnick seamlessly weaves between the two to create a tale of horror of both the psychological and supernatural variety. The writing is gorgeous and perceptive, and the twists are gutting. It's the most riveting ghost story I have read since David Mitchell's Slade House.