It’s 2am. The blinking cursor contrasts sharply with
the blank white screen, mocking the fact that I haven’t written anything. Time
for a break, I thought. Maybe if I read for a bit, I can clear my head and
figure out how to finish that scene. So I grabbed the book resting atop my
to-read pile. And pulled down Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher.
You’d think by now I’d realize that beginning a
Thrasher novel at 2am is potentially an unwise decision, as they’re so hard to
put down that I end up reading the whole thing. At least that was the case with
Isolation, a Shining-esque horror
novel that scares the hell out of you…and Jesus into you.
So I pick up the book and open it, slowly
remembering what I already knew about the book’s premise. Horror novelist
Dennis Shore has a deadline looming, and a horrible case of writer’s block. I
look up at the blinking cursor still mocking me. Haven’t even read the book yet
and I feel this strange urge to check under my bed.
After disposing of the remnants of the previous
day’s dinner…I’m still not sure how it ended up under the bed…I settled in for
the haunting story that is Ghostwriter. Still reeling over the
loss of his wife, Dennis finds himself pushing a deadline with no book in hand.
In a panic, he takes out a manuscript sent to him years ago by a kid – Cillian
Reed – adds a few touches to it, and submits the plagiarized work as his own.
He thinks he’s gotten away with it, until it literally comes back to haunt him.
At first, Dennis shrugs it off. He had to protect
his career, didn’t he? But Cillian won’t stop stalking him. And he seems to
know more than anyone alive ever could. A ghost? But Dennis only writes about
the supernatural, he doesn’t actually believe
in it. But Cillian doesn’t seem to care that Dennis doesn’t believe. He’s going
to make sure the man that stole from him never writes again.
Thrasher has written a harrowing and redemptive
story that explores the concept of a horror novelist who doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, and then finds himself confronting it in a terrifying and
visceral way. Thrasher seems to throw a lot of himself into the book, and one
wonders if at least some of Dennis’s thoughts regarding writing and life aren’t
taken directly from Thrasher himself.
Ghostwriter
is
excellent both in its writing and in its story. Thrasher is a master at
blending horror with strong spiritual elements. If you’ve read Isolation and loved it, then you will
definitely love Ghostwriter. If you haven’t read Isolation, then you will after reading Ghostwriter. If you’re
looking for a novel that will scare and mystify and intrigue and leave you
weeping at the moment of redemption, this is exactly what you want to read. As
I look through my pile of books, I see Broken,
Thrasher’s next novel, scheduled to release in May 2010. I shudder slightly, my
heart beats faster, and I anticipate my next sleepless yet enjoyable night.
Review copy provided by Faith Words.
2 comments:
Great review Josh!! I, too, loved this novel and the powerful redemptive message found within. Broken is definitley different from Isolation and Ghostwriter, but an awesome read nonetheless.
Loved Ghostwriter, Isolation not so much. I love that Travis jumps around with POVs and dares to break the restrictive "rules" of writing. Good book. Good writer.
Post a Comment