Review: Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher

Dennis Shore is a best-selling author of horror books. After losing his wife, however, he finds himself struggling with writer's block. On top of that, a secret he has kept about his latest and most critically acclaimed work is threatened to be exposed. But he soon learns that the source of the threat is not as it seems and finds himself in a terrifying nightmare he doesn't know how to escape.

Ghostwriter on the surface may appear to be about ghosts and a horror story. I found, however, that it is more an exploration of the character Dennis and his grief. I read and enjoyed Isolation last fall, so I was really looking forward to this one. Once again, I find that Thrasher's strength, or what sets him apart, is that you can really feel what his characters are feeling. Dennis's grief and longing for his wife are so apparent and woven throughout the story so strongly, that it's possible to understand his desperation. Take for example sad little bits like this:

"He hadn't wanted to wake up. He wanted to stay sleeping, to live out that morning, and that day and that life. He wanted to see her again and to hear her voice and see her smile and feel her life."

Feel her life. That one really got me. But imagine this throughout the whole book and you can understand just why you feel Dennis's grief...you're invited into it.

The pacing is brisk, and the plot doesn't drag at all. At the end of the book, I can't exactly say that I had answers to everything or how it happened, but that's how I like my horror novels.

We've had our overcast June skies this week (we call it June gloom) and this was the perfect book for such weather.

Ghostwriter is a Christian fiction novel, and while the faith elements aren't too heavy, but I do think they make the book a bit lighter than some other horror novels.

Rating: 4/5
Things You Might Want to Know: There is some mild language.