Review: The Ghostwriter

The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alessandra Torre is one of those authors I constantly mean to pick up. A handful of her books have appealed to me, begging to be read. In particular, The Girl in 6E, written as A.R. Torre, really appeals to me – it’s a book that has sat on my to-read list for far too long. I’m not sure what it is about The Ghostwriter that resulted in it being my first Alessandra Torre read, but I know it will not be my last.

As this is my first Alessandra Torre read, I cannot compare it to the author’s prior work as many fans can. I can just use word of mouth to express how it is different. It is not a romance like the author’s other work. It is contemporary fiction but focuses more upon the suspense than other elements the author usually focuses upon. I could go on about the things that are supposed to be different, but it really doesn’t mean much coming from me. All I can do is explain why I enjoyed this one so much, and why I’m more than happy to read more of the author’s work.

From the get-go, the synopsis of this one intrigued me. An author with a dark secret, writing a book to let out the truth. I was intrigued. I wanted to know more. My mind instantly came up with many possibilities, and so many ideas filled my mind. As ever when a range of emotions filled my mind, I wasn’t at all sure what this book would actually give me. It would give me something interesting, a fact I was sure about, but I wasn’t quite sure what the specifics would be.

From the very first page, I was pulled into the story. I was intrigued by the characters, interested by the events, and curious about the truth. There was plenty in this book to keep me reading. I came to enjoy the characters so much – enjoying their idiosyncrasies, enjoying their attitudes, and enjoying the way they played off each other. I really did come to love the characters, constantly wanting more. They were wonderful characters to put into the events that played out, seemingly simple things that had a huge impact.

Throughout, the undercurrent of mystery kept me second-guessing. I love a good suspense novel; I adore books that leave you unsure about the specific details. I really enjoyed the way everything in this one came together – I will not give specifics, don’t worry – finding it to be a wonderful blend of so many things. There was darkness to it, real emotion, and all the necessary elements to ensure a person connects with the story. The specifics were unexpected, revealed to us at the very last second. I usually prefer it when little hints are dropped throughout the story to allow us to guess what the details are, but I found I really enjoyed how this one prevented us from making those guesses. We knew there was something, but we could not say what until the details had been handed over to us. It certainly kept me guessing, and I loved the way it held my attention.

Despite being an emotional hit at the end of the book, I do feel as though things were a bit sudden. I understand why it ended the way it did, but I had expected something… more, I guess. I wasn’t expecting a happily ever after, we all knew how it was going to end, but I did feel as though it wasn’t quite the punch I had hoped for. Just before the end we get the big reveal, and then things taper off ever so slightly – I believe this is simply a reflection of my preferences with suspense novels, though.

Overall, I loved this one. It was a brilliant introduction to the author’s work and I’m certainly going to be reading more in the future. In fact, reading this one has left me annoyed for having failed to pick up an Alessandra Torre book sooner.

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