Book Review: Ghostheart
How often does one savor the moments that have been spent reading a book (referring to fiction/thrillers primarily)? Occasionally? That's the truth. Most of them work as a quickie read, where we really don't bother about the characters or the theme as long as the author is able to spin a good yarn and get the readers sucked into the tale.
But a few authors do take pains to make sure their books leave a lasting impact on the reader's minds. R. J. Ellory is one such author. As hehimself had mentioned in this book (Update: It was apparently a quote by Moliere, the French playwright. Apologies for the error.), "..we first write for ourselves, then we write for our friends, last of all we write for money." This profound and sincere statement itself is a proof of his attitude towards writing.
Ghostheart is hard to classify. There is a lot of crime and violence, but at the same it's very realistic and stirring. Annie O'Neill is a thirty year old second-hand book store owner in Manhattan. She is single, though she has had her fair share of affairs none of which lasted long enough. Her life is a routine, quiet affair and she is tired of this anonymity in life.
She wished for something. Something unspecific, but dangerous. She wanted to be loved, she wanted to be touched, she wanted to be held. She desired; she longed; she ached; she hurt. This was Annie O'Neill. Annie's neighbor, Jack Sullivan, a fifty-five year old man whose profession had taken him places far and wide, is the only person to which Annie remains close, sharing her time ever since she moved to the apartment. Sullivan is more or less a paternal figure to her, a father she had never seen since she was eight.
So when Annie meets two strangers - David Quinn and Robert Franklin Forrester, her life changes. As she enters into a relationship with David, a man she has known barely for a week or two, Forrester, who knew her father, tells her a moving story of love, murder and betrayal, taking her (as well as us, the readers) through the horrors of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland during the WWII, to the underworld of New York in the 60's and the 70's. Will she learn the truth about her father? Will the truth alter her life? Read to find out more.
This being his second novel after Candlemoth, is an equally impressive work that clearly shows the passion and the earnestness that R. J. Ellory possesses in engaging the readers with a good mix of content and characterization. His language is masterclass, and it's a sheer pleasure to read through.
His description of New York is totally convincing and the characters, be it Annie or Sullivan or David, or the people who come in the parallel story, are so realistically portrayed that it's impossible to conceive this plot without them. Especially, the Sullivan character, I wish I could meet such an endearing guy in real life.
Despite the narrative shifting back and forth in time, they have been blended so well that makes it all the more impactful. Though the denouement is not very shocking, I suppose that wasn't the important thing on Ellory's mind. It rather focuses on how one's life changes by what happens to them, by what they learn and how they begin to heal and cope with it.
Ellory underscores this fact in a superb way by indulging the readers in a powerful, heartwarming roller-coaster ride that leaves you short of breath. Another fact which never ceases to amaze me is the manner he writes about America, a land he is quite foreign to? (it's a question to you Sir, and I hope to get an answer for it! - Update: Thank you Sir, once again, for replying to my questions.) An unputdownable novel from a master crime writer. My admiration for R. J. Ellory is scaling new heights!
Yet as fascinating as that is, the most striking feature is Ellory’s prose style. Starting with his first sentence, the author immerses us in images and descriptions that are dense, baroque, yet amazingly illuminating. Similarly, almost every character is presented with revealing personal background and insight. It’s a style that positively defies quick reading. Instead, you’ll find yourself admiring and re-reading passages to better appreciate their dark, disturbing effect before moving on to the next.
-Alan Cranis, Bookgasm on A Quiet Vendetta
But a few authors do take pains to make sure their books leave a lasting impact on the reader's minds. R. J. Ellory is one such author. As he
Ghostheart is hard to classify. There is a lot of crime and violence, but at the same it's very realistic and stirring. Annie O'Neill is a thirty year old second-hand book store owner in Manhattan. She is single, though she has had her fair share of affairs none of which lasted long enough. Her life is a routine, quiet affair and she is tired of this anonymity in life.
She wished for something. Something unspecific, but dangerous. She wanted to be loved, she wanted to be touched, she wanted to be held. She desired; she longed; she ached; she hurt. This was Annie O'Neill. Annie's neighbor, Jack Sullivan, a fifty-five year old man whose profession had taken him places far and wide, is the only person to which Annie remains close, sharing her time ever since she moved to the apartment. Sullivan is more or less a paternal figure to her, a father she had never seen since she was eight.
So when Annie meets two strangers - David Quinn and Robert Franklin Forrester, her life changes. As she enters into a relationship with David, a man she has known barely for a week or two, Forrester, who knew her father, tells her a moving story of love, murder and betrayal, taking her (as well as us, the readers) through the horrors of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland during the WWII, to the underworld of New York in the 60's and the 70's. Will she learn the truth about her father? Will the truth alter her life? Read to find out more.
This being his second novel after Candlemoth, is an equally impressive work that clearly shows the passion and the earnestness that R. J. Ellory possesses in engaging the readers with a good mix of content and characterization. His language is masterclass, and it's a sheer pleasure to read through.
His description of New York is totally convincing and the characters, be it Annie or Sullivan or David, or the people who come in the parallel story, are so realistically portrayed that it's impossible to conceive this plot without them. Especially, the Sullivan character, I wish I could meet such an endearing guy in real life.
Despite the narrative shifting back and forth in time, they have been blended so well that makes it all the more impactful. Though the denouement is not very shocking, I suppose that wasn't the important thing on Ellory's mind. It rather focuses on how one's life changes by what happens to them, by what they learn and how they begin to heal and cope with it.
Ellory underscores this fact in a superb way by indulging the readers in a powerful, heartwarming roller-coaster ride that leaves you short of breath. Another fact which never ceases to amaze me is the manner he writes about America, a land he is quite foreign to? (it's a question to you Sir, and I hope to get an answer for it! - Update: Thank you Sir, once again, for replying to my questions.) An unputdownable novel from a master crime writer. My admiration for R. J. Ellory is scaling new heights!
Yet as fascinating as that is, the most striking feature is Ellory’s prose style. Starting with his first sentence, the author immerses us in images and descriptions that are dense, baroque, yet amazingly illuminating. Similarly, almost every character is presented with revealing personal background and insight. It’s a style that positively defies quick reading. Instead, you’ll find yourself admiring and re-reading passages to better appreciate their dark, disturbing effect before moving on to the next.
-Alan Cranis, Bookgasm on A Quiet Vendetta