Samantha's Reviews > The Ghost Notebooks

I enjoyed Ben Dolnick's The Ghost Notebooks. Dolnick is a skilled writer. This is the story of a struggling young couple that coalesces into a very good classic ghost story. Dolnick presents a lot of interesting and relatable ideas that offer food for thought.

Nick and Hannah are a couple living in New York City. On the cusp of their thirties, they're unsure whether to break up or get married. When Hannah is offered a job in upstate New York to be the caretaker of the Wright Historic House, this is a catalyst for them. Nick proposes and they move to the Wright House. At first they enjoy being an island of two and preparing for the not-so-frequent visitors and school tours of the museum. But as the weather gets colder, Hannah begins to suffer from insomnia and becomes visibly distressed. When Nick tries to find out what's the matter, she grows secretive and distant. After things go horribly awry, Nick sets out to uncover what about the house has been troubling Hannah. He must delve into the life of 19th century philosopher Edmund Wright, who became interested in spiritualism when his young son died on the property.

I enjoy novels like this, with a fictitious author who's given a believable and detailed background in the storyworld. There's a realistic quality to the history, life, and oeuvre of Edmund Wright, as well as his excerpted writings. The Ghost Notebooks has a cool format, with mysterious passages in a stream of consciousness style, informational literature about the Wright House, and "historical" writings interspersed between chapters.

Dolnick has a good, strong voice. I liked his way of putting things and describing things. He employs evocative figurative language. I particularly appreciated his unique metaphors. The Ghost Notebooks contains spot-on observations about relationships, work, and 21st century life. It contains wry humor and is clever, knowing, and smart. It's also haunting and sad. At its core, this is a meditation on grief and loss. This novel peels back the layers of a relationship and follows Nick as he tries to make sense of life in an indecipherable world.