The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

If you don't have tissues nearby, make sure you have them when you read this book.  If you're a writer yourself, make sure you have two boxes.

I was incredibly impressed with Ms. Torre's ability to reach deep into herself, pull out the emotional angst every writer experiences at some time or another, and place it squarely on the page.  From realizing you need to write a story, to realizing you can't write it, to finally realizing that there is no other solution than to collaborate with your career nemesis, the story grips strong at the heart strings and daily struggles of every writer I've ever known, myself included.

Ms. Torre has created an ideal recipe for escape reading.  She begins with the hearty stock of a frustrated writer. That alone, however, isn't enough to make the story a part of the reader's soul, so she mixes in the unfailing love of a motherhood.  To that, she adds the doubt of a marriage that feels somehow, "off".   She then adds suspenseful spice in the form of a backstory that has missing pieces.  For good measure, she throws in a couple heaping spoons full of an undercurrent threat of what comes next.  Garnish it all with the necessity to maintain professional boundaries, and you have a story that digs deeper than most. 

This book will take you through the beginning, middle, and end, hanging by threads you didn't know were hanging, and attached to characters in ways you didn't know was possible.  The emotional connection you feel to the writing will last long after you've finished the story.

I read this book in audiobook format, on a long drive while traveling to our cabin.  I listened to it while walking the trails with the dog, I listened to it while making breakfast and sitting in the hammock in the afternoon.  It was sincerely, unputdownable.  The narration was exceptional, and added depth to an already impressive story.  Some books lend themselves very well to being read aloud, this is one of those books.  I finished the story while driving home one afternoon, and was grateful for the fact that I was driving on the highway, and passing cars couldn't tell that I was crying like a heartbroken teenager at the end.

I have not read any of Alessandrea Torre's other books, yet, but you can be sure that they are on my list of must reads.  I highly recommend this particular story for all of my Indie Author friends.  You will NOT be disappointed!

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