If you’re an avid listener of The High Low, (a current affairs and pop-culture podcast hosted by Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes) then like me, Alderton’s fiction debut Ghosts has been on your radar ever since its announcement. Alderton’s first book, award-winning memoir Everything I know about Love (2018), was a lens into Alderton’s life in her 20s. Parties, drinking, mistakes, relationships, and above all, the integrity of female friendships were at the heart of this memoir, and Alderton takes it up a notch in Ghosts, navigating similar themes, but through the eyes of Nina George Dean, a 32 year old cookbook writer who has found major success in her career.
At first glance, Nina’s life seems to be every millennial’s dream. She has a loyal online following, a writing career that pays enough for her cozy one bedroom flat in North London, and after being single for years, her first foray into online dating has given her the perfect match. Meet Max, a charismatic, handsome accountant also in his 30s whom after their first date, boldly exclaims that he will marry her. Life is going well, until Nina begins to confront the various ghosts around her. Max has suddenly disappeared without a trace, she has arguments with her neighbour from downstairs, friends are getting married and moving to the suburbs, tension is rising between her and her mother, and her father is slowly losing his former self to dementia.
Ghosts primarily deals with the after effects of someone who has fallen victim to “ghosting,” a term referring to the sudden practice of ending a personal relationship with somebody, cutting all ties without any explanation and ceasing communication all together. Alderton illustrates the act of ghosting so well in this book that reading about it is almost as haunting as experiencing it for yourself. After a memorable and intimate evening, the narrative switches to a series of texts shared between Nina and Max in the following days ahead. Things take a turn for the worst as the length of time between each text gets longer and longer. Hours turn to days that turn into weeks, and Max’s sentences become shorter, ever so brief with an unusual formality about them. Whereas Nina’s own texts lengthen, often falling into the dangerous territory of “double-texting.” She repeats the phrases “sorry to bother you” and “just want to know if you’re OK,” an all too familiar string of words to those who have ever been personally ghosted. Myself included.
However, the ghosts that really left an impression in this novel were not of Nina’s relationship with Max, but the ghosts of people she once had very strong, personal connections with. The flow of time has left her with friendships so hollow, different, and almost unrecognisable that Nina struggles to maintain and salvage what is left of the connection between her and her longest friend who is now married with children and planning to move to Surrey. Things aren’t easy at home either, as Nina comes to terms with the widening gap between her and her mother as a result of miscommunication and her father’s dementia. Alderton handles these themes of change with such delicate care and thoughtfulness. Whether you are in your 30s or mid 20s like me, there comes a point in life where the age of your parents has never been so clear. Perhaps it’s in the extra creases on their faces, or noticing their own memory failing them, Alderton describes the sadness that comes with subconsciously pitying your parents with such poignancy and compassion that anybody who feels the anxieties of change is sure to relate.
As a fairly introverted and reserved 20-something year old, I didn’t immediately connect with Alderton’s memoir Everything I Know About Love, but the passages centred around female friendships were the ones I understood and loved the most as I too have my own Farly in my life. Ghosts on the other hand I adored the whole way through. Though I am not in my 30s, I find myself becoming increasingly aware of the changes that inevitably come with ageing, and found unexpected reassurance and comfort reading about a protagonist experiencing similar issues. Alderton writes about these universal human experiences with both humour and compassion that the label “Nora Ephron for the millennial generation” given to her by award winning author and journalist Elizabeth Day makes complete sense to me. Much like Ephron’s Heartburn, Ghosts had me giggling to myself over witty dialogue one moment, angry at the most awful characters (Max) at another, and in near tears over the tenderness shared between Nina and her father the next. Alderton has written such a relatable contemporary novel with so much depth and heart that whether you’ve been ghosted or not, there is sure to be something in here that will resonate with you.
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you have any thoughts about this novel I would love to discuss them with you!
Until next time.
With Love,
Erika. ♡
With Love, Erika. ♡ 