The Ghost Writer discussion

I loved this book, but found the ending somewhat unsatisfying. Did other people understand it? Like it?

I, too, was disappointed by the ending. I thought it was pretty obvious that Abigail and Anne were the same person but less than obvious (to me at least) was why she wrote the letter to Gerard in the first place. Her explanation in the book seemed too easy. Also, Gerard seemed pretty clueless to believe that Alice was real. I guess, in a nutshell, I felt that the author left too many loose ends and not enough satisfactory explanations for the various characters' behaviors.

Looking back, there were a few loose ends but I think I sort of understood it at the time. I taxed my brain cells too much during the end of the book trying to work out the layout of the house, eg where the front door was in relation to the cellar etc etc. so not entirely sure. As my to read pile is so huge, I don't really want to re-read so if anyone can come up with a short version of the ending, I'd be v pleased.

i remember loving the journey and hating the ending.

The Seance by the same author is a far more satisfying read

Sandyboy, John Harwood has written another novel? Must put that on my to read list!

i think he has 3 out, he had certainly matured as a story teller with The Seance

I think I understand the ending:
Alice Jessel was not a ghost, but Anne, the supposedly dead sister. She kept living at the house all these years.
Miss Hamish and the supposed hospital nurse who had written Gerard were also fictions (like Alice was) that were invented by Anne.

So here's what happened in order:

1) Filly cheated with Hugh and Anne caught them.

2) Filly never did anything else bad to Anne and did NOT use radiation against her. (Gerard discovered in the end that it wouldn't have worked).

3) Anne hated Phyllis for cheating with her fiance

4) Phyllis left the house after her cheating had been discovered, but Anne stayed in the house and has never left. She was living there in secret all these years.

5) Later Hugh came back to the house to try to make amends with Anne, but he died in a supposed accident. His death was not known, except to Anne, and the body was never seen by anyone except Anne in whose presence he died.

6) Phyllis who left without ever coming back to the house tried to reach Hugh through Pitt the Elder (the solicitor) without success as Hugh was already dead.

7) Her child with Hugh was born (also named Gerard), but died in infancy.

8) Phyllis left for Australia, married and the story's hero was born - also named Gerard (he is not his half brother who died in infancy, but a second child with the same first name).

9) Anne wanted revenge and wrote to Gerard all the time as Alice.

10) Anne sent a copy of the Revanent to Phyllis in Australia to let her know that she has tracked her down and there won't be peace between them. That was the envelope Gerard had found in his childhood and since then his mother stopped talking about Staplefield and became even more protective than before.

11) Anne (as miss Hamish and Alice) tempted Gerard to the house and almost killed him, but eventually she herself died and he escaped. (When the veil fell, we saw that the supposed ghost is just an old woman whose hair was a wig - Anne).

At bottom: while Phyllis was bad for cheating with her sister's fiance, Anne who sought revenge on Phyllis' son, even after all these years, is the true villain of the story. And there were no ghosts after all. Except perhaps when the fire suddenly blew up sending Anne to her death. I'd like to think that it was Phyllis' spirit protecting her son.

Thank you Daniel!

The ending does require a few reads to understand, but the fluoroscope clearly worked. It was only the room lamp which burned out, so Anne *thought* for a while that the fluoroscope hadn't been turned on that night. Look at the description when Anne removes her veil; she wasn't lying about the cancer treatment. She "died" by becoming so disfigured.

The only part of the ending which still bothers me is that Anne waited so long to lure Gerard to the house. It doesn't make much sense for her to assume that she'd outlive her younger sister.

I think it's supposed to be ambiguous, with idea being whether or not ghosts are real, Gerard (and his whole family) are "haunted" - by the past. Perhaps optimistically, I imagine Gerard writing everything down after his escape from the fire, exorcizing his demons the same way Viola did!

The description of the house made my head spin as well, but I almost think Harwood did it on purpose? I feel like there are a few jump scares that don't work unless you're busy trying to figure out where the windows are (or whatever)...

thank you, daniel. i liked this book, it has really stayed with me as i read it many years ago but i was always a bit confused at the end. however, i do think the flouroscope worked & burned anne as didn't she have cancer & was horribly disfigured by it?

Daniel wrote: "I think I understand the ending:
Alice Jessel was not a ghost, but Anne, the supposedly dead sister. She kept living at the house all these years.
Miss Hamish and the supposed hospital nurse who ha..."

Thank you!

Okay but, am I dumb? WHO was in the picture? The one with green sleeves written on the back?