Stephen King Fans discussion

Discuss Ghost Story here... please mark spoilers!

I am liking this book so far. It has every element of a good Gothic Romance, but updated in the twentieth century.

"Ghost Story" remains, to this day, the best book that Peter Straub has ever written -(IMO)

The writing is truly elegant, and it requires THOUGHT and concentration to follow each small turn of the plot - "Is she or isn't she?"

The end of the book is one of my favorite pieces of literature, and I will enjoy it each time I re-read this book.

What's the worst thing you've ever done?
I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing...

Peter Straub is one of my favorite contemporary horror writers, though I don't think that his work could be easily classified and packed into one genre. After publishing Floating Dragon in 1983, a self proclaimed ultimate horror novel of his career, where all the tropes met and everything literally mounts up for a big explosion. It's a fine book and one that Stephen King must have used as an inspiration for his great masterpiece - "IT" (read it if you're interested - it's been published three years before IT, the whole premise and some scenes immediately bring that book to mind) He took several years to write Koko, a novel about Vietnam veterans and the aftermath of the war on their lives (think Jacob's Ladder). I found it to be engrossing with its brilliantly fleshed characters and the world they populate. It's followed by Mystery, a coming of age bildungsroman combined with the classic elements of detective and mystery novels, and The Throat which bridges the two novels and while not being a sequel to any of them it is stars two protagonists from these works, and is a very fine piece of literature. None of these can be classified as horror per se, though horrific elements are most definitely present.

Ghost Story has been published in 1979, two years after Straub's If You Could See Me Now, which is also a supernatural horror novel. Though it has fallen into obscurity, If You Could See Me Now is a promising novel, showing what would later become Straub's trademark themes - the isolation of a person trying to figure out a mystery, a small town setting, and most important - the impending sense of horror, wrongness and doom, and the process of reconstruction of events of the past through memories, history and experience. While If You Could See Me Now is relatively short, it utilizes all these elements to their potential as Miles Teagarden arrives in the small town of Arden, Wisconsin, intending to break away from his academic life but encountering horrors of the past. The small town atmosphere is done briliantly and the relatively short lenght of the book allows for little to no filler and the suspense is built from the first to the last page, and the ending is truly a grand finale, worthy of an experienced writer - and it was only his third published book.

Ghost Story, which became Straub's most recognized and popular work, and sadly overshadowed the rest of his impressive career takes up all the elements of If You Could See Me Now to a new level. As Straub is quoted in King's Danse Macabre:

"I really wanted to expand things much more than I ever had before," Straub says. "I wanted to work on a large canvas. 'Salem's Lot showed me how to do this without getting lost among a lot of minor characters. Besides the large canvas, I also wanted a certain largeness of effect . . . . I had been imbued with the notion that horror stories are best when they are ambiguous and low key and restrained. Reading [ 'Salem's Lot ], I realized that idea was self-defeating. Horror stories were best when they were big and gaudy, when the natural operatic quality in them was let loose. So part of the 'expansion' was an expansion of effect-I wanted to work up to big climaxes, create more tension than I ever had, build in big big scares. What all this means is that my ambition was geared up very high. Very much on my mind was doing something which would be very literary, and at the same time take on every kind of ghost situation I could think of. Also I wanted to play around with reality, to make the characters confused about what was actually real. So: I built in situations in which they feel they are 1.) acting out roles in a book; 2.) watching a film; 3.) hallucinating; 4. ) dreaming; 5.) transported into a private fantasy."

What the man said, he did. He wrote a lenghty novel which became an enduring classic of the genre, to which many contemporary novels can be compared - and would probably fail in comparison. Two of his characters bear the names of Ricky Hawthorne and and Sears James, referrencing Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James, two distinguished American writers. Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, but he also wrote The House of the Seven Gables which is a very long, very detailed and quite frankly very boring story, but which nonetheless can be seen as a potential influence on Straub, as it deals with the theme of retribution, guilt, family secrets and is specked with allusions to the supernatural, taking place in a the eponymous haunted New England mansion. Hawthorne also wrote "Wakefield", a short story which is probably one of the craziest pieces of fiction of the period. It's basically a story of a man who decides to leave his wife just for the reason of staying in hiding, observing her and SEEING WHAT WILL HAPPEN.
Everybody knows Henry James as the prolific and influential writer who wrote lenghty novels about lenghty affairs and lenghty relations between Americans and Europeans. Although he was born in New York, he ultimately decided to take the true literary gentleman way and emigrated to England, became naturalized and died in London.
The volume of literary criticism concerning his work is massive. His brief novella, The Turn of the Screw which is about a governess who might or might not see ghosts attracted particular attention of the scholars, and has been a basis for several films, including 2001 >i>The Others. I'm mentioning it because Straub liberally borrows plot of it in the first quarter of the novel where Sears James recounts his brief teaching experience.
Another character, Lewis Benedikt might be an allusion to an English writer Matthew Lewis, who wrote a classic gothic novel called "The Monk", which is notable for having been the first novel where a priest is the bad character and indulges in fornication, rape and other vile things. Satan himself makes an appearance, and while it is preposterous most of the time it is also a very brave effort, written in times where anticlericalism was a serious offense and severely punished.

Anyway, onto the novel. The structure of the book - the old men who form The Chowder Society and gather to tell themselves ghost stories - was used by Stephen King in one of his most underrated novellas, The Breathing Method, which is the last entry in Different Seasons. The Breathing Method is an obvious homage to Straub, being dedicated to him and his wife, Susan. It is a truly delightful story, wonderfully written with all the crackles, pops and mysterious aura fully present, and to my great disappointment has never received the sort of attention it deserves, being disimssed as one of his lesser works. Well, it seems that everybody must be wrong but me. That doesn't worry me, though. It happens all the time. LOL.

What really sets up the mood of Ghost Story is the incredibly tense prologue, immediately drawing the reader in and forcing him to invest his attention, emotions and time. A man named Donald Wanderley is driving with a little girl in his car. As opposed to Straub's first supernatural novel, Julia, where the titular heroine has lost her little girl, Don has found one; but right away we learn that he is planning to cross the border with the child into Canada and expecting problems decides to drive south, taking the anonymous fears. Don is comitting a kidnapping. The reasons for this are unclear; he questions the girl but his questions hold no meaning either to the reader and to the girl herself.

Once he asked her, "Have you ever heard of a man named Edward Wanderley?"
She did not reply but regarded him levelly.
"Have you?"
"Who's he?"
"He was my uncle," he said, and the girl smiled at him.
"How about a man named Sears James?"
She shook her head, still smiling.
"A man named Ricky Hawthorne?"
Again she shook her head. There was no point in continuing. He did not know why he had bothered to ask in the first place. It was even possible that she had never heard those names. Of course she had never heard them.

The incredible unclear nature of the situation and the areas Don drives through mold together into one emotion,that of curiosity. Straub masterfully keeps away all the possible revelations, never letting the intention of the kidnapping be clear, allowing us only to glimpse Don's fears of being caught (—Asshole, that's not your girl, who is that girl? Then they would put him in a cell and begin to beat him, working on him methodically with nightsticks, turning his skin purple ...) What excells here is the feeling of what Sigmund Freud termed as the uncanny, where the a normal childish gesture can bring out gooseflesh and shivers down your spine.

"This man your daddy?"
He thought he would fall down.
"Now he is," she said.
(..)
Outside, Wanderley said to her, "Thanks for saying that."
"Saying what?": pertly, self-assuredly. Then again, almost mechanically, eerily, ticking her head from side to side: "Saying what? Saying what? Saying what?"

The prologue works in its entirety, from the first word to the last. For me, the prologue and the epilogue are the two most effective parts of the novel; they are deep, tense and memorable.

It's the middle part that I had some trouble with. It's been a while since I read this book, but I remember elements of it to be wanting. The structure of a story within a story which was employed at the beginning was fascinating and I would love more of it; I thought that the small town atmosphere was well done, with the cold blizzards of a small upstate New York town described in such detail that the reader feels as if he or she were there. I did have my remarks concerning the text; I gave it three stars, but might have been too harsh. In Ghost Story the principal weapon is deceit and charade; the bogeymen don't hide in the sewers or jump out from the closets. Straub builds his tension in a subtle but ratcheting way, his descriptions being chilling but never truly graphic; the novel stands way above much of the trash that is being published today just by the writing alone, as Straub is a careful and masterful wordsmith. It's essential reading for anyone interested in the classics of horror or just plain good fiction.

Is this Straub's best book? I don't know. I liked Shadowland, the one he wrote after this a lot, as it spoke to me on a more personal level. Koko I thought was a wonderful novel where one could get lost in. Nonetheless, Ghost Story is an impressive achievement and I hope that the discussion of it will be a fascinating one. I have specifically refrained from discussing the plot in detail, covering just the possible inspiration and the prologue, as I would love to hear what other readers think of the novel. I have used up almost the entire word amount for a post, but cut me some slack. I was an English major. Imagine how much it would take for me to talk about the rest of the text. LOL! Happy reading everyone!

Wow... leave some words for the rest of us, Maciek! ;)

Sorry! Got a bit carried away here. LOL!

Hehehe... No problem... I'll come back to read that after I've read the book! :D

I hope you'll like it! Would love to hear what you think. It's a classic, important book. Don't worry. I didn't spoil anything as I only talked about the influence of the book, how it came to be, and briefly discussed the prologue and my complaints about the whole text.

Are you currently drafting your chapter one essay? ;)

Yeah! Better prepare! LOL!

Maciek, NICE!

I also enjoyed Shadowland, it being my second favorite from Straub, Koko probably being the third.

I haven't read Ghost Story in years (though I keep clicking like a mad woman in the hopes someone will notice and make it available for Kindle) but it remains one my favorite stories of all time.

What sticks in my mind even now about it, is how masterfully and skillfully Straub wove the stories together. A story, within a story, within a story and so on. It's all woven together so tightly. It still blows my mind to think about it. What also remains in my head is the fact that the 2 brothers were FREAKING ME OUT. Gregory and Fenny remain in my head as two of the scariest characters of all time. *shudder*

Thank you, Charlene! We have similar taste when it comes to Straub, and I fully agree with your comment.

I've started this one now... I'm not very far in, but already I'm intrigued and want to know who the man is and who the girl is and what is going on.

The writing is much, much easier to read than the short story collection I tried before, thank goodness.

World's Longest Prologue? Check. Weirdness? Check. Creepiness? Check.

Definitely Straub. ;)

LOL! I thought that the prologue was stellar. Easily one of the best parts of the book.

It's interesting, that's for sure. (view spoiler)[The AM initials thing is intriguing, and I'm wondering where it is going. Is the girl some manifestation of evil or something? What is she in regards to the older woman with the AM initials? Are they the same being? Hmmm... (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, don't tell me. I don't really want to know. Just thinking out loud. ;)

LOL! Not telling anything! This book is a lot of fun to think about.

Maciek wrote: "What's the worst thing you've ever done?
I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing...

Peter Straub is one of my favorite contempor..."

As I read your fantastic post, I searched for each title on my Kindle. Amazon really needs to beef up the Peter Straub selection.

I don't know if it is Straub himself-doing something similiar to Harper Lee not allowing To Kill A Mockingbird to be published as an e-book, or if it is Straub's publishers that are responsible.
Whatever the reason is, I strongly wish these books were available in e-book format.

I've been wanting to read this. I might join in if I get through my other book club commitments. Hi folks. I never properly introduced myself.

Hi Aloha!

Hi ya, Charlene! Probably a lot of non-Republican people from HA is here, too. LOL.

HA! Probably. : )

Yup :)

The book has been great but I have not found a space where I can sit down and finish it. One really has to work through the ending. It is a piece of literature and a keeper.

I have like 50 pages to go. Not a quick read, but I do like the multiple layers.

That makes me want to read the book even more. I love books that have a lot of layers in them, and multiple interpretations.

Finished last night: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I really liked this one. I definitely want to read more Straub.

Chris wrote: "Finished last night: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I really liked this one. I definitely want to read more Straub."

Chris, in your review you stated that the book didn't really scare you. Gregory and Fenny didn't strike that nerve at all?

Sure, they struck a nerve and were pretty freaky. But I generally don't get scared by books. If I did, I suppose this one would be scary. Heh....

: ) Thanks for answering!

Chris wrote: "I have like 50 pages to go. Not a quick read, but I do like the multiple layers."

I agree, layers are good. I like how the layers were uncovered to allow the complete story to unfold. It did feel slow in some parts but that was necessary to tell the story completely. It was all worth it.

I agree, Tracy. Slow at times, but definitely worth it. I felt satisfied when I finished.

I'm still working on this one... It's definitely a slow mover. There's a kind of odd, surreal quality to this that's not really working for me. I think that's what I like least about Straub's writing, so far. It's kind of all over the place and I'm struggling to make sense of it.

I'm sure it will come together, or I hope so, but so far it's still... just... weird.

I'm not really liking any of the characters either, except for Lewis. The others are a little too... stuffy - especially Sears.

But all that being said... I'm not disliking it. I'm just not loving it yet.

It took me two tries to get into Ghost Story. This goes against my 10% rule (if I don't like a book within the first 10%, I'll stop reading it). This is the only book where I think I might've lost out if I hadn't continued. I hope it picks up for you, Becky.

Thanks... I'm interested enough to keep going, it's just whether I'm patient enough to see it through. LOL

Ok so i am going to try to read this book even though there is only 9 days left :O we'll see if i can...now that is a challenge specially because i just put it on hold at the library lol. we'll see :D

Sary, if you don't get it in by the end of April, don't sweat it. All discussion threads stay open and you're welcome to re-ignite them once you've finished.

oh ok good :D who knows when i'll get the book from the library!

I am about 100 pages away from being finished with this book, and I am loving it! I do most of my reading late at night, since that is the only time my house is quiet, and I think that helps scare me a little. There have been several nights I have not wanted to turn out the lights when I get in bed! Hoping to finish it tomorrow!!

This one is on the back burner for me. I'm still around 50% and I'm still not even sure what's going on.

But I have The Wind Through The Keyhole on my plate right now, so I'll come back to Ghost Story after I finish that one.

Wow this book certainly had some truly frightening moments! I had read in various other reviews that it was a bit scary but there is no way I ever expected the level of creepiness Gregory Bates exuded. It was a bit slow at times but over all a good read. Did anyone else find it hard to follow all of the different characters at certain points? It felt like there was just too much going on but the way Straub handled this was great. It was a little difficult for me in some parts when I was reading late at night after a long day and was just sleepy. Crazy good book, would recommend.

I agree that there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and everybody was sleeping with everybody! But I was creeped out too! I kept think arms were going to come through the back of my couch and grab me!!

Hmm... I'm assuming that this is in the 2nd half of the book? Because I think the first half is actually kind of dull and I keep waiting for something to happen.

Yes Becky most of the really scary stuff starts occurring later in the book...I was definitely bored through most of the beginning although wanting to find out what was going on with the whole situation the book began with kept me going.

Oh good... Hopefully something to look forward to!

I first discovered Peter Straub years ago on reading a recommendation by Stephen King. Loved this and Shadowlands, but I also think The Hellfire Club is a bit of an undiscovered gem. It's got a lot of sly humour in it and the evil serial killer character is a joy! I paticularly love the bit where he recites his 'poetry' for a group of (somewhat gullible) literature lovers.

If you've enjoyed Ghost Story and want to try more Peter Straub, please look up The Hellfire Club. It's faster-paced than Ghost Story, with a more modern feel, and manages to combine being creepy and funny in an unusually successful way.

I thought Gregory and Fenny were unbelievably creepy. I remember when reading it that I felt myself tense up whenever they made an appearance. *shudder*

I started reading Straub when Julia came out. I stopped after buying and reading Floating Dragon - that one upset me beyond my comfort level and I moved on to Clive Barker.

I'm a serial author person. I pick an author and work my way through their stuff until I either finish or they put me off somehow.

Shadowlands and Talisman are my favourites. Ghost Story has long chunks where I was reading from 'duty' to get to the interesting parts. I need to read it again - but I don't want to buy another paper version - I'm waiting for the ebooks.

I'm facebook friends with Peter Straub - I might ask him if there are plans afoot to release his work on the ebook platform.

Oh one tip that might help people get through this book - I find sometimes it helps to pick a character and then skim through finding everything to do with them and read their 'thread' - then do the same for different characters. Eventually I then read the whole book through as one entity.

I find that can make an otherwise slow book a much easier read.

Michele wrote: "I find sometimes it helps to pick a character and then skim through finding everything to do with them and read their 'thread' - then do the same for different characters. Eventually I then read the whole book through as one entity."

Wouldn't this ruin the suspense, or spoil things... or both?

I couldn't imagine reading a book like that. I start at the beginning, and then keep going until I get to the end -- or until I decide that I've had enough. If I have to "reorder" the book to help me get through it, the author did it wrong, and it's not worth my time.

A while back, while I was reading GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire series (which is written in POV style as well), I remember someone mentioning how they found one person's POV boring... so they just didn't read it. And I wondered how they fit together a lot of the plot points and details that they missed by doing that. Because the character didn't just share HIS POV, he shared a lot of important information in general, just by his (sometimes unwitting) observations.

This book seems like that. I've only read half of it so far, but I feel like it was written in a roundabout, kind of "spiral in until we get to the point" way that would be ruined by reading single character storylines through like that.

But maybe not. I don't know. It's not something I would try, because I read the book as the author wrote it - even if that means I stop reading it. *shrug*