Reading: The Ghost Writer

In a fit of insanity, we decided to DRIVE from Virginia to Florida to leave for our cruise, so I had lots of time to kill. Enter: The Ghost Writer by Robert Harris.

Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. -- Publishers Weekly via Amazon.com

One thing I liked most about the book was the insight it provides into ghostwriting in general. I never thought about how prevalent ghostwriting must be, but in reality there must be a ton of it (I doubt any politician or celebrity has ever really slogged out an entire book on their own). The excerpts that were included from the book Ghostwriting by Andrew Croft were a nice touch and I thought they added to the overall effect of the story.

In general, this book is pretty much what I expected it to be. A decently paced book, well told, and a good read for vacation. I wasn't upset by the contrived Tony Blair similarities - if the author has a problem with US/UK relations he can talk to his politicians, I'm only interested in an entertaining read. The beginning was sort of slow, but the writing is good so I just kept on going with it. By the second half of the book, the plot is twisting and turning like a thriller should and it ends with a bang. Overall, it's a fun entertaining read. Just don't expect any profound revelations to come to you while reading it.

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