The Ghost Notebooks

Review: The Ghost Notebooks by Ben Dolnick

I found this book off of Belletrist book club, and was hooked by the title. I love scary movies so why not a scary book?

The Ghost Notebooks was written by Ben Dolnick who writes simply and clearly, while painting his pages with words that feel like real life. The book is so addicting that I finished it in five days! It slows down a bit in the middle, just push through because this has an ending you won’t want to miss.

The book starts off by jumping into the life of probably 90% of mid-twenty long-term daters who fall into a rut and question whether to move out or get married. An internal struggle. A breakup. A sad bar. An epiphany. An engagement.

Then, a job opportunity. The twenty-something couple leave downtown New York City to care for a small museum in upstate New York. The museum pays tribute to Edmund Wright, a writer, who also left the city but to safely raise his children.

Wright wrote encyclopedias and novels throughout his life then suddenly went silent. No one knew why he stopped writing, even his family or local citizens who knew his story well. In fact, one family member seems to write the ordeal off completely – while keeping a close eye on the couple we read about.

So, the couple moves into the Historic House Museum having a grand old time taking care of the old house and getting to know each other better. Recently engaged and beginning to plan a wedding, the two enjoy the quiet life and the quirks that come with living in an old house. The explore and learn and host field trips together.

Then some odd things happen, and one of the two begins to slip away. And ultimately, one slips forever. A tragic event. A breakdown. A mystery to solve. A turn of events. A page-turning ending. Pick this one up, you won’t regret it.

GET IT HERE.

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