"Ghostwriter" by Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill
- Scott
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4068
- Joined: 31 Jul 2006, 23:00
- Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
- Bookshelf Size: 340
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scott.html
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
- Publishing Contest Votes: 960
"Ghostwriter" by Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill
What do you think of this story? What do you like most about it?
I like this scourge-style story, by which I mean one where the terrorized victim is himself a nasty man.
I think the writer does a great job of keeping the reader wondering what's going on and what will happen next. This is no easy task because it's hard to strike the balance between not being too confusing while still keeping the suspense.
The writer demonstrates a great sense of a certain subtle but very poetic irony, such as when the wife uses the motel cards from her husbands cheating to break into his office. The story also does a great job leaving a couple different interpretations. First, it could be that the murder victim is a real ghost (pun most likely intended!) punishing the murderer. That's an interpretation I do not like much. Secondly, it could be that the murderer is suffering from guilt-induced hallucinations. This of course adds an element of The Tell-Tale Heart. This story definitely has many elements and layers to it which makes it a very great short read! I would have loved to see more of this excellent writer playing with these themes and characters. For that reason, I would say that the ending was a little abrupt. But then again endings are like breakups—they are always hard if you liked the story.
What do you think?
"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
- khudecek
- Posts: 507
- Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
- Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
- Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
- SparklingOne
- Posts: 479
- Joined: 20 Jul 2014, 16:24
- Currently Reading: A Breath of Snow and Ashes
- Bookshelf Size: 163
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sparklingone.html
- Latest Review: "I AM GOD" by Shawn Dall
- Reading Device: B00GDQDRPK
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
- memory
- Posts: 88
- Joined: 08 Apr 2015, 13:23
- Bookshelf Size: 21
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-memory.html
- Latest Review: "Rogue & Royal" by Alan S. Blood
- Michelle-lit
- Posts: 104
- Joined: 22 Sep 2014, 19:49
- Currently Reading: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
- Bookshelf Size: 24
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-michelle-lit.html
- Latest Review: "Take Her" by Midnight Taylor
- ananya92
- Posts: 669
- Joined: 29 Dec 2014, 00:46
- Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 111
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ananya92.html
- Latest Review: A Passover in Peshawar by AM Sardar
- debo9967
- Posts: 489
- Joined: 15 Feb 2015, 21:52
- Bookshelf Size: 64
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-debo9967.html
- Latest Review: "Self Examination" by VK Grover
-
- Posts: 5980
- Joined: 27 Mar 2013, 20:01
- Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... =3452">The Thorn Birds</a>
- Currently Reading: The Last Stonestepper
- Bookshelf Size: 79
- Signature Addition: View official OnlineBookClub.org review of Forever Twelve
As Scott was saying, I found a lot of subtleties in there, such as the fact that the victim was killed with a letter opener. Fabulous irony, being that she withheld the letters (in her writing) that he wanted to steal from her!!
I also found this story to be incredibly well-written sentence-wise--great editing, great structure, no mistakes, etc. It even read as less short-story, more small novel. (More irony, 'cause that's what the bad guy wanted--his novella!)
To the author--the bad guy's "man issues" was a nice touch! WAA HA HA HA HA.
You're a great writer!!
- khudecek
- Posts: 507
- Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
- Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
- Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
- avid reader28
- Posts: 109
- Joined: 10 May 2015, 21:29
- Bookshelf Size: 65
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-avid-reader28.html
The old theme. what goes around, comes back around. but in a twisted interesting way .
The wife is easy to relate to and I sympathized with her a bit.
And the story overall was well-written, enjoyable old tale
- calfurshoney
- Posts: 22
- Joined: 27 Sep 2014, 18:34
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 8
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-calfurshoney.html
- khudecek
- Posts: 507
- Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
- Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
- Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
- kstockard
- Posts: 65
- Joined: 04 Jun 2015, 23:03
- Currently Reading: The World at Night
- Bookshelf Size: 34
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kstockard.html
- Latest Review: Audible Book of your Choice by Amazon
- Reading Device: B0051VVOB2
I agree 100%. The story was great, but I found myself wishing the story had a little longer to develop and play out. That way we could have seen more from his wife and, of course, their interactions together. However, the author did a fantastic job developing the story with little time to do so. Overall, "Ghostwriter" was one of my favorite stories in Holding Fire. I am honestly looking forward to the next thing from Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill.SparklingOne wrote:Great Story! A real what goes around, comes back around kind of story, with a little supernatural twist. Our villain in story could have avoided this whole thing if he had made his fortune off his own work. I felt sorry for the wife, she put up with his endless philandering, only to find out he was worse than she could have imagined. Wish the story had been longer, would have loved to see this little drama play out a little farther.
- khudecek
- Posts: 507
- Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
- Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
- Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
- H0LD0Nthere
- Posts: 445
- Joined: 18 Jan 2014, 23:04
- Favorite Book: Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
- Bookshelf Size: 52
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-h0ld0nthere.html
- Latest Review: "Adventures in space & fiction fantasy" by Robin G Howard
My very favorite thing about this story was how deftly the author sketched in Colton's horrible character, even though the story was written from his point of view, and he was unaware of his own character. For example: he refrains from cussing out his sister in law, because Jesus wouldn't like it ... just a few moments before he accidentally murders her! Later, he notes in passing that "singing and writing were his fortes." That made me laugh. Also, I love how he imagines that writing a novel will lead to instant fame and fortune, and how he has only the vaguest idea of how he wants his novel to go, just a specific wish about how the heroine should look. There are definitely people like that out there. I have seen their adverts. I always think, "If you want to write a novel, why would you look for someone to write it for you?"
To Michelle-lit: I hear you about "murdering over a BOOK?" I got the impression that Colton was ambushed by his own greed and bad temper. He did not initially realize that he'd done the murder, and even afterward, he does not seem to realize how serious it was. If he had thought it out, he probably would have realized that the risks weren't worth the rewards. But he wasn't thinking, just reacting.
I also loved that the ghost writer was literally a GHOST writer. Her vengeance is to drive him crazy. I'm not sure I'm with you, Scott, in thinking that she is just a hallucination, since I'm not sure Colton's conscience is strong enough to bother him without a little help from the universe. But either way, the author does a great job of portraying how the sightings of the ghost were just one of a number of factors - the rest of them natural consequences flowing out of the murder - that conspire to make Colton less and less functional, and to "punish" him for what he did.
Certainly makes a person think twice about taking a ghostwriting job, I'll say that!