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Ghost Story
In life, not every sin goes unpunished.
GHOST STORY
For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past -- and get away with murder.
GHOST STORY
For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past -- and get away with murder.
567 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Peter Straub
265 books4,020 followersPeter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Gordon Anthony Straub and Elvena (Nilsestuen) Straub.
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,293 reviews
December 15, 2010
I don't think one can truly rate Ghost Story as a novel without acknowledging the fact that it's a literary homage to the classics of the genre. Indeed, two characters bear the surnames of Hawthorne and James.
This is my introduction to the work of Peter Straub. Having read The Talisman and Black House which he co-authored with Stephen King I was anxious to know how he writes on his own, and Ghost Story came recommended by virtually everyone who has read it.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, Ghost Story is a homage to the old masters who paved the road of fright for future generations. Peter Straub himself says that "[Ghost Story] started as a result of my having just read all the American supernatural fiction I could find". It is noticeable; the first part is largely a reworking of The Turn of The Screw. The theme of a story within a story is everpresent, as the work deals with a group of old men who tell themselves ghost stories on regular meetings. Shades of Lovecraft, Poe and Hawthorne brood in the corners of the rooms they sit in.
The men find themselves terrorized by terrible, realistic nightmares. Terrible things start happening in the small, sleepy town of Millburn.
They remember the crime they had committed years before...and wonder if the time of retribution has finally arrived.
What's not to like? Several things. first of all, the pace: the book is monstrous slog. A chore to get through. Straub switches between several narrative viewpoints (much like Stoker in Dracula) and the plot plods frequently and slows down so much that reading soon becomes a challenge. There's no doubt that Straub is a great writer - some of his passages I've read several times, because I simply enjoyed them so much - but he becomes lost in what he tries to do, the references he includes so subtly vanish in the detail he describes so voraciously.
The protagonists discuss ghost stories they tell to each other, but for some reason refuse to talk about the one they all share even when darkness has fallen upon their city. Instead of trying to scheme how to fight or at least delay the danger, they remain passive. No one fights back. No one things of moving away and running from the deadly force. The passivity, the stupidness of their actions drastically slows down the plot and kills any tension that might have emerged. It would be understandable if the novel featured only one protagonist who witnessed these events and who would be afraid to entrust his story to others (in fear of being considered insane) - but Ghost Story features a group of men who believe each other, and do nothing.
The theme of a town besieged by malevolent forces or beings has been done previously, most notably by Peter Straub's fellow writer and friend Stephen King in Salem's Lot. Straub acknowledges the influcence: "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."
However, while Salem's Lot was swift, fast-paced and competent in dealing with the theme, Ghost Story doesn't quite deliver. The town of Millburn is described as a small town, but it completely lacks any awareness and interaction. The characters seem to be detached from reality - everyone walks everywhere, and there's little mention of pop culture - music, television and such. The novel is supposed to take time in the 1970s, but for all we are shown it might just as well be the 1870s.
Last, the Evil with a capital E. While the concept of the Evil is really interesting, the Evil is really inconsistent and incompetent. There's no sense of looming presence of Evil, ready to fall upon the heads of innocent people and end their lives at any moment, like in Salem's Lot or Phantoms. Evil seems to be employed when it is needed by the narrative, and then pushed back, only to be called again later. I don't want to spoil anything, but the nature of the Evil and it's actions don't follow any pattern of logic and reason. Evil is at times omniscient and capable of incredible power, only to have its abilities reduced to humanlike status, and then go back to the supernatural and all-powerful again. Evil capable of everything is boring - why, it'd take a snap of fingers to eliminate a human being, much like a child breaking a twig in two - but one might wonder why the author chose to grant his menace that priviledge, only to take it back...and then allow it to be all poweful again, several times.
Overall, I'm sad to say that Ghost Story doesn't live up to the hype that surrrounds it. While it is a complex, multilayered work, a homage to the creators of the genre, It's not very compelling and in fact is pretty easy to put down and leave unfinished. The concept, the idea of the novel - the premise, the prose, the situations - everything works, but not as a whole. I think I like the idea of the book better than the book itself - Peter Straub tends to be meandering and repetitive. There are sections of Ghost Story that are narrated brilliantly, but there are sections that are stale and uninteresting. For each flash of suspense and atmosphere, there's a whole lot of mundane and ordinary. The idea of the novel deserves five stars, but I can't give the novel itself more than three - I liked it, but I liked analysing the text more than reading it. Nevertheless, Peter Straub is an ambitious writer who's much more "literary" than most horror authors - his prose and style easily rivals the so-called "serious" writers - and I most certainly will read his other novels.
This is my introduction to the work of Peter Straub. Having read The Talisman and Black House which he co-authored with Stephen King I was anxious to know how he writes on his own, and Ghost Story came recommended by virtually everyone who has read it.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, Ghost Story is a homage to the old masters who paved the road of fright for future generations. Peter Straub himself says that "[Ghost Story] started as a result of my having just read all the American supernatural fiction I could find". It is noticeable; the first part is largely a reworking of The Turn of The Screw. The theme of a story within a story is everpresent, as the work deals with a group of old men who tell themselves ghost stories on regular meetings. Shades of Lovecraft, Poe and Hawthorne brood in the corners of the rooms they sit in.
The men find themselves terrorized by terrible, realistic nightmares. Terrible things start happening in the small, sleepy town of Millburn.
They remember the crime they had committed years before...and wonder if the time of retribution has finally arrived.
What's not to like? Several things. first of all, the pace: the book is monstrous slog. A chore to get through. Straub switches between several narrative viewpoints (much like Stoker in Dracula) and the plot plods frequently and slows down so much that reading soon becomes a challenge. There's no doubt that Straub is a great writer - some of his passages I've read several times, because I simply enjoyed them so much - but he becomes lost in what he tries to do, the references he includes so subtly vanish in the detail he describes so voraciously.
The protagonists discuss ghost stories they tell to each other, but for some reason refuse to talk about the one they all share even when darkness has fallen upon their city. Instead of trying to scheme how to fight or at least delay the danger, they remain passive. No one fights back. No one things of moving away and running from the deadly force. The passivity, the stupidness of their actions drastically slows down the plot and kills any tension that might have emerged. It would be understandable if the novel featured only one protagonist who witnessed these events and who would be afraid to entrust his story to others (in fear of being considered insane) - but Ghost Story features a group of men who believe each other, and do nothing.
The theme of a town besieged by malevolent forces or beings has been done previously, most notably by Peter Straub's fellow writer and friend Stephen King in Salem's Lot. Straub acknowledges the influcence: "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."
However, while Salem's Lot was swift, fast-paced and competent in dealing with the theme, Ghost Story doesn't quite deliver. The town of Millburn is described as a small town, but it completely lacks any awareness and interaction. The characters seem to be detached from reality - everyone walks everywhere, and there's little mention of pop culture - music, television and such. The novel is supposed to take time in the 1970s, but for all we are shown it might just as well be the 1870s.
Last, the Evil with a capital E. While the concept of the Evil is really interesting, the Evil is really inconsistent and incompetent. There's no sense of looming presence of Evil, ready to fall upon the heads of innocent people and end their lives at any moment, like in Salem's Lot or Phantoms. Evil seems to be employed when it is needed by the narrative, and then pushed back, only to be called again later. I don't want to spoil anything, but the nature of the Evil and it's actions don't follow any pattern of logic and reason. Evil is at times omniscient and capable of incredible power, only to have its abilities reduced to humanlike status, and then go back to the supernatural and all-powerful again. Evil capable of everything is boring - why, it'd take a snap of fingers to eliminate a human being, much like a child breaking a twig in two - but one might wonder why the author chose to grant his menace that priviledge, only to take it back...and then allow it to be all poweful again, several times.
Overall, I'm sad to say that Ghost Story doesn't live up to the hype that surrrounds it. While it is a complex, multilayered work, a homage to the creators of the genre, It's not very compelling and in fact is pretty easy to put down and leave unfinished. The concept, the idea of the novel - the premise, the prose, the situations - everything works, but not as a whole. I think I like the idea of the book better than the book itself - Peter Straub tends to be meandering and repetitive. There are sections of Ghost Story that are narrated brilliantly, but there are sections that are stale and uninteresting. For each flash of suspense and atmosphere, there's a whole lot of mundane and ordinary. The idea of the novel deserves five stars, but I can't give the novel itself more than three - I liked it, but I liked analysing the text more than reading it. Nevertheless, Peter Straub is an ambitious writer who's much more "literary" than most horror authors - his prose and style easily rivals the so-called "serious" writers - and I most certainly will read his other novels.
March 13, 2022
An entertaining horror novel with exceptional frightening factor that sadly loses some potential and momentum towards the end.
The first half is some of the best horror I´ve read, not much splatter or violence, just the extremely detailed description with some really scary scenes that fuel the readers´ paranoia in the darkness. There are some moments one might not forget so soon, if not even never, but suddenly there is a bit more action and story, which make the terror factor disappear.
This loss of credibility, tension, and style towards the end is because of
Too many unnecessary details and debates
Much of the momentum gets lost because of too much preparation, backstory, or sheer drivel. This could have been so much better with more haunting horror, characters going bonkers, and more directly story related horror.
Some just incredible and ridiculous actings and motivations of the characters. One of the most epic, involuntarily funny moments: Just thinking about it makes me laugh like mad, as if there was another option, especially with the final slapstick killing one didn´t see coming. But at least something came.
Clever background plotline
There is an ingenious red line throughout the novel that fuses characters, timelines, and settings together to let the reader back in awe when realizing it. And it would have been so much cooler with more and earlier inclusion of the big badass antagonist, who even isn´t really one because there is a dark background secret reason for the hauntings that make it seem quite legit. A bit exaggerated retaliation, but still understandable.
Because there isn´t really much out there in the horror genre, I still consider this one a solid 4 star, maybe even with a small plus, because it has its good moments and some of my arguments could be just subjective taste, maybe others enjoy the change in style towards the end and the character backstory overkill. However, have a good fright.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
The first half is some of the best horror I´ve read, not much splatter or violence, just the extremely detailed description with some really scary scenes that fuel the readers´ paranoia in the darkness. There are some moments one might not forget so soon, if not even never, but suddenly there is a bit more action and story, which make the terror factor disappear.
This loss of credibility, tension, and style towards the end is because of
Too many unnecessary details and debates
Much of the momentum gets lost because of too much preparation, backstory, or sheer drivel. This could have been so much better with more haunting horror, characters going bonkers, and more directly story related horror.
Some just incredible and ridiculous actings and motivations of the characters. One of the most epic, involuntarily funny moments: Just thinking about it makes me laugh like mad, as if there was another option, especially with the final slapstick killing one didn´t see coming. But at least something came.
Clever background plotline
There is an ingenious red line throughout the novel that fuses characters, timelines, and settings together to let the reader back in awe when realizing it. And it would have been so much cooler with more and earlier inclusion of the big badass antagonist, who even isn´t really one because there is a dark background secret reason for the hauntings that make it seem quite legit. A bit exaggerated retaliation, but still understandable.
Because there isn´t really much out there in the horror genre, I still consider this one a solid 4 star, maybe even with a small plus, because it has its good moments and some of my arguments could be just subjective taste, maybe others enjoy the change in style towards the end and the character backstory overkill. However, have a good fright.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
April 8, 2012
BAIT AND SWITCH.
I'm quitting you, book. You know why? Because you're fucking boring. Because I dread picking you back up. Because you're not in the least bit scary to me, if you don't count the horror and dread I have of actually contemplating trudging along to the finish line with you.
By all accounts, the second half is where all the awesome happens. I just bet.
I slogged along to almost the halfway point, through weirdness and references-I-feel-like-I-should-know-but-don't-because-they-haven't-been-explained-yet and tedious-tedious-irrelevant-detail and 260+ pages of nothing-has-actually-happenened-yet-except-for-some-boring-old-farts-dying...OH-THE-HORROR! and now I'm done. I've given almost an entire month to this book. The only thing it's given me back was confirmation that Straub's books just aren't for me. Shame.
"Peter Straub's classic bestseller is a work of "superb horror" (The Washington Post Book World) that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time -- and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares."Oh, this book was conjuring my worst fears alright... Just not in the way that was probably intended.
I'm quitting you, book. You know why? Because you're fucking boring. Because I dread picking you back up. Because you're not in the least bit scary to me, if you don't count the horror and dread I have of actually contemplating trudging along to the finish line with you.
By all accounts, the second half is where all the awesome happens. I just bet.
I slogged along to almost the halfway point, through weirdness and references-I-feel-like-I-should-know-but-don't-because-they-haven't-been-explained-yet and tedious-tedious-irrelevant-detail and 260+ pages of nothing-has-actually-happenened-yet-except-for-some-boring-old-farts-dying...OH-THE-HORROR! and now I'm done. I've given almost an entire month to this book. The only thing it's given me back was confirmation that Straub's books just aren't for me. Shame.
February 12, 2013
An intelligent and ambitious novel, Ghost Story has received some well deserved acclaim. That is, however, not enough. Not even close. This is a book that should be re-introduced to a whole new generation of readers. It really is that good. Stephen King himself lists it as one of the best horror novels of the 20th century (refer Danse Macabre).
I will not go into plot details at this stage, since these can be had by reading the book synopsis. Instead, in general terms, I'll try and explain just why this book should be on the reading list of any self respecting horror fan.
First of all, this is not a novel that offers up cheap thrills and quick scares. The terror, sometimes expected, often unexpected, is measured out in precise and exact quantities. Lovingly so. Mister Straub has managed to weave into Ghost Story an absolutely breathless sense of inevitability and futility. It still remains one of the most atmospheric dark tales I’ve read.
Secondly, it is a pretty complicated story: dense and epic. It’s a story about terrible things that happen to people and the secret lives people lead. The cast is also fairly big. Think you know what's going on around here? Think again.
Lastly, Peter Straub is arguably one of the best wordsmiths out there. He can write.
Comparisons with Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot' are inevitable: the small town setting; the terror that comes to town. I read the two novels almost back to back and will be hard pressed to pick a personal favourite, although the “antagonist” in Straub’s book is much more complicated. In both novels, a great amount of time is spent on creating breathing, flesh and blood, characters. This, of course, makes the terror more palpable when it comes. And does it come!
Often subtle, the Horror element takes on interesting shapes in Mister Straub's capable hands. Things aren't quite what they seem, and isn't it marvellous? Looking for a thrilling read that will ever so slowly freeze your blood without attempting to shock with gratuitous gore and schlock tactics? Then line up, Dr Rabbitfoot has your medicine right here!
I will not go into plot details at this stage, since these can be had by reading the book synopsis. Instead, in general terms, I'll try and explain just why this book should be on the reading list of any self respecting horror fan.
First of all, this is not a novel that offers up cheap thrills and quick scares. The terror, sometimes expected, often unexpected, is measured out in precise and exact quantities. Lovingly so. Mister Straub has managed to weave into Ghost Story an absolutely breathless sense of inevitability and futility. It still remains one of the most atmospheric dark tales I’ve read.
Secondly, it is a pretty complicated story: dense and epic. It’s a story about terrible things that happen to people and the secret lives people lead. The cast is also fairly big. Think you know what's going on around here? Think again.
Lastly, Peter Straub is arguably one of the best wordsmiths out there. He can write.
Comparisons with Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot' are inevitable: the small town setting; the terror that comes to town. I read the two novels almost back to back and will be hard pressed to pick a personal favourite, although the “antagonist” in Straub’s book is much more complicated. In both novels, a great amount of time is spent on creating breathing, flesh and blood, characters. This, of course, makes the terror more palpable when it comes. And does it come!
Often subtle, the Horror element takes on interesting shapes in Mister Straub's capable hands. Things aren't quite what they seem, and isn't it marvellous? Looking for a thrilling read that will ever so slowly freeze your blood without attempting to shock with gratuitous gore and schlock tactics? Then line up, Dr Rabbitfoot has your medicine right here!
April 22, 2022
This story reminds me of when I went to Spokane, Washington and tested for the Navy. The whole damn thing was nearly a dream sequence. Even checking into the Hotel, The Davenport, In Spokane, Washington, "where the Governers ball" was going on! It was snowing like the world was ending..Then a Hotel, and everyone was in tuxes and fancy dress.
This review has nothing to do with the book. Obviously! But, while I absolutely loved the story, the memories it brings up aren't so great! But, dang! They are vivid!
This review has nothing to do with the book. Obviously! But, while I absolutely loved the story, the memories it brings up aren't so great! But, dang! They are vivid!
January 24, 2012
A few words i found by Stephen King about this novel
"Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror "wave" in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other. The fact that these three books, all published within five years of each other, enjoyed such wide popularity, helped to convince (or reconvince) publishers that horror fiction had a commercial potential much wider than the readership of such defunct magazines as Weird Tales and Unknown or the paperback reissues of Arkham House books.* ”
This was a real haunting good read, the story drives you crazy in places with characters perceptions of reality being played with by the supernatural.This is my first Straub novel and he writes a plot well and makes you feel you are there amidst the snow filled town slowly falling apart day by day.The story paces well and does not let down, the tale was reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
The review is @ more2read also with a video2watch interview with Peter Straub.
"Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror "wave" in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other. The fact that these three books, all published within five years of each other, enjoyed such wide popularity, helped to convince (or reconvince) publishers that horror fiction had a commercial potential much wider than the readership of such defunct magazines as Weird Tales and Unknown or the paperback reissues of Arkham House books.* ”
This was a real haunting good read, the story drives you crazy in places with characters perceptions of reality being played with by the supernatural.This is my first Straub novel and he writes a plot well and makes you feel you are there amidst the snow filled town slowly falling apart day by day.The story paces well and does not let down, the tale was reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
The review is @ more2read also with a video2watch interview with Peter Straub.
October 7, 2020
Probably the scariest book I ever read.
March 22, 2019
I am SO glad that I finally re-read this book! I was afraid that it wouldn't hold up to my memory of it. I worried about that for decades. Silly me-I needn't have worried-it was even better than I remembered!
This beautifully written story of evil in a small town has a lot in common with Stephen King's IT as far as the small town portion goes. Derry and Milburn are similar in a lot of ways. Despite the title, this book isn't really a ghost story. Just like in IT, IT isn't really a clown.
Ghost Story is about a small group of men who made a mistake in their youth and rather than face up to it, they went about hiding it instead. This leads to consequences none of them could have possibly foreseen. But WE can see those consequences, and unfortunately, they are often deadly.
GHOST STORY was my favorite novel for many years-mostly because of the intricacy of it. The stories of these men, the stories about the relatives of these men, and the stories about the town itself, wind around and through each other-to me it's like a beautifully woven tapestry of art. I have to think that the author had it all planned out from the very beginning, otherwise how could it have been so wonderfully done?
This book isn't for everyone, and I get that. (It wasn't even for me at one time, it took me three tries to get into it back in the day.) For those people that it DOES work for? They will sit back when they're done, just like I did, and marvel at the skill on display here.
My highest recommendation!
*I've purchased this book 3 times so far, (my original copy was lost), then I bought a paperback copy, but the print was too small, so I purchased a Kindle copy. I'd buy it again, if I had to!*
This beautifully written story of evil in a small town has a lot in common with Stephen King's IT as far as the small town portion goes. Derry and Milburn are similar in a lot of ways. Despite the title, this book isn't really a ghost story. Just like in IT, IT isn't really a clown.
Ghost Story is about a small group of men who made a mistake in their youth and rather than face up to it, they went about hiding it instead. This leads to consequences none of them could have possibly foreseen. But WE can see those consequences, and unfortunately, they are often deadly.
GHOST STORY was my favorite novel for many years-mostly because of the intricacy of it. The stories of these men, the stories about the relatives of these men, and the stories about the town itself, wind around and through each other-to me it's like a beautifully woven tapestry of art. I have to think that the author had it all planned out from the very beginning, otherwise how could it have been so wonderfully done?
This book isn't for everyone, and I get that. (It wasn't even for me at one time, it took me three tries to get into it back in the day.) For those people that it DOES work for? They will sit back when they're done, just like I did, and marvel at the skill on display here.
My highest recommendation!
*I've purchased this book 3 times so far, (my original copy was lost), then I bought a paperback copy, but the print was too small, so I purchased a Kindle copy. I'd buy it again, if I had to!*
April 26, 2016
When I was a kid, I had a long list of fears. A short summary would include: tornadoes; big dogs; bullies; the basement; fire; music class; swimming lessons; spiders; cat burglars; and girls. As I got a bit older, say around middle school and high school, that list changed. Some items remained (girls, the possibility of being forced to sing in public), some fell away (tornadoes, big dogs, swimming), and some new fears were added (school dances, acne, various other complex social interactions).
Now, as an adult, the list has changed entirely. I don’t fear the weather, or the water, or women (though I still do not understand them). And I’m not afraid of the many, many things that the local and national news tells us to fear. I’m not scared of airplane crashes, murderers, or terrorist attacks. This is not because I am brave, which I am certainly not, or because I am idiot, which is debatable; rather, my limited understanding of probabilities allows me to rest assured that I am far likelier to die in a car crash because I am texting, than I am to plummet earthward in a Boeing 747, and that the mounting nights of pizza and hard drinking are more lethal to my person than a sociopathic killer just escaped from the county asylum on a dark and stormy night.
The simple fact is that for most of us, all the terrorists and all the murderers and all the faultily-constructed planes in all the world are not nearly as likely to hurt us than uncontrolled cell growth within our own bodies. Sure, I get a little jittery when my plane hits turbulence; and yes, I sneak around my own house with a baseball bat every time I hear a bump in the night. But truthfully, the only thing that really scares me is cancer.
That kind of fear, though, based solidly in statistical reality, is almost too much to bear. It’s impossible to live your life constantly thinking about that possibility, that probability, lingering up ahead in the future.
We need distractions. So we distract ourselves with other fears. Not just terrorists, airplanes, and killers, but sex offenders and immigrants and razor-studded apples on Halloween and China’s emergence as an economic powerhouse. This is not to say that these fears are baseless (well, the fear of immigrants and China are), but we’re talking about probabilities. Can these things be dangerous? Yes. Are they statistically likely to be dangerous to you? No.
These fears, though, play an important psychological role by diverting our attention. And this is not a new phenomenon. Human beings have always been scaring each other. I venture that Neanderthals in their caves would gather round the fire and swap stories about a legendary wooly mammoth with a taste for blood, even though they were more likely to die from an infection caused by scraping a knee on a rock.
Peter Straub’s Ghost Story plays with this idea of spook stories. At its center are four old men – Lewis Benedikt, Sears James, Frederick Hawthorne and John Jaffrey – who have a haunted past; in order to cope with this past, they get together and tell ghost stories to each other. Scaring each other becomes cathartic.
I could go on with the plot, I suppose, but one of the pleasures (or frustrations, depending on your nature) of this book is how you gain understanding gradually, as the story unfolds. For instance, the novel opens with a brief prologue in which a man we do not know has apparently kidnapped a child we do not know. These scenes won’t pay off for many hundreds of pages, and to say anything more ventures into spoiler territory. Besides, the plot is relatively dense, and if I tried to explain it, I’d probably get it wrong anyway.
Suffice it to say, the thing or things that is haunting our four main characters has returned to the small town of Milburn, New York. And it didn’t come for the maple syrup festival.
I’ll leave it to you to discover the rest.
What I appreciated about Ghost Story was that it understood the nature of fear. Fear is that moment when you think something is about to happen; it is that part in a horror movie when the main character is about to open the closet door, and you, the viewer, start to duck your head beneath the blanket. When something finally jumps out of the closet, and the main character starts running, and you scream and spill popcorn, that’s not fear. That is the release of tension.
The reason I always liked the first Friday the 13th film is because it recognized this distinction. The whole movie was people being watched and stalked by something faceless and nameless and left to our imaginations. There is very little running through the woods, which is good, because chase scenes aren’t scary. In the 7,000 sequels that followed, the distinction was lost; the killer was known, was given shape and form, and all that was left was to run.
The most elegant metaphor I can think of to explain this is lovemaking. Please, bear with me. A good ghost story (like Ghost Story) is like that Spanish or Italian lover with the sensitive eyes and velvety voice, the one who drank wine from your navel and has nothing but time to devote to all manner of foreplay. This Spanish or Italian will taunt and tickle and tease and sing you a lilting love-song in Spanish or Italian that you can’t understand before finally bringing you to that place you want to go. A bad ghost story is like a drunk high-school student pawing at you in the backseat of a Honda Civic, concerned only with the end-release.
Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say the “most elegant” metaphor? Because I meant to say crass and vaguely disturbing.
Ghost Story takes its time reaching the climax, and this is a good thing. As long as things are still a bit unclear, as long as you can’t quite see around the next corner, the novel retains tension. I’m not saying it will scare you. It won’t make you scream aloud, for the simple reason that, unlike a movie, you can look away at any time and stop the action. However, there are parts that will give you the creeps; and there will be parts where your eyes will try to cheat by skipping ahead; and there is a chance, if you read this before bed and take a slug of Nyquill, you will have odd nightmares.
What I liked about Ghost Story, other than the fact it was like a Spanish or Italian lover, is that it made a real attempt to stay grounded in reality. Obviously, when you are dealing with ghosts, there is a paranormal or supernatural element involved. The more things tilt towards those elements, the less scared I become, for the simple fact that I can no longer relate to the world being described.
To that end, Peter Straub makes an enormous effort to give his characters backgrounds and back-stories and meaningful traits. He grounds the most fantastical elements by devoting equal time to the human element. I’m not saying that he achieves supreme psychological depth with each person, but he certainly surmounts the confines of his genre (and goes far beyond you might expect in a book titled Ghost Story).
One of my favorite aspects of Ghost Story is its sense of place. Straub spends a lot of time making the hamlet of Milburn into a character. You get to know its layout, its history, its local hangouts, and you meet dozens and dozens of its denizens. Indeed, you meet so many, you might want to keep a list (this will come in handy when attempting to recall who is sleeping with who, and who just died).
Ghost Story is horror with a literary bent. Sure, there are some lines of dialogue that land with all the grace of me dropping War and Peace on my toe. But that’s to be expected. For the most part, the level of the writing defies the primitiveness of its subject. You see this not only in the care taken with the characters (both main and supporting), but with the story’s complex structure, which involves numerous flashbacks and stories-within-stories.
Of course, as with any ghost story, there has to be a “Boo!” moment. At some point, the mysteries start to resolve themselves, the enemy takes shape, and our heroes must find a way to kill it. I’ll admit, my attention started to wane towards the end, once the explanatory dialogue started flying (and there is a lot of explaining to do). Eventually, there is a final battle between good and evil, human and not-human, and it is suitably over-the-top and gory, for those that expect that sort of thing, and when the dust settles all the puzzle pieces come together to form a whole.
It satisfies, I suppose, but is not nearly as interesting as the long, detailed, creepy road that led to that point.
Now, as an adult, the list has changed entirely. I don’t fear the weather, or the water, or women (though I still do not understand them). And I’m not afraid of the many, many things that the local and national news tells us to fear. I’m not scared of airplane crashes, murderers, or terrorist attacks. This is not because I am brave, which I am certainly not, or because I am idiot, which is debatable; rather, my limited understanding of probabilities allows me to rest assured that I am far likelier to die in a car crash because I am texting, than I am to plummet earthward in a Boeing 747, and that the mounting nights of pizza and hard drinking are more lethal to my person than a sociopathic killer just escaped from the county asylum on a dark and stormy night.
The simple fact is that for most of us, all the terrorists and all the murderers and all the faultily-constructed planes in all the world are not nearly as likely to hurt us than uncontrolled cell growth within our own bodies. Sure, I get a little jittery when my plane hits turbulence; and yes, I sneak around my own house with a baseball bat every time I hear a bump in the night. But truthfully, the only thing that really scares me is cancer.
That kind of fear, though, based solidly in statistical reality, is almost too much to bear. It’s impossible to live your life constantly thinking about that possibility, that probability, lingering up ahead in the future.
We need distractions. So we distract ourselves with other fears. Not just terrorists, airplanes, and killers, but sex offenders and immigrants and razor-studded apples on Halloween and China’s emergence as an economic powerhouse. This is not to say that these fears are baseless (well, the fear of immigrants and China are), but we’re talking about probabilities. Can these things be dangerous? Yes. Are they statistically likely to be dangerous to you? No.
These fears, though, play an important psychological role by diverting our attention. And this is not a new phenomenon. Human beings have always been scaring each other. I venture that Neanderthals in their caves would gather round the fire and swap stories about a legendary wooly mammoth with a taste for blood, even though they were more likely to die from an infection caused by scraping a knee on a rock.
Peter Straub’s Ghost Story plays with this idea of spook stories. At its center are four old men – Lewis Benedikt, Sears James, Frederick Hawthorne and John Jaffrey – who have a haunted past; in order to cope with this past, they get together and tell ghost stories to each other. Scaring each other becomes cathartic.
I could go on with the plot, I suppose, but one of the pleasures (or frustrations, depending on your nature) of this book is how you gain understanding gradually, as the story unfolds. For instance, the novel opens with a brief prologue in which a man we do not know has apparently kidnapped a child we do not know. These scenes won’t pay off for many hundreds of pages, and to say anything more ventures into spoiler territory. Besides, the plot is relatively dense, and if I tried to explain it, I’d probably get it wrong anyway.
Suffice it to say, the thing or things that is haunting our four main characters has returned to the small town of Milburn, New York. And it didn’t come for the maple syrup festival.
I’ll leave it to you to discover the rest.
What I appreciated about Ghost Story was that it understood the nature of fear. Fear is that moment when you think something is about to happen; it is that part in a horror movie when the main character is about to open the closet door, and you, the viewer, start to duck your head beneath the blanket. When something finally jumps out of the closet, and the main character starts running, and you scream and spill popcorn, that’s not fear. That is the release of tension.
The reason I always liked the first Friday the 13th film is because it recognized this distinction. The whole movie was people being watched and stalked by something faceless and nameless and left to our imaginations. There is very little running through the woods, which is good, because chase scenes aren’t scary. In the 7,000 sequels that followed, the distinction was lost; the killer was known, was given shape and form, and all that was left was to run.
The most elegant metaphor I can think of to explain this is lovemaking. Please, bear with me. A good ghost story (like Ghost Story) is like that Spanish or Italian lover with the sensitive eyes and velvety voice, the one who drank wine from your navel and has nothing but time to devote to all manner of foreplay. This Spanish or Italian will taunt and tickle and tease and sing you a lilting love-song in Spanish or Italian that you can’t understand before finally bringing you to that place you want to go. A bad ghost story is like a drunk high-school student pawing at you in the backseat of a Honda Civic, concerned only with the end-release.
Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say the “most elegant” metaphor? Because I meant to say crass and vaguely disturbing.
Ghost Story takes its time reaching the climax, and this is a good thing. As long as things are still a bit unclear, as long as you can’t quite see around the next corner, the novel retains tension. I’m not saying it will scare you. It won’t make you scream aloud, for the simple reason that, unlike a movie, you can look away at any time and stop the action. However, there are parts that will give you the creeps; and there will be parts where your eyes will try to cheat by skipping ahead; and there is a chance, if you read this before bed and take a slug of Nyquill, you will have odd nightmares.
What I liked about Ghost Story, other than the fact it was like a Spanish or Italian lover, is that it made a real attempt to stay grounded in reality. Obviously, when you are dealing with ghosts, there is a paranormal or supernatural element involved. The more things tilt towards those elements, the less scared I become, for the simple fact that I can no longer relate to the world being described.
To that end, Peter Straub makes an enormous effort to give his characters backgrounds and back-stories and meaningful traits. He grounds the most fantastical elements by devoting equal time to the human element. I’m not saying that he achieves supreme psychological depth with each person, but he certainly surmounts the confines of his genre (and goes far beyond you might expect in a book titled Ghost Story).
One of my favorite aspects of Ghost Story is its sense of place. Straub spends a lot of time making the hamlet of Milburn into a character. You get to know its layout, its history, its local hangouts, and you meet dozens and dozens of its denizens. Indeed, you meet so many, you might want to keep a list (this will come in handy when attempting to recall who is sleeping with who, and who just died).
Ghost Story is horror with a literary bent. Sure, there are some lines of dialogue that land with all the grace of me dropping War and Peace on my toe. But that’s to be expected. For the most part, the level of the writing defies the primitiveness of its subject. You see this not only in the care taken with the characters (both main and supporting), but with the story’s complex structure, which involves numerous flashbacks and stories-within-stories.
Of course, as with any ghost story, there has to be a “Boo!” moment. At some point, the mysteries start to resolve themselves, the enemy takes shape, and our heroes must find a way to kill it. I’ll admit, my attention started to wane towards the end, once the explanatory dialogue started flying (and there is a lot of explaining to do). Eventually, there is a final battle between good and evil, human and not-human, and it is suitably over-the-top and gory, for those that expect that sort of thing, and when the dust settles all the puzzle pieces come together to form a whole.
It satisfies, I suppose, but is not nearly as interesting as the long, detailed, creepy road that led to that point.
September 27, 2018
"What was 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." That's how Peter Straub's GHOST STORY begins.....
Something's going to happen to the whole town of Milburn, and The Chowder Society members with their spooky stories and premonitions are right in the middle of "it"........
For Ricky Hawthorne, his law partner Sears James and friends Edward Wanderley, Lewis Benedikt and Dr. John Jaffrey, their nightmares all began on the same day, October of 1929....and what happened on that day was the beginning of the evil presence........
Not the scariest book I've ever read, (we all have our own definition of scary) but a darn good GHOST STORY!
September 20, 2022
What was 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...
The opening lines of Peter Straub's magnificent paranormal horror, Ghost Story. Boy does this one start as it means to go on.
The story centres around a group of four elderly gentleman, who meet twice a month as members of the Chowder society. The rules are you dress smartly in dinner attire, you don't drink too much and when it's your turn you have to tell a story of something dreadful. This involves the telling of tales of a terrifying and supernatural nature.
First off, the writing in this one is absolutely top draw. Straub's story telling ability is at the very top end of the horror genre. It's very literary, but never becomes a barrier to the story being told. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
Straub also invests so much time in creating the town of Milburn in which this story is located. He vividly paints the chilling winterland in which our heroes find themselves and breathes life into it. All the goings on and dynamics at play amongst the town's inhabitants are brilliantly described. This creates an absolute sense of realism for the reader, right before the carnage starts. It's very reminiscent of Salem's Lot (my favourite horror novel, no wonder I like it so much).
The protagonists in this one are also fantastically detailed and it so refreshing to get a group of elderly gents as the main charactes, as oppose to a bunch of young whipper snappers. Each one is expertly detailed, and very distinct and endearing. Superb character development.
I've read a few of the reviews that have been critical and the main gripe is it's slow, boring, takes a while to get going. Let's get this straight, this is a slow burn horror novel but not a single word is wasted. As you get to the mid point in the novel you not only understand that the time spent in setting up the narrative is not only relevant, but absolutely essential to what transpires latter. It really is brilliant and bordering on a work of art. But if you don't have the patience and attention span to stick with it, then seriously, it's your loss.
The payoff toward the end of this novel is massive and there's so many memorable scenes. Scenes which are intense, dark and absolutely chilling.
A massive recommendation from me. My top read from 2021 so far. Essential horror reading for fans of the genre and anyone who loves a fantastically written mystery.
October 14, 2021
Loved this book! The setting, the characters, the atmosphere, the small town… some really creepy scenes. All of it just worked for me.
May 16, 2022
I’m very glad to get to this one! 4 stars!
Ghost Story by Peter Straub has been on my to-read-list for at least 20 years. It’s one of those books that I needed to read, especially if you’re a horror genre lover.
It was first published and set during 1979.
At times, this book will feel a bit dated in regards to relationships, conversation and society. I thought it still held up well when reading this in 2021 and I enjoyed going back to this time period.
One of the things that I did not expect when going into Ghost Story was how involved and complex the plot is with the main characters of The Chowder Society.
The Chowder Society is a group of older men who live in Milton, New York during the late 1970s.
They get together to drink whiskey, smoke cigars and tell a ghost story. Each member of the group has secrets and sometimes you wonder if this “ghost story” really isn’t a story after all.
As the book progresses, you get small pieces and clues to the overall plot of why these four men, John Jaffrey, Sears James, Lewis Benedikt and Ricky Hawthorne get together to tell stories.
I enjoyed the complexities of the friendships with the four men and you eventually find out why their companionship is so important to each other.
Is this a book about ghosts? Not really.
It’s hard to describe "what" this book is about because it’s not your typically ghost story.
It has evil and horror elements in the book but if you are looking for a haunted house or poltergeist, you’ll not find it in Ghost Story.
I know that I’m keeping this vague but due to spoilers, it’s best to go into this one not knowing much about what’s evil and why the men of The Chowder Society are haunted.
Last thoughts...
1. Give this book time to put the puzzle pieces together for you and let the story progress!
2. Peter Barnes, this badass young man ended up being my favorite character of them all. If it wasn't for him, this book would have gone in a whole different direction!
3. Great book to read during the winter. All of the snow and cold made me want a blanket and some hot chocolate!
Definitely read this one if you like the horror genre and things that go bump in the night!
Ghost Story by Peter Straub has been on my to-read-list for at least 20 years. It’s one of those books that I needed to read, especially if you’re a horror genre lover.
It was first published and set during 1979.
At times, this book will feel a bit dated in regards to relationships, conversation and society. I thought it still held up well when reading this in 2021 and I enjoyed going back to this time period.
One of the things that I did not expect when going into Ghost Story was how involved and complex the plot is with the main characters of The Chowder Society.
The Chowder Society is a group of older men who live in Milton, New York during the late 1970s.
They get together to drink whiskey, smoke cigars and tell a ghost story. Each member of the group has secrets and sometimes you wonder if this “ghost story” really isn’t a story after all.
As the book progresses, you get small pieces and clues to the overall plot of why these four men, John Jaffrey, Sears James, Lewis Benedikt and Ricky Hawthorne get together to tell stories.
I enjoyed the complexities of the friendships with the four men and you eventually find out why their companionship is so important to each other.
Is this a book about ghosts? Not really.
It’s hard to describe "what" this book is about because it’s not your typically ghost story.
It has evil and horror elements in the book but if you are looking for a haunted house or poltergeist, you’ll not find it in Ghost Story.
I know that I’m keeping this vague but due to spoilers, it’s best to go into this one not knowing much about what’s evil and why the men of The Chowder Society are haunted.
Last thoughts...
1. Give this book time to put the puzzle pieces together for you and let the story progress!
2. Peter Barnes, this badass young man ended up being my favorite character of them all. If it wasn't for him, this book would have gone in a whole different direction!
3. Great book to read during the winter. All of the snow and cold made me want a blanket and some hot chocolate!
Definitely read this one if you like the horror genre and things that go bump in the night!
March 8, 2018
Boredom, thy name is Ghost Story. I would rather de-spider my attic and/or drink straight pickle juice than force myself through one more chapter.
September 26, 2018
This copy of "Ghost Story" is signed by Peter Straub.
September 7, 2022
It's starting. It's starting and we don't even know what it is.
The air grows chilly as October draws to its close, and four old men gather to tell ghost stories while carefully skirting around the one horrifying incident none of them will ever forget.
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.
A woman has come to town, a woman who's been here before, though right now, no one realizes it. She's come to finish what she started, and this time she's brought along a few friends. No one knows it, but she is an evil being who wafts through the centuries, bewitching gullible men with her beauty, before destroying them and those around them, then disappearing in search of fresh prey.
I've read some of the other reviews, and, yes, this one is a rather slow wallow for much of the book. But, in part three, all hell breaks loose. A series of snow storms pile drifts nearly to the eaves, and the plow has trouble keeping up. Food supplies dwindle, and neighbors turn on one another while the demons have their way with others. Residents begin to question their own sanity. Unused jail cells become makeshift morgues for bodies that cannot be buried, causing much consternation for the sheriff:
He looked into their cell between the bars. Their bodies were on the hard floor beneath the cot against the far wall, two still white forms. Nothing wrong there. Wait a second, he thought, trying to remember the day he had put them in the cell. Didn't he put Mrs. Barnes on top of the bunk? He was almost certain . . . he peered in at them. Now wait, just hold it up a minute here, he thought, and even in the cold of the unheated cells, began to sweat. A white-covered little parcel that could only be the Griffen baby---frozen to death in his own bed---lay on the cot. "Now just wait a goddamned second," he said, "that can't be." He'd put the Griffen baby with de Souza, in a cell on the other side of the corridor.
From an end cell, one he knew was empty, came a dry rasping voiceless sound. A chuckle.
(I don't know about you, but my arm hair is standing at attention.)
I first read, and loved, this book in my early twenties. This bit:
The sun went down earlier each evening, and at night Milburn contracted and froze. The houses seemed to draw together; the streets which were spangled by day darkened, seemed to narrow to ox-cart width; the black sky clamped down.
I adored, and distinctly remember trying to emulate in a short story I wrote in college. What a great conjuring of claustrophobia and unease!
I enjoyed the second reading just as much as the first. Straub was a very underrated writer, and I'm guilty of not reading much of his work. Hopefully that can be remedied soon.
If you're looking for a slow, yet spooky read to keep you nervous this October, you could do worse than this tense ghost story.
Chuckle.
The air grows chilly as October draws to its close, and four old men gather to tell ghost stories while carefully skirting around the one horrifying incident none of them will ever forget.
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.
A woman has come to town, a woman who's been here before, though right now, no one realizes it. She's come to finish what she started, and this time she's brought along a few friends. No one knows it, but she is an evil being who wafts through the centuries, bewitching gullible men with her beauty, before destroying them and those around them, then disappearing in search of fresh prey.
I've read some of the other reviews, and, yes, this one is a rather slow wallow for much of the book. But, in part three, all hell breaks loose. A series of snow storms pile drifts nearly to the eaves, and the plow has trouble keeping up. Food supplies dwindle, and neighbors turn on one another while the demons have their way with others. Residents begin to question their own sanity. Unused jail cells become makeshift morgues for bodies that cannot be buried, causing much consternation for the sheriff:
He looked into their cell between the bars. Their bodies were on the hard floor beneath the cot against the far wall, two still white forms. Nothing wrong there. Wait a second, he thought, trying to remember the day he had put them in the cell. Didn't he put Mrs. Barnes on top of the bunk? He was almost certain . . . he peered in at them. Now wait, just hold it up a minute here, he thought, and even in the cold of the unheated cells, began to sweat. A white-covered little parcel that could only be the Griffen baby---frozen to death in his own bed---lay on the cot. "Now just wait a goddamned second," he said, "that can't be." He'd put the Griffen baby with de Souza, in a cell on the other side of the corridor.
From an end cell, one he knew was empty, came a dry rasping voiceless sound. A chuckle.
(I don't know about you, but my arm hair is standing at attention.)
I first read, and loved, this book in my early twenties. This bit:
The sun went down earlier each evening, and at night Milburn contracted and froze. The houses seemed to draw together; the streets which were spangled by day darkened, seemed to narrow to ox-cart width; the black sky clamped down.
I adored, and distinctly remember trying to emulate in a short story I wrote in college. What a great conjuring of claustrophobia and unease!
I enjoyed the second reading just as much as the first. Straub was a very underrated writer, and I'm guilty of not reading much of his work. Hopefully that can be remedied soon.
If you're looking for a slow, yet spooky read to keep you nervous this October, you could do worse than this tense ghost story.
Chuckle.
October 10, 2016
“SF/F/H”, the holy trinity of genre fiction, my neck of the woods for reading. I read a hell of a lot of sci-fi (SF), I read about a couple of fantasy (F) titles a year, but I've been neglecting the horror fiction (H) genre in recent years. The reason is that besides Stephen King I don't tend to hear much about exciting new horror titles. Sci-fi and fantasy books win the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards and I am always aware of the winners. As far as I know the equivalent award for horror fiction is the Stoker Award and somehow people don’t seem to talk about them very much. Anyway, to cut a long story short I miss reading horror fiction and want to get back to it.
Ghost Story is Peter Straub’s best known and most popular book, I remember reading it in my teens when it was on the bestsellers list, I remember liking it but for the life of me cannot remember any of the details. Having just reread it this is not so surprising as this is quite a complex story and the title is somewhat misleading. The book is divided into several parts with a nonlinear timeline. It starts off intriguingly with a 24 pages prologue about a man who has kidnapped a strange little girl, but the kidnapper is more afraid of the kidnappee than the other way around. The girl seems to take it all in stride and may, in fact, not be a girl at all. After this prologue the story goes back to a few years earlier where a group of for elderly gentlemen meet on a regular basis to share ghost stories which may or may not be true. They call themselves “The Chowder Society”, apparently there is some kind of therapeutic value for them in telling these stories; there has been an undertone of fear in this little club since one of their members died under mysterious circumstances at a party while in the company of an actress who disappeared.
The next part of the book tells the story of Donald Wanderley, the child kidnapper from the prologue. He is a nephew of the dead club member of the Chowder Society and an author of a horror novel.
After publication of his book he took a temporary job teaching at Berkeley, there he meets and falls madly in love with a mysterious beautiful girl. They get on famously, make wedding plans and one day she just disappears; next thing he knows she meets his brother David in another town, they fall in love and soon David dies under mysterious circumstances. The girl disappears again.
Ghost Story is not a whodunit, but it is not really about ghosts (though a few do show up). The story is quite a complex but not at all hard to follow. A creepy atmosphere pervades the entire book and the reader what is going on with the disappearing girls and the dead people they leave behind. It is meticulously written by Straub. The supernatural element often has a hallucinogenic feel to it and the climax is quite rousing. The characters are well drawn but not particularly memorable. I find that Straub’s storytelling is not as taut as it could be and the pacing drags a little in the earlier parts of the book; too many scenes of the old gents pottering around grumbling. His brand of horror is subtle and often psychological, there is very little in the gore department.
If you are looking for an elegantly written, unusual and complex horror story this is for you, but how many people are looking for such a thing?
If you are reading this in October this would be a great Haloween read.
Ghost Story is Peter Straub’s best known and most popular book, I remember reading it in my teens when it was on the bestsellers list, I remember liking it but for the life of me cannot remember any of the details. Having just reread it this is not so surprising as this is quite a complex story and the title is somewhat misleading. The book is divided into several parts with a nonlinear timeline. It starts off intriguingly with a 24 pages prologue about a man who has kidnapped a strange little girl, but the kidnapper is more afraid of the kidnappee than the other way around. The girl seems to take it all in stride and may, in fact, not be a girl at all. After this prologue the story goes back to a few years earlier where a group of for elderly gentlemen meet on a regular basis to share ghost stories which may or may not be true. They call themselves “The Chowder Society”, apparently there is some kind of therapeutic value for them in telling these stories; there has been an undertone of fear in this little club since one of their members died under mysterious circumstances at a party while in the company of an actress who disappeared.
The next part of the book tells the story of Donald Wanderley, the child kidnapper from the prologue. He is a nephew of the dead club member of the Chowder Society and an author of a horror novel.
After publication of his book he took a temporary job teaching at Berkeley, there he meets and falls madly in love with a mysterious beautiful girl. They get on famously, make wedding plans and one day she just disappears; next thing he knows she meets his brother David in another town, they fall in love and soon David dies under mysterious circumstances. The girl disappears again.
Ghost Story is not a whodunit, but it is not really about ghosts (though a few do show up). The story is quite a complex but not at all hard to follow. A creepy atmosphere pervades the entire book and the reader what is going on with the disappearing girls and the dead people they leave behind. It is meticulously written by Straub. The supernatural element often has a hallucinogenic feel to it and the climax is quite rousing. The characters are well drawn but not particularly memorable. I find that Straub’s storytelling is not as taut as it could be and the pacing drags a little in the earlier parts of the book; too many scenes of the old gents pottering around grumbling. His brand of horror is subtle and often psychological, there is very little in the gore department.
If you are looking for an elegantly written, unusual and complex horror story this is for you, but how many people are looking for such a thing?
If you are reading this in October this would be a great Haloween read.
January 15, 2019
I originally read this book back in my early 20’s, back before I obsessively reviewed everything I read, and the only thing I could remember about it was an intense feeling of boredom. I later tried to read Mystery and Julia thinking it was me and not the writing. But I couldn’t get through either of those without wishing they’d end with every page I struggled through. At that point, I put Peter Straub down for good. Or so I thought. Back in December, I decided to use my Audible credit on Ghost Story to torture myself, it turns out. Also, my book buddies were reading it and talked me into joining them but truly I only have myself to blame for thinking I’d matured enough to enjoy it now. Haha. Jokes on me! It was just as boring the second time around. Maybe even moreso . . .
It was just as tedious as I’d remembered. It was so plodding, so slow to me, that I hadn’t realized I had sleep-read the last third. I had to rewind the entire seven hours of this audio because I was left so confused at the ending (who were these people and what the hell was going on?!). SEVEN HOURS. I want them all back and the previous seven too, ffs! What is the matter with me? At any rate, once I forced myself to listen again, this time with all of my faulty listening skills, the book made a lot more sense to me but it was still not very interesting. I tried, damn how I tried, but apparently not all books are made for every reader. Someday I will learn this about myself.
This book is not really a ghost story in the traditional sense. It’s about a group of elderly fellows who call themselves “The Chowder Society”. They spend nights sharing “ghost stories” with each other, smoking cigars, drinking spirits and keeping secrets as old fellows do, I suppose. I don’t really know as I’m not an old fellow. The old friends who tell the tale are most definitely haunted but they are haunted more by something that happened in their youth. Something they cannot escape, mwahaha. I don’t want to give the thing away so that’s all I’m saying about that. When the book begins one of the old fellows in the club has died and this stirs up a series of events and endless pages of tangents and memories in which the reader gets dragged along until the conclusion eventually happens. It’s easy to get lost and confused in this story so do yourself a favor and either DNF it or pay very close attention. Don’t be like me.
I found some of the stories interesting and there are some disturbing and pervy bits that I found rather comical but the book just went on and on and I felt like I had been reading/listening to it for my entire life. Eventually it did come to an end though and for that I am grateful. My two friends enjoyed this book very much while all I did was complain about the old coots, their roving eyes and their cheating ways and bitch about how confused I was about the time jumps and the plethora of unnecessary characters popping in and out of the story. This may be the last time I’m invited to a buddy read again, lol. So what I’m getting at here is don’t go by my opinion because my taste is atrocious. Also, don’t sleep read your way through this because it will not make any kind of sense.
Now I will leave you with my favorite quote courtesy of one of the many side characters whose name I have long since forgotten.
“There’s no teaching without beating.”
It was just as tedious as I’d remembered. It was so plodding, so slow to me, that I hadn’t realized I had sleep-read the last third. I had to rewind the entire seven hours of this audio because I was left so confused at the ending (who were these people and what the hell was going on?!). SEVEN HOURS. I want them all back and the previous seven too, ffs! What is the matter with me? At any rate, once I forced myself to listen again, this time with all of my faulty listening skills, the book made a lot more sense to me but it was still not very interesting. I tried, damn how I tried, but apparently not all books are made for every reader. Someday I will learn this about myself.
This book is not really a ghost story in the traditional sense. It’s about a group of elderly fellows who call themselves “The Chowder Society”. They spend nights sharing “ghost stories” with each other, smoking cigars, drinking spirits and keeping secrets as old fellows do, I suppose. I don’t really know as I’m not an old fellow. The old friends who tell the tale are most definitely haunted but they are haunted more by something that happened in their youth. Something they cannot escape, mwahaha. I don’t want to give the thing away so that’s all I’m saying about that. When the book begins one of the old fellows in the club has died and this stirs up a series of events and endless pages of tangents and memories in which the reader gets dragged along until the conclusion eventually happens. It’s easy to get lost and confused in this story so do yourself a favor and either DNF it or pay very close attention. Don’t be like me.
I found some of the stories interesting and there are some disturbing and pervy bits that I found rather comical but the book just went on and on and I felt like I had been reading/listening to it for my entire life. Eventually it did come to an end though and for that I am grateful. My two friends enjoyed this book very much while all I did was complain about the old coots, their roving eyes and their cheating ways and bitch about how confused I was about the time jumps and the plethora of unnecessary characters popping in and out of the story. This may be the last time I’m invited to a buddy read again, lol. So what I’m getting at here is don’t go by my opinion because my taste is atrocious. Also, don’t sleep read your way through this because it will not make any kind of sense.
Now I will leave you with my favorite quote courtesy of one of the many side characters whose name I have long since forgotten.
“There’s no teaching without beating.”
October 11, 2015
Not a Straub fan, but this is a good book. One of the better "ghost stories" out there (in spite of the fact that it's not exactly a story about a ghost per-se).
This is actually one of the "scariest" books I've read so far as atmosphere and actual emotional scare goes.
The villains of the piece are while not exactly "new" used in a different way than you'll see elsewhere. It might be said that the book rests on the simple idea that one reaps what one sows...though that is a huge over simplification and doesn't give any inkling as to the amount of sleep you may lose...or how much your electric bill may go up from leaving the lights on all night.
One caveat, don't be put off by the opening scenes in this book (some would be and some wouldn't). They could lead one to believe it's a totally different kind of book than it is... I myself almost put it down getting the wrong impression from the way it opened.
If you like horror, I'd say try it. This is a genuinely scary book.
*UPDATE*
I just re-read this and thought I'd say a bit more about it. The general idea behind this book is one that has been dealt with by many writers (King among others, I mention him as he's worked with Straub).
Here the protagonists are not really, "bad guys" but people who are human, people who have pasts. In the case of The Chowder Society a very BIG past. The thing is that they like other humans who have come in contact with
I read this a long time ago and remembered I liked it. What I didn't recall was how well the book does what it does. It's a long book and told from multiple points of view (even changing from third person to first person) yet never flags, never drops the interest. After I read this book I went right out and grabbed another Straub book...it just didn't grab me like this one did (in spite of the fact it won an award and other readers do love it). This book made my "favorites" and I wanted to take a few seconds to recommend it...again. Probably more I could say but why? Just read the book and cut out the middleman. Enjoy.
This is actually one of the "scariest" books I've read so far as atmosphere and actual emotional scare goes.
The villains of the piece are while not exactly "new" used in a different way than you'll see elsewhere. It might be said that the book rests on the simple idea that one reaps what one sows...though that is a huge over simplification and doesn't give any inkling as to the amount of sleep you may lose...or how much your electric bill may go up from leaving the lights on all night.
One caveat, don't be put off by the opening scenes in this book (some would be and some wouldn't). They could lead one to believe it's a totally different kind of book than it is... I myself almost put it down getting the wrong impression from the way it opened.
If you like horror, I'd say try it. This is a genuinely scary book.
*UPDATE*
I just re-read this and thought I'd say a bit more about it. The general idea behind this book is one that has been dealt with by many writers (King among others, I mention him as he's worked with Straub).
Here the protagonists are not really, "bad guys" but people who are human, people who have pasts. In the case of The Chowder Society a very BIG past. The thing is that they like other humans who have come in contact with
I read this a long time ago and remembered I liked it. What I didn't recall was how well the book does what it does. It's a long book and told from multiple points of view (even changing from third person to first person) yet never flags, never drops the interest. After I read this book I went right out and grabbed another Straub book...it just didn't grab me like this one did (in spite of the fact it won an award and other readers do love it). This book made my "favorites" and I wanted to take a few seconds to recommend it...again. Probably more I could say but why? Just read the book and cut out the middleman. Enjoy.
October 10, 2018
Un sentito omaggio ai classici racconti gotici dell'orrore ed una originale rivisitazione delle storie di fantasmi, vampiri e lupi mannari: non a caso due dei protagonisti fanno di cognome Hawtorne e James ed il racconto di Sears James all'inizio è in pratica un rifacimento de Il giro di vite (The Turn of the Screw) di Henry James.
Dopo un prologo agghiacciante il ritmo del racconto cala vertiginosamente e sembra che l'autore proceda a vista, aggiungendo troppa carne al fuoco senza sapere come connettere il tutto, ma man mano che la piccola cittadina di Milburn inizia a ricoprirsi di neve, tensione e terrore aumentano sempre più, Straub collega perfettamente tutti i tasselli in maniera brillante, ed il finale è davvero memorabile.
Un gran bel racconto d'atmosfera che mi ha fatto venire voglia di vedere il film del 1981 che ha ispirato.
October 12, 2017
Although GRs marks this as my second read, it's actually my third. (I read this one as a teenager for the first time). One of Straub's best books, imho. Still, this is not one that promises instant gratification, or perfect closure. It's a multi-layerd novel, that leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader. Personally, I enjoy a bit of ambiguity in my horror--often what one can imagine is even more terrifying that what is put down on paper.
A "classic" read in every sense of the word.
Recommended to fans of horror, everywhere!
A "classic" read in every sense of the word.
Recommended to fans of horror, everywhere!
October 29, 2011
A Classic horror story. I haven't read this book in many years and had forgotten a lot of it. I am glad I pulled it out again. They just don't write many like this one anymore.
June 26, 2021
Fantastic book if you like to be scared. Straub is a master of this genre. I love this book and enjoyed the film starring Alice Cridge, Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.🐯👍
December 28, 2018
”What was 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...”
And by those words The Chowder Society, a group of five diverse, old friends, changes its weekly meetings from the commonplace, which could be called fun, to dark and somber. After all, one of them has died, nearly one year to the day, with a facial expression frozen in terror. They are four now. Closer? Yes, possibly. But they are shaken. Nightmares have replaced their dreams. What haunts their sleep feels far too real. It's time to talk about the memory fifty years past. A memory that's more than somber - pushed down, buried deep, so as to remain there forever.
I remembered the movie, and heard the book was different. That's true. I was a little shit, and I got my pants scared off me watching that movie. And that's about all I remember. Don't go out rent the film now. I'm guessing it's dated, and maybe not so scary at all. The book is dated too, sort of. What's cool is how the book delves further into the characters lives, including that of Eva Galli/Anna Mostyn (our ghost). By the way, Straub likes the use of multiple characters, and therefore multiple viewpoints. Not saying that's the only way he writes, but it is here. You don't get very close to any one character, before jumping to another. The story is good, so I hardly noticed that until the end when I realized I knew Don Wanderley better than Ricky. As far as scaring my pants off now? Parts of it yes, but pants still on. Maybe I'm a little callused after reading so many scary books over the years, but I also don't think this one is written in a way to do so. It has it's moments of terror. Plenty of bodies pile up. The town of Milburn takes a real beating. And you know, I think the older characters thought about sex more often than the high-schoolers. Got to say though, it's not exactly a ghost story. I can't explain further without ruining it, so I won't. All-in-all, although not close to being my favorite horror novel, this would probably be my favorite solo Straub novel . Squeaking by with 4 stars.
PS. While reading, I got a much clearer picture of who wrote certain portions of Black House.
February 21, 2015
Ghost Story was a ground-breaking classic written in 1979 that set the bar a mile high for any paranormal tale to come after it. Straub's story isn't a quick read. It's a slow burn through multiple layers that weave in and out of the story. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. On the contrary, I loved the eerie atmosphere he created along with such detailed characters that weren't flat and one-dimensional. I've read a few negative reviews on here and the common theme is that it was too much or they found it boring. I feel bad for these people that they have no patience and that their short attention spans won't let such a wonderful tale slowly unfold before their very eyes. For those of you that don't want fast food horror and enjoy savoring a creepy atmospheric tale, look no further.
When I say that this story is layered, I mean thick, rich multiple layers. It's set in the small, idyllic town of Milburn in rural New York. In 1979, there is no mention of chain stores or houses that all look alike in Milburn. These are mom and pop run places and every home is as unique as the residents that live in them. A group of older gentlemen that call themselves the Chowder Society meet at a different member's home every month. The rules are that they wear evening clothes, don't drink too much, and rotate through the members on who was going to tell a story for that evening. The meeting following the peculiar death of one of their members, to break the tension, a member asked "What's the worst thing you've ever done?" To which he replied, "I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing." And so the ritual of telling ghost stories began. Unfortunately, this also brought on the nightmares that would plague the members. You see, fifty years ago they were part of a terrible accident and a young girl died and now she wants her revenge.
Straub creates such a realistic setting in Milburn that you'd swear he was from NY. Oddly enough, he grew up in Wisconsin. The atmosphere and character development is what makes Ghost Story so effective. The bitter cold of the winter blizzard. The isolationism of being cut off from one another. The eerie dread that permeates through the story as you try to decipher what is real and what is imagination. So kick back in your recliner. Have a drink by your side and let Straub chill you to the bones with this tale.
5 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
When I say that this story is layered, I mean thick, rich multiple layers. It's set in the small, idyllic town of Milburn in rural New York. In 1979, there is no mention of chain stores or houses that all look alike in Milburn. These are mom and pop run places and every home is as unique as the residents that live in them. A group of older gentlemen that call themselves the Chowder Society meet at a different member's home every month. The rules are that they wear evening clothes, don't drink too much, and rotate through the members on who was going to tell a story for that evening. The meeting following the peculiar death of one of their members, to break the tension, a member asked "What's the worst thing you've ever done?" To which he replied, "I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing." And so the ritual of telling ghost stories began. Unfortunately, this also brought on the nightmares that would plague the members. You see, fifty years ago they were part of a terrible accident and a young girl died and now she wants her revenge.
Straub creates such a realistic setting in Milburn that you'd swear he was from NY. Oddly enough, he grew up in Wisconsin. The atmosphere and character development is what makes Ghost Story so effective. The bitter cold of the winter blizzard. The isolationism of being cut off from one another. The eerie dread that permeates through the story as you try to decipher what is real and what is imagination. So kick back in your recliner. Have a drink by your side and let Straub chill you to the bones with this tale.
5 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
March 6, 2024
I first read this in 1982, after watching the Fred Astaire movie. The novel is a wordy, slow, creep that makes the movie appear like a fast-paced, summer blockbuster. However, the reason I read the novel was because I very much enjoyed the horror movie. Sometimes, when the horror is done right, a slow crawl seems like a really well-paced storytelling device.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, the story unfolds naturally, unceremoniously dropping you into it from the very beginning. The wrap-around story is about a man who has abducted a child but is unsure what he intends to do with this child.
There are four gentlemen on the other side of sixty, who have a sort of male-oriented, informal, social club, inelegantly and euphemistically called The Chowder Society. They are doddering men who share secrets buried in the past, the way people on the other side of middle-age all seem to have. (When you get there, I'm sure you will understand.)
There is death, shared between the friends, ghosts of the past which binds the relationships tighter, almost to the point of suffocation. However, everyone who has been fortunate enough to live passed fifty must come to terms with the fact that the past is not always content to stay in the past. And the Chowder Society has secrets that are content to rest for a while, but only with the intention of returning at a later time.
Living life accrues ghosts to haunt you as you age. And in nothing I have ever read has that truth ever been made more evident. I really loved this book. I have read other Straub books, like Julia and If You Could See Me Now and neither of those captured me like this book, but that was a long time ago and maybe they were waiting for me to be older to get them like I got this book. For me, this is a high recommend. Check it out, if it seems like something you might get into.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, the story unfolds naturally, unceremoniously dropping you into it from the very beginning. The wrap-around story is about a man who has abducted a child but is unsure what he intends to do with this child.
There are four gentlemen on the other side of sixty, who have a sort of male-oriented, informal, social club, inelegantly and euphemistically called The Chowder Society. They are doddering men who share secrets buried in the past, the way people on the other side of middle-age all seem to have. (When you get there, I'm sure you will understand.)
There is death, shared between the friends, ghosts of the past which binds the relationships tighter, almost to the point of suffocation. However, everyone who has been fortunate enough to live passed fifty must come to terms with the fact that the past is not always content to stay in the past. And the Chowder Society has secrets that are content to rest for a while, but only with the intention of returning at a later time.
Living life accrues ghosts to haunt you as you age. And in nothing I have ever read has that truth ever been made more evident. I really loved this book. I have read other Straub books, like Julia and If You Could See Me Now and neither of those captured me like this book, but that was a long time ago and maybe they were waiting for me to be older to get them like I got this book. For me, this is a high recommend. Check it out, if it seems like something you might get into.
September 24, 2021
A Heartbreak Hipster Review
I hate it when this happens. You have a great writer. You have what is allegedly his magnum opus. You have a decent movie adaptation, which, though flawed, boasts a storyline original and creepy.
Having read his later thriller Koko, I'd had very high hopes with Ghost Story. But it all became apparent fairly quickly this supposed masterpiece - Stephen King calls it one of the greatest horror novels of the century or some nonsense - was really nothing more than an over-the-top, overlong and overrated mess.
Peter Straub's success and career has been overall quite muted. He has written several books, but only Ghost Story seems to have found a wider audience. Most readers probably know him as the fat bastard who celebrated with Mr King on The Talisman and Black House . However, this novel has enjoyed a long-standing place in what both critics and general readers deem the highest rank in horror fiction. It is fair to say this novel paved the road for his excellent follow-up Koko, and so while I almost certainly didn't love this - didn't even enjoy it for the most part - I'd still admit I respect it as decent fiction. And so I'll not be immature and rude, but hopefully clear, as to why I didn't like this as much as I felt I should have.
Firstly - and this is something that plagued 'Koko' too - Straub has a very slow way of unravelling the story. Now please understand that I have a complete respect for that. I admire and appreciate those authors like King, Blatty and Crichton that, unlike less talented writers like Brown and Child (who're all action and no build-up), are comfortable with setting the cards out leisurely, providing us instead with some surprisingly interesting and well-developed characters. Straub is actually very clever in the way he fleshes out his characters, doing so to the point where they actually feel like real genuine people.
I didn't like them as much as I think he wanted me to.
Ricky Hawthorne is fine - nothing unlikeable about that man - but that basically sums him up, I think. He's simply "the normal guy" and the only thing that really helped me to relate to him was that I also had a bastard of a cold while reading the book. On that level I related to Ricky very deeply - I could feel that scratchy throat, that nose that felt more blocked than the L.A. overpass at three in the afternoon . But otherwise ...
Sears James is a little better. But he still amounts to little more than the impatient and irritable leader of the pack. Kind of like the elderly Badger in The Wind in the Willows.
Lewis Benedict was easily the most interesting. But he was also a womaniser, fucking different women on and off every week. He also sleeps with his Ricky's wife occasionally. Real top guy.
And finally, Don Wanderley and Peter Barnes could just as well have been Ben Mears and Mark Petrie from Salem's Lot.
I also couldn't stand Stella Hawthorne. I really thought she was a bitch and she did not deserve the reader's affection just because she suddenly decides to stop messing around with other penises and turns full cunt-mode on her current fuckboy as if her disloyalty was all his fault.
Koko was very slow-moving, but that had soul man!! That had soul!!!
This felt just as dead and cold as the dreary Milburn town in which it was set. Even when the story becomes more suspenseful - scenes such as Peter and Jim sneaking into Eva Galli's house - the pace is just way too drawn-out, resulting in the simple trespassing of a house being stretched into three damned chapters. But let's put the infuriating slowness aside. Let's talk about what ruins this book even more. Frankly, it's the fact that when all the long-winded build-ups finally do pay off, they all do the equivalent of a mentally-unstable cashier throwing hundreds and hundreds of notes at you, crying "You want this? Take it! Take it all!!" when all you asked was to break a fiver.
Similar to Stephen Nutcase when he missteps (fucking, just take an objective look at the second half of The Shining), Straub astonished me by straying so far from the taut, realistic horrors of Koko into this ludicrous realm of time-defying shapeshifters - (not even ghosts, you ... ) that are granted the ability to reincarnate more times than I Want You to Want Me.
Don't you even think about it douchebags ...
The fact that this novel's monsters weren't even ghosts - like the title suggests - was irritating. The fact that they come across so silly and un-intimidating is quite a bit more offensive. Not in the I'm triggered kind of way; rather in the You have stolen my childhood, entire eco-systems are dying, HOW DARE YOU!!! sense of the word.
With the exception of a few creepy moments - Sears's recount of his time as a young teacher being the most noteworthy - I never felt even slightly unnerved by what was happening in the book. The one time I actually (literally) screamed in pure fright was when I was reading it in the bath. See I was in Morocco battling food poisoning, lying naked in the warm, steamy tub when suddenly the shower poll fell from its fixture, clanged on the tiles with the curtain trailing after, and nearly gave me a heart attack.
Otherwise, the book wasn't scary at all. You can only assume America's favourite Trump-basher was still coked out of his asshole when he said this was the scariest novel ever written. And, I mean, much as I love Stephen for his better works, he cannot be said to have the greatest taste in the world. I mean, he thought Mick Garris of all people could outdo one of the (actually) greatest horrors of all time, Kubrick's superior adaptation of The Shining. (Second time I've taken a dig at the book in the same review. What can I say? As a fan if King, I will never agree with his greater fanbase there).
For "slow children" indeed ...
Maybe The Exorcist is the greatest horror novel ever written. Maybe Dracula. Maybe even It if you're still afraid of cartoonish monsters. But not Ghost Story for God's sake. And before I round this off, there is still one some similarities.
Were I, though, to take these "things" as ghosts, then I still have nothing but criticism for how ineptly they were handled. I prefer ghosts to be more like those in The Sixth Sense or The Changeling, or What Lies Beneath. Ghosts that are limited by their ethereal status; ghosts that perhaps are not even aware they are dead, are just spurred by an unexplainable need to wreak vengeance for whatever deed has thrown them into the inconsolable confusion of death.
But these assholes know exactly what they are. And they are so confident with themselves they often choose to mock and tease their targets even though they fail almost every time they finally try to be effective. It's like, imagine if every James Bond villain came back as a ghost. You're supposed to be scaring me, sneaking up on me at the mirror and writing shit in blood. I don't give a damn about your knowledge for fine wines.
Some Goodreads people have said this book carries similar traits to the likes of Stephen King. I couldn't agree with them more. This book sucks in all the ways that Salem's Lot, The Shining and Carrie sucked ... only, unlike those far superior novels, this one doesn't really have any redeeming features at all.
On the whole, I can't say this is a terrible book. I had just been expecting so much more, given its exceeding reputation and the fact that Straub is a great writer, I can't help being more unforgiving than usual. It could have been awesome. Somehow, most people still think it is. I just have to say that I am not one of them, and my liking for Peter Straub has sadly diminished somewhat.
I will be sending him an apology letter - and a month's free gym membership - in the morning.
P.S. "Hello from 2019! Having just taken the time to re-edit this review since it actually gets way more likes than my others, I have slightly modernised the, like, one or two cultural references since the original post in 2013. Also, while I haven't read this again and have little interest in ever doing so, I did revisit Koko. Didn't like it as much as the first time. However, Lost Boy Lost Girl is, as a horror novel, a significant improvement on Straub's part. You want a good horror by this guy, I whole-heartedly recommend that".
I hate it when this happens. You have a great writer. You have what is allegedly his magnum opus. You have a decent movie adaptation, which, though flawed, boasts a storyline original and creepy.
Having read his later thriller Koko, I'd had very high hopes with Ghost Story. But it all became apparent fairly quickly this supposed masterpiece - Stephen King calls it one of the greatest horror novels of the century or some nonsense - was really nothing more than an over-the-top, overlong and overrated mess.
Peter Straub's success and career has been overall quite muted. He has written several books, but only Ghost Story seems to have found a wider audience. Most readers probably know him as the fat bastard who celebrated with Mr King on The Talisman and Black House . However, this novel has enjoyed a long-standing place in what both critics and general readers deem the highest rank in horror fiction. It is fair to say this novel paved the road for his excellent follow-up Koko, and so while I almost certainly didn't love this - didn't even enjoy it for the most part - I'd still admit I respect it as decent fiction. And so I'll not be immature and rude, but hopefully clear, as to why I didn't like this as much as I felt I should have.
Firstly - and this is something that plagued 'Koko' too - Straub has a very slow way of unravelling the story. Now please understand that I have a complete respect for that. I admire and appreciate those authors like King, Blatty and Crichton that, unlike less talented writers like Brown and Child (who're all action and no build-up), are comfortable with setting the cards out leisurely, providing us instead with some surprisingly interesting and well-developed characters. Straub is actually very clever in the way he fleshes out his characters, doing so to the point where they actually feel like real genuine people.
I didn't like them as much as I think he wanted me to.
Ricky Hawthorne is fine - nothing unlikeable about that man - but that basically sums him up, I think. He's simply "the normal guy" and the only thing that really helped me to relate to him was that I also had a bastard of a cold while reading the book. On that level I related to Ricky very deeply - I could feel that scratchy throat, that nose that felt more blocked than the L.A. overpass at three in the afternoon . But otherwise ...
Sears James is a little better. But he still amounts to little more than the impatient and irritable leader of the pack. Kind of like the elderly Badger in The Wind in the Willows.
Lewis Benedict was easily the most interesting. But he was also a womaniser, fucking different women on and off every week. He also sleeps with his Ricky's wife occasionally. Real top guy.
And finally, Don Wanderley and Peter Barnes could just as well have been Ben Mears and Mark Petrie from Salem's Lot.
I also couldn't stand Stella Hawthorne. I really thought she was a bitch and she did not deserve the reader's affection just because she suddenly decides to stop messing around with other penises and turns full cunt-mode on her current fuckboy as if her disloyalty was all his fault.
Koko was very slow-moving, but that had soul man!! That had soul!!!
This felt just as dead and cold as the dreary Milburn town in which it was set. Even when the story becomes more suspenseful - scenes such as Peter and Jim sneaking into Eva Galli's house - the pace is just way too drawn-out, resulting in the simple trespassing of a house being stretched into three damned chapters. But let's put the infuriating slowness aside. Let's talk about what ruins this book even more. Frankly, it's the fact that when all the long-winded build-ups finally do pay off, they all do the equivalent of a mentally-unstable cashier throwing hundreds and hundreds of notes at you, crying "You want this? Take it! Take it all!!" when all you asked was to break a fiver.
Similar to Stephen Nutcase when he missteps (fucking, just take an objective look at the second half of The Shining), Straub astonished me by straying so far from the taut, realistic horrors of Koko into this ludicrous realm of time-defying shapeshifters - (not even ghosts, you ... ) that are granted the ability to reincarnate more times than I Want You to Want Me.
Don't you even think about it douchebags ...
The fact that this novel's monsters weren't even ghosts - like the title suggests - was irritating. The fact that they come across so silly and un-intimidating is quite a bit more offensive. Not in the I'm triggered kind of way; rather in the You have stolen my childhood, entire eco-systems are dying, HOW DARE YOU!!! sense of the word.
With the exception of a few creepy moments - Sears's recount of his time as a young teacher being the most noteworthy - I never felt even slightly unnerved by what was happening in the book. The one time I actually (literally) screamed in pure fright was when I was reading it in the bath. See I was in Morocco battling food poisoning, lying naked in the warm, steamy tub when suddenly the shower poll fell from its fixture, clanged on the tiles with the curtain trailing after, and nearly gave me a heart attack.
Otherwise, the book wasn't scary at all. You can only assume America's favourite Trump-basher was still coked out of his asshole when he said this was the scariest novel ever written. And, I mean, much as I love Stephen for his better works, he cannot be said to have the greatest taste in the world. I mean, he thought Mick Garris of all people could outdo one of the (actually) greatest horrors of all time, Kubrick's superior adaptation of The Shining. (Second time I've taken a dig at the book in the same review. What can I say? As a fan if King, I will never agree with his greater fanbase there).
For "slow children" indeed ...
Maybe The Exorcist is the greatest horror novel ever written. Maybe Dracula. Maybe even It if you're still afraid of cartoonish monsters. But not Ghost Story for God's sake. And before I round this off, there is still one some similarities.
Were I, though, to take these "things" as ghosts, then I still have nothing but criticism for how ineptly they were handled. I prefer ghosts to be more like those in The Sixth Sense or The Changeling, or What Lies Beneath. Ghosts that are limited by their ethereal status; ghosts that perhaps are not even aware they are dead, are just spurred by an unexplainable need to wreak vengeance for whatever deed has thrown them into the inconsolable confusion of death.
But these assholes know exactly what they are. And they are so confident with themselves they often choose to mock and tease their targets even though they fail almost every time they finally try to be effective. It's like, imagine if every James Bond villain came back as a ghost. You're supposed to be scaring me, sneaking up on me at the mirror and writing shit in blood. I don't give a damn about your knowledge for fine wines.
Some Goodreads people have said this book carries similar traits to the likes of Stephen King. I couldn't agree with them more. This book sucks in all the ways that Salem's Lot, The Shining and Carrie sucked ... only, unlike those far superior novels, this one doesn't really have any redeeming features at all.
On the whole, I can't say this is a terrible book. I had just been expecting so much more, given its exceeding reputation and the fact that Straub is a great writer, I can't help being more unforgiving than usual. It could have been awesome. Somehow, most people still think it is. I just have to say that I am not one of them, and my liking for Peter Straub has sadly diminished somewhat.
I will be sending him an apology letter - and a month's free gym membership - in the morning.
P.S. "Hello from 2019! Having just taken the time to re-edit this review since it actually gets way more likes than my others, I have slightly modernised the, like, one or two cultural references since the original post in 2013. Also, while I haven't read this again and have little interest in ever doing so, I did revisit Koko. Didn't like it as much as the first time. However, Lost Boy Lost Girl is, as a horror novel, a significant improvement on Straub's part. You want a good horror by this guy, I whole-heartedly recommend that".
February 28, 2009
If I'd known how good this book was when it came out in 1979, I wouldn't have waited 30 years to read it! But some of the descriptions of the premise that I'd read were somewhat misleading as to what's really going on in the book (and that comment applies to the above description as well), and its bestseller status prejudiced me against it. (It's true that sales tend to measure hype, not quality --but sometimes, as here, the hype is amply justified. :-)
Ghost Story both draws from, and significantly contributes to, the classic horrific strand of the supernatural fiction genre. In its premise and its depiction of supernatural entities, it's original, even groundbreaking; but it also stands within the great tradition in its solid, accessible literary craftsmanship and its fundamentally moral orientation --a consciousness of the difference between good and evil, and the basic nature of the difference. The malevolent supernatural entities here are not demons in the Biblical sense (and the book makes little reference to the Christian tradition at all, though it isn't incompatible with it, IMO); but like demons, their principal weapon is temptation and deceit, and the principal weapon against them is an ability --which not all people have the wisdom and moral strength to do-- to resist and see through that. (And, as in the dark science fiction of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos or in Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan," a face-to-face encounter with the reality of these entities can drive naive people, whose rosy view of the world has never imagined the possibility of ultimate evil, into suicidal madness; but Straub doesn't succumb to the existential pessimism of Lovecraft and Machen.)
The pacing here is excellent, Straub's prose is perfectly adapted to his subject matter, and his characterizations are superb. (Three of the important characters are elderly men and another is the wife of one of these; but Don Wanderley, who is arguably the main character, is a younger man, another major character is a teen, and a wide range of ages and social classes are represented in the well-drawn cast.) Straub brings his small-town upstate New York setting --especially the suffocating, claustrophobic cold of the area's winter blizzards--to such vivid life that I thought he might be a New York native (actually he hails from Wisconsin.) My only real criticism is that the prologue is off-putting at first, and its connection to the body of the story not immediately apparent. But the reader begins to see and understand the connection as the story unfolds, and then the prologue contributes to the novel's suspense, which absolutely crackles toward the end! (I read mostly while exercising on a stationary bike, and time my sessions with an oven timer; but for much of the book, it was all I could do to quit when the timer sounded --and if my self-control, as measured on one personality test I took in a grad school class, didn't literally go off the chart, I probably couldn't have!) Another caveat is that the book practically cries out for a sequel (not to provide any spoilers :-)), but Straub didn't write one.
There is some bad language here, including three f-words (in 483 pages) and a certain amount of non-explicit illicit sex goes on; but the two characters who use the worst language are people no sane reader would feel any remote temptation to imitate in any respect, and Straub doesn't portray sexual sin as attractive --actually, more the reverse. Readers who don't want scary reads or are bothered by a lot of violence should be warned, though, that the fear quotient here is quite high, and so is the body count; and a good deal of the violence, in itself, is grisly, though (to his credit) Straub's descriptions are usually restrained rather than graphic, and don't stress the gore.
Ghost Story both draws from, and significantly contributes to, the classic horrific strand of the supernatural fiction genre. In its premise and its depiction of supernatural entities, it's original, even groundbreaking; but it also stands within the great tradition in its solid, accessible literary craftsmanship and its fundamentally moral orientation --a consciousness of the difference between good and evil, and the basic nature of the difference. The malevolent supernatural entities here are not demons in the Biblical sense (and the book makes little reference to the Christian tradition at all, though it isn't incompatible with it, IMO); but like demons, their principal weapon is temptation and deceit, and the principal weapon against them is an ability --which not all people have the wisdom and moral strength to do-- to resist and see through that. (And, as in the dark science fiction of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos or in Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan," a face-to-face encounter with the reality of these entities can drive naive people, whose rosy view of the world has never imagined the possibility of ultimate evil, into suicidal madness; but Straub doesn't succumb to the existential pessimism of Lovecraft and Machen.)
The pacing here is excellent, Straub's prose is perfectly adapted to his subject matter, and his characterizations are superb. (Three of the important characters are elderly men and another is the wife of one of these; but Don Wanderley, who is arguably the main character, is a younger man, another major character is a teen, and a wide range of ages and social classes are represented in the well-drawn cast.) Straub brings his small-town upstate New York setting --especially the suffocating, claustrophobic cold of the area's winter blizzards--to such vivid life that I thought he might be a New York native (actually he hails from Wisconsin.) My only real criticism is that the prologue is off-putting at first, and its connection to the body of the story not immediately apparent. But the reader begins to see and understand the connection as the story unfolds, and then the prologue contributes to the novel's suspense, which absolutely crackles toward the end! (I read mostly while exercising on a stationary bike, and time my sessions with an oven timer; but for much of the book, it was all I could do to quit when the timer sounded --and if my self-control, as measured on one personality test I took in a grad school class, didn't literally go off the chart, I probably couldn't have!) Another caveat is that the book practically cries out for a sequel (not to provide any spoilers :-)), but Straub didn't write one.
There is some bad language here, including three f-words (in 483 pages) and a certain amount of non-explicit illicit sex goes on; but the two characters who use the worst language are people no sane reader would feel any remote temptation to imitate in any respect, and Straub doesn't portray sexual sin as attractive --actually, more the reverse. Readers who don't want scary reads or are bothered by a lot of violence should be warned, though, that the fear quotient here is quite high, and so is the body count; and a good deal of the violence, in itself, is grisly, though (to his credit) Straub's descriptions are usually restrained rather than graphic, and don't stress the gore.
October 10, 2022
This is a story about a beautiful town in New York state, how evil can sneak up unnoticed, unseen and unassumed, manipulate and prey upon the inhabitants, and watch the slow descent into madness and chaos. Milburn was fleshed out similar to King's set up of Salem's Lot. Being written in 1979, it shared a similar small-town / historic village vibe. The cars, the town square, the movie theater. Just your perfect up-country New England setting.
I was very impressed by how Straub wrote these characters. This had a pretty sizable cast, from the "Chowder Society" gentlemen, to the colorful town-folk. Going into this book, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these old men. I've not read much where the main protagonists are elderly folks. (Other than Insomnia, I can't think of any examples).
I can totally see why Ghost Story is seen on lists of the greatest classic horror books. This defied many of my expectations, and pre-conceived notions -- both of the book, and of Peter Straub.
I've been dancing around Straub for some years, now. I still haven't read The Talisman and Black House (though now certainly they've climbed higher on my TBR priorities), and I've read many GR reviews on his books. I've seen a full spectrum of good and bad in equal weight. This book may be the one where the good outweigh the bad. Therefore, I'm guessing I chose the best entry into his repertoire. My first attempt was with Koko, and unfortunately, I put it down. Now, I'm excited to give it another try because I've got different expectations.
Bravo Mr. Straub. I'm so sorry that you've been taken from this world before I've gotten a chance to become a fan.
_______________________
Damn good book.... just a damn good book.
And the end, oh so satisfying.
Gotta sleep on this one
I was very impressed by how Straub wrote these characters. This had a pretty sizable cast, from the "Chowder Society" gentlemen, to the colorful town-folk. Going into this book, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these old men. I've not read much where the main protagonists are elderly folks. (Other than Insomnia, I can't think of any examples).
I can totally see why Ghost Story is seen on lists of the greatest classic horror books. This defied many of my expectations, and pre-conceived notions -- both of the book, and of Peter Straub.
I've been dancing around Straub for some years, now. I still haven't read The Talisman and Black House (though now certainly they've climbed higher on my TBR priorities), and I've read many GR reviews on his books. I've seen a full spectrum of good and bad in equal weight. This book may be the one where the good outweigh the bad. Therefore, I'm guessing I chose the best entry into his repertoire. My first attempt was with Koko, and unfortunately, I put it down. Now, I'm excited to give it another try because I've got different expectations.
Bravo Mr. Straub. I'm so sorry that you've been taken from this world before I've gotten a chance to become a fan.
_______________________
Damn good book.... just a damn good book.
And the end, oh so satisfying.
Gotta sleep on this one
January 24, 2008
First off, let me say that this is a very good story, and it had its scary moments. But I think I have some sort of problem with Peter Straub's writing. I can't quite put my finger on it but at times it seems long winded and confusing. Where with Dan Simmons and Orson Scott Card their words just seem to effortlessly flow into my mind, I find there are times when I need to reread Straub's sentences. This doesn't happen a whole lot, mind you, but it got annoying when it did, and I was glad to finally finish it. But hey, that's just me. I figure Straub simply doesn't "click" with me so I think it would be unfair for me to
criticize this novel. I've read Shadowland (it was OK) and Mystery (found the ending terribly unsatisfying) and felt I should read this, his "best" work.
As far as the story goes, I was a little disappointed that there weren't more Chowder Society ghost stories within the main story, which I was expecting. I thought the characters were well drawn, though. I very much enjoyed Ricky, Sears, Lewis and John, and would love to sit in on more
Chowder Society sessions.
So...overall, did I like it? Wellllll....yeah. If you like Peter Straub you will love this.
criticize this novel. I've read Shadowland (it was OK) and Mystery (found the ending terribly unsatisfying) and felt I should read this, his "best" work.
As far as the story goes, I was a little disappointed that there weren't more Chowder Society ghost stories within the main story, which I was expecting. I thought the characters were well drawn, though. I very much enjoyed Ricky, Sears, Lewis and John, and would love to sit in on more
Chowder Society sessions.
So...overall, did I like it? Wellllll....yeah. If you like Peter Straub you will love this.
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