Nine stories of women haunted by ghosts - both physical and metaphorical. Lurie's writing ranges from the humorous, like 'The Highboy', the tale of an evil piece of furniture that punishes those that don't treat it with respect, to the tragic 'Pool People', in which a rich suburbanite is killed ... Read review
Advantages: thought-provoking, original ideas Disadvantages: slightly macabre
Nine stories of women haunted by ghosts - both physical and metaphorical. Lurie's writing ranges from the humorous, like 'The Highboy', the tale of an evil piece of furniture that punishes those that don't treat it with respect, to the tragic 'Pool People', in which a rich suburbanite is killed by the ghosts of those she thwarted.
The ghosts in the stories are sometimes real, as in the examples above, and sometimes the result of a ... ...secretary on a diet imagines she sees overweight people everywhere. Sometimes Lurie isn't explicit about the reality of the ghost, and the reader is left to decide - is Celia in 'In the Shadows' really haunted by her dead ex-lover, or is it guilt that makes her imagine him whenever she is with another man?
Lurie's storytelling is consistent, her ideas original and her character representation astute. What is lacking is any kind of ... more
Nine stories of women haunted by ghosts - both physical and metaphorical. Lurie's writing ranges from the humorous, like 'The Highboy', the tale of an evil piece of furniture that punishes those that don't treat it with respect, to the tragic 'Pool People', in which a rich suburbanite is killed by the ghosts of those she thwarted.
The ghosts in the stories are sometimes real, as in the examples above, and sometimes the result of a characters overactive imagination, such as in 'Fat People,' where a secretary on a diet imagines she sees overweight people everywhere. Sometimes Lurie isn't explicit about the reality of the ghost, and the reader is left to decide - is Celia in 'In the Shadows' really haunted by her dead ex-lover, or is it guilt that makes her imagine him whenever she is with another man?
Lurie's storytelling is consistent, her ideas original and her character representation astute. What is lacking is any kind of adventure, or risk-taking - the stories seem to move along formulaically, and the endings are often dull and not exciting. There seems to be no passion coming from the author...it is the type of book you would imagine an author would write becasue it would sell rather than because it was something they truly wanted to write.
A definite bathroom book...stick it by the loo, and browse through it randomly if you wish. Unfortunately not good enough for any better recommendation than that.
