Fragmented, full of short, even single-sentence paragraphs – preserves the concussive nature of grief, catalogues haptic memories...searches for solace and insights...mourns the endless winter ahead ... For all the loss and loneliness it itemises, what offsets the pervasive melancholy of Ghost Stories – gives it life – is its incandescent anger.
he warm letters share family history, especially of Miles’ mother—Auster’s and Siri’s daughter, Sophie—and the man she married. Auster could be stubborn and tactless, Hustvedt admits, but also kind and sentimental. Their bond was physical, emotional, and deeply intellectual. He told Hustvedt he wanted to return as a ghost; she honors that desire in this intimate memoir. A widow’s candid love story.
Tender ... The book’s title comes from Auster’s stated desire to return as a ghost; Hustvedt sweetly fulfills his wishes by recounting anecdotes from his life and sharing letters he wrote to her and their children. The result is an elegy that’s at once heart-swelling and devastating.
