Currently on the New Book Shelf, readers will notice two books with conspicuously similar titles, yet vastly different subject matters: The Ghost, by Robert Harris, and Ghost, by Alan Lightman.
Harris’ The Ghost is both murder mystery and contemporary political commentary. The story centers on a fictional former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (based on Tony Blair), sequestered on Martha’s Vineyard to write his memoirs. As Lang is accused of war crimes, his aide dies mysteriously and a new ghostwriter (the book’s narrator) arrives and begins poking around. From there the suspense rises.
Lightman’s Ghost, on the other hand, focuses on the psychological turmoil of central character David, a middle-aged man who takes a job at the local funeral home. After witnessing a supernatural event one evening and confiding about it to the wrong friend, his vision becomes a local media event that forces him to wrestle with fundamental beliefs about human existence.
So take a moment and stop by the New Book Shelf to pick up one of these titles, or another that catches your eye.
