Book Review: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

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My Review

When I first read the blurb for Ghosts, my mind immediately went somewhere else. With a title like Ghosts, I wondered whether the protagonist was going to literally become a ghoul, become invisible, or be forgotten by those around her. After seeing this book recommended so many times, I was excited to finally pick it up and discover what Dolly Alderton’s novel was really about.

Ghosts begins on our protagonist Nina Dean’s thirty-second birthday. As her friends settle into their marriages and parenthood, Nina finds herself grappling with the realities of dating apps, changing friendships, and caring for her ageing father as his memory deteriorates. Feeling secure in her successful career as a food writer, Nina decides to join the dating app Linx, where she meets Max. As their relationship develops, Nina is forced to confront the complexities of modern love, the shifting nature of relationships, and the many ways people can become ghosts in one another’s lives.

What stood out to me most about Ghosts was how easily I connected with Nina’s character. She is a very relatable and authentic protagonist, and I quickly found myself invested in her experiences, thoughts, and relationships. Alderton’s writing style was easy to follow and perfectly captured the small observations we make about everyday life, from friendship dynamics and family dynamics to memories of childhood. Reading this novel often felt like being inside Nina’s mind, but expressed through Alderton’s beautifully eloquent writing.

I also enjoyed reading about the characters surrounding Nina, particularly Lola, Katherine, and her Mum. Rather than simply being background characters, they each played an important role in Nina’s journey and helped explore different kinds of relationships and how they change with time. For example, Lola is Nina’s only single friend and took on the role of a confidante who also understood what it was like to feel out of sync with the people around her as they entered new stages of life. Their friendship provided a refreshing contrast to Nina’s other relationships, as Lola was someone who could relate to Nina’s struggles with dating and loneliness without judgment. 

Although Ghosts is often marketed as a romantic comedy, I felt that it was much more than that. While there were definitely moments that made me laugh, the story carries a deeper emotional weight, exploring themes of love, loneliness, ageing, friendship, and self-discovery. However, the sadness never felt overwhelming; instead, it felt like a thoughtful and realistic portrayal of life and the complicated emotions that come with it, leaving me uplifted. 

My only criticism was the storyline involving Nina and her neighbour, Angelo. While I understood the reasoning behind it, it felt slightly unnecessary to me and didn’t quite fit with the rest of Nina’s journey. Fortunately, it was only a small part of the story and did not impact my overall enjoyment of the book.

Ghosts was a thoughtful, funny, and beautifully written novel that has easily become one of my favourite contemporary reads. No, it was not about literal ghosts, but I found the meaning behind the title far more powerful than what I had initially imagined. If you enjoy reading books about love, friendship, and the people who leave their mark on us, then I’m sure you’ll love this novel too.

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