Lisa Taddeo is known for her razor-sharp writing that peers into women’s interior lives and exposes their deepest desires. Ghost Lover is a collection of nine short stories that continues her exploration of the modern woman.
There’s Ari, a self-made millionaire, living in a Malibu beachfront house, battling an eating disorder and obsessive love. Joan is a young woman working on a movie set who is determined to sleep with the star. Grace Magorian joins an invitation-only dating site and becomes obsessed with DigLitt, who is ‘searching for the best woman in the world’. There are 18-year-olds partying in Puerto Rico and three women competing to win the heart of a handsome politician at a fundraising event.
Taddeo’s stories span different cities, timelines and lifestyles. Her writing appeals to the senses: the burn of the Californian sun, the taste of endless cocktails, the ache of a heart lusting over a person who doesn’t feel the same. But for all there is to admire – the unapologetic refusal to conform to how women are expected to feel – there is also an undercurrent of sadness. These middle-class white women are endlessly unhappy, hating their bodies, trying to stave off ageing, always at the mercy of male whims and wants. Nevertheless, Taddeo’s powerful writing is mesmerising and the characters unforgettable.
Reviewed by Melinda Woledge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Taddeo is an author, journalist and two-time recipient of the Pushcart Prize. Her first nonfiction book, Three Women, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and is currently in production as a series at Showtime with Shailene Woodley starring and Taddeo adapting and serving as executive producer. Animal, a national and international bestseller, was her debut novel, and her debut collection of stories.
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