A heartbreaking coming of age novel about the relationship between two young men over three car crashes. Theron is there for the first two but it is the third that kills Jake. A beautiful modern love story that leaves everything on the table. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this incredible book.

This is a seriously impressive debut. It is beautifully written with a raw intensity that touches every page. The character of Theron is layered and nuanced. He has flaws, contradictions and struggles which make him feel achingly real. Jake also feels viscerally authentic and complex. It is a novel that tells us from the start that this love story doesn’t have a happy ending and yet it is still compelling, intensely emotional and pretty perfectly crafted. Definitely an author to watch out for.

I liked this more than I tend to like literary fiction, and although it didn’t have me bawling my eyes out, it’s a very sad, emotional read. My main issue was that it just dragged on a little bit too long, and at parts the main character Theron verged into ‘annoying’ territory. Mostly, I liked his character and the way he was written, but there were parts where he felt maybe a little too whiny. It’s definitely a personal preference thing, but there were aspects of Theron’s character that I just don’t gel with generally in fiction.

Jake, however…Jake is a selfish, manipulative and very confused young man, who doesn’t really know what he wants, or how to articulate what he’s feeling, and hurts a lot of people because of it. I couldn’t stand him. And a part of me really didn’t understand the way Theron felt towards him. I got it when Theron was a teenager (the crush part is all-too-relatable), but the older they get, the worse Jake seems to get, and it was hard to see why Theron was so willing to discard anyone else in his life for Jake.

I think both characters are very realistic. Both struggle in their own ways, and both find different outlets for their struggles, but it got to the point where I really wanted these two to grow up a bit more. But, again, they’re realistic and portrayed in a way you can understand them, and even when puzzled at their choices and actions (or what they see in each other, what others see in them), it feels very real.

And like I said, it’s a sad book. It really hits the emotional buttons. It’s an interesting novel, and one that almost pulls you through the story (almost even against your will, if that makes sense?), and though as mentioned I liked it more than I tend to like literary fiction, I still had similar frustrations with this as with other literary books.

'It took three car crashes to kill Jake.' From its haunting opening line, August Thompson's debut novel binds the reader within the story of the brittle, life-defining friendship between Theron David Alden and his best friend - and the love of his life - Jake.

At turns beautiful and brutal, Anyone's Ghost is so much more than the latest 'queer novel to make you cry'. It is a devastating coming of age tale which begins one summer in rural New Hampshire, when an insecure, shy fifteen-year-old Theron, visiting his father for the summer, meets Jake who, at seventeen, seems to have an ease with himself that Theron can only dream of. Drawn to Jake's insouciant charisma, Theron soon finds himself utterly in the thrall of the older boy - who sees something in Theron that no one else ever has.

What follows is a gentle nostalgic vignette about the kind of friendship which can only exist between teenage boys in small towns in summer, but this is only the opening act of our story, which takes the reader to New York City before its conclusion - foretold from the beginning - in Texas.

Theron is a complex, vividly drawn protagonist; Thompson's prose is littered with beautiful reminiscences and ruminations on Theron's relationships (not only with Jake, but with his divorced parents too) and how they have shaped his sense of self and the way he sees the world and his place in it. As we experience events from Theron's perspective, Jake is inevitably a more inscrutable character, but his every action is permeated by the unbearable responsibility he feels to those around him - to be the person they need him to be. In sections of the narrative where he is physically absent, his presence still looms large.

However, as much as this is a character-based novel, the plot too is utterly compelling, and I found myself gripped from start to end. The choice to exposit Jake's fate from the beginning adds a heartbreaking pathos to even those moments of pure joy which the boys share that first summer and, although I knew all too well how Theron and Jake's story was fated to end, this did not detract all from the investment I felt in their narrative, and the vicarious elation, longing and pain I felt for both characters.

The deft assurance and tenderness with which Thompson writes belies the fact that this is a debut novel. I cannot wait to see what he produces in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked by this story from the start. The language and writing are intricate whilst sticking to plot and character development. An emotive read that will be on my mind for a while.

Without a heavy plot, this novel is focusing on the story between the two boys Jake and Thereon from T's pov. A little messy, figuring out sexuality and oneself, the writing is easy to read. I put down the book at around 30% as I wasn't in the correct headspace for it and picked it up again after 2 months. It was an average novel to me.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

In the end this novel feel a bit short for me, I kept reading as I was intrigued by the opening and how the plot fully started in a different era but something was missing for me to be fully invested in this story. The main characters were quite insufferable also.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Loved this so much - so sad, and moving, but also powerful. Would definitely recommend for readers of literary fiction.

If you're seeking a novel that blends hauntingly beautiful prose with a gripping narrative, Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson is a must-read. Thompson masterfully crafts an intricate and emotional story that captivates from start to finish, with richly developed characters that feel deeply real.

From the outset, the story foreshadows its tragic end, but the tenderness and melancholy with which Therron reflects on the past resonate powerfully. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, as its emotional depth leaves a lasting impact.

This is a novel that lingers, raising poignant questions about love, fear, and sacrifice—thought-provoking long after you’ve turned the last page.

I really enjoyed the opening of this book, and found that to be quite enticing, but I got to 25% in and it seems like filler.
I get the need to build relationships and background, but it seems a bit much, some of the descriptions, dialogue and inner monologues feel a little lazy and took alot of the impact away from the story.

As the emotions get more complex throughy the novel, there is definitely an increase in pace and quality, the relationships are built in a mindful way, exploring alot of difficult areas and experiences we have in the modern day.

Navigating this book felt like a marathon, I can definitely see where they were going, and some of the writing is excellent, however it fell short for me based on the overdone descriptions, dialogue and inner monologues.

As I’m sure you’re read in multiple reviews, this is a beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking coming-of-age novel.

Told through the eyes of Theron, we are drawn into a world of a teen dealing with a fractured relationship with his dad after his parents divorce, and the moment he meets Jake, the boy who would turn his world upside down.

I’ve had a hard time rating this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the real rawness of the story but, on the other, because I didn’t connect with the characters and so the sadness didn’t elicit the response I hoped for.
I think, for me, I would have preferred a dual time throughout. Like reminiscing whilst at the funeral. I don’t know, I’m not an author. Lol

Oh, and why is a queer book referencing HP?

Anyone’s Ghost contains themes of drug use/abuse, depression & death.

Thank you Pan MacMillan & NetGalley for the arc.

#anyonesghost #augustthompson #panmacmillan #arc #netgalley #bookreview #comingofage #depression #queer #bookstagram

i honestly just found this really boring and impenetrable. some of the writing was kinda nice, like i'd stumble on an image that cut through it all, but yeah.

This book was GORGEOUS. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. A beautiful queer romance than spanned time and space.

I may be too old for this book... It is billed as a heartbreaking love story, and I certainly haven't forgotten how a strong attraction to a beautiful waster can totally consume a teenager, but I find I just don't have the patience for the angst these days.

Theron is a lonely, angry 15-year-old, only son of divorced parents, spending the summer in New Hampshire with his father who veers between self-pity and stern parenting and trying to do better with his son. He finds Theron a job in a store which is being managed by the beautiful, easygoing 17-year-old Jake. Jake is supremely non-judgemental and seems happy to befriend Theron; Theron feels accepted for himself. Under Jake's influence he takes drugs, hangs out in what sound like supremely depressing shopping malls and arcades, listens to music, drinks too much and falls in love.

We know from the outset that this is going to end badly - it opens with a 30-something-year-old Theron talking about Jake's untimely death in a car crash which is not the first he's been in. And it's clear that Theron is working through his relationship with Jake over the course of 20-odd years, and coming to know himself better as a result. The story is told in three timelines - the present day and Jake's funeral, the first summer when Theron and Jake met, and some ten years later when Jake visits Theron in New York during a storm-induced blackout. As a teenager, Theron has not yet thought about his sexuality and barely acknowledges the attraction he feels for Jake, instead almost sublimating it in their friendship. In his 20s he is bisexual, in a fairly no-strings relationship with a woman but more ready now to acknowledge his continuing feelings for Jake although he hasn't seen him in years and Jake is married to his childhood sweetheart. I found this section the most compelling, with the blackout adding a surreal element to Theron's long-awaited reunion with Jake and a resolution of sorts to the simmering sexual tension.

As much as anything I suppose this is a coming of age story, and the tone is quite elegiac, as if events are being looked back upon from a much longer timeframe. I found this curiously distancing, apart from not finding any of the characters at all sympathetic, and this probably coloured my feelings about the book. I ploughed through to the end, but remained largely unimpressed.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰…”

So opens August Thompson’s debut, Anyone’s Ghosts. From this ending, Theron and Jake’s story begins.

A teenage Theron, who is spending his summer with his father in rural New Hampshire, gets a job at a local store and there meets his new co-worker, Jake. The two form a deep connection and, over the course of the next 15 years, as they drift apart then come hurtling back together, we see this play out.

This is a book about love and the influence one relationship can have on a person. Thompson creates in Theron a character who, through the lens of his connection with Jake, explores self-identity, addiction, masculinity, longing, sexuality and grief. Told in three parts, focusing in turn on Theron meeting Jake, reconnecting with him and grieving him, this is tender and intimate exploration of connection, both to oneself and to others.

It took me a minute to get going with this one, I think because you have that sense of foreboding from the opening line. But, once I did, I couldn’t step away, staying up into the small hours to finish it. There’s an honesty to the characters that makes them feel vivid, and the closeness with Theron that is built up through the novel only makes the ending hit harder. Thompson’s writing throughout is imbued with such an emotional depth and sincerity. Honestly, I loved it.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan for the eARC of this one via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I really loved this.

From the opening of the book you know that Jake dies in a car crash, as it begins with Theron preparing for his funeral and recounting the two other car crashes Jake was in, which Theron was involved in too.

From there we jump back in time twice. First to Jake and “Davey’s” first meeting in a late 90s summer (as a 90s baby I loved the references here). Theron is obsessed with Jake and Jake is the perfect older, cooler teen taking him under his wing.

Later we jump to Theron in New York in the early 00s, and Jake coming to visit. A perfect recount of trying to recreate something which was once had, nobody sure of how they feel or how the other person feels and what has changed in time.

As the book went on I wanted a happy ending for both these characters so badly, but then I remembered the opening chapter.

This one has really stayed with me. I loved it.

This is a queer (bisexual) coming of age story I felt was genuine, sincere and relatable (whether or not you were a teenage stoner). There were some truly vivid passages that made me feel, smell, taste the setting (the Libby, the crusty sheets). It captured those hazy summers and fast friendships we often had as teenagers and I enjoyed how Jake and Theron were in each others orbit and then, tragically… Jake’s life ends. Fun, heartbreaking, infuriating. I was lost in this world and can’t wait to read it again.

It’s impressive how much this book does with so little. I was not expectation to get so engrossed in the story but I ended up reading it all in one sitting, which always speaks for itself. The book is full of pain, grief, shame and takes you on an exploration of self destruction but it is also so full of love and life and truth. My heart feels heavier and my soul feels lighter from this book.
I always love when a book does a good job of writing a manic pixie dream girl type of character (in this case a manic pixie dream boy) - this character that you obsessed about and becomes your entire world when in reality you know so little about and is a different person in your head and in your life than they are in the heads and lives of other people around them.
At the same time, there is nothing that is particularly special about this book: none of the characters or settings or plot points are ground breaking and the writing is lovely and has absolutely gorgeous moments but doesn’t do anything I haven’t seen before. And yet the book manages to subtly grab you by the heart, take you on a journey (that feels almost like a car ride dare I say) and drops you off with so much to think about.
It does end a little fast, and wraps everything up a bit nonchalantly - it’s rare that I say I would have enjoyed 50-100 more pages at the end, maybe exploring the aftermath of the death and the funeral and how different characters had different perceptions of it (almost like what the moment with Jess does, but more of that). But maybe having everything not really come to a real end and just abruptly finish is the point?

This book is very close to perfection. It starts with the end; you know you will have your heart broken, but you have to keep going.

There were so many sentences that resonated with me. I had to stop several times to absorb what I had just read. So many quotes were highlighted and reread!
I love books that make me feel, where I cry and have my soul crushed a few times. This did it for me, and boy, was it good.

I am not sure how much of the writer is in these pages, but it does feel like a very personal book. A very deep, self-discovery journey. Incredible! I will buy the physical copy for sure.

This is a debut novel from an American writer for which there was a five-way auction for publishing rights. So, lots of buzz around this title and on this occasion this is totally justified.
It feels like I’ve read a fair share of grimy romances with outsiders as the lead characters recently with “Young Mungo”, “Juno Loves Legs” and “True Love” springing to mind but this offers an American perspective. There’s less poverty than in the British books I’ve mentioned but even more drugs and booze which fuels these characters.
We first meet Davy aged 15 due to spend a summer with his Dad in the New Hampshire home he’d once lived in with this mother. Socially awkward, Davy thinks he can only survive this by being continually high. His father has other ideas and insists Davy takes a job.
In a hardware store a considerable bike ride away from home Davy reinvents himself as Theron when he meets kindred spirit Jake, who is the person Theron both wants and wants to be. This begins a two decade relationship clash structured around three car crashes (considering how intoxicated they are much of the time when driving it’s amazing there weren’t more!).
These young men are struggling and Theron is pulled magnetically towards others who struggle too. We find out about Lou at the very beginning, a support for Theron but she is equally on the edge. The mental health aspects of this remind me of another British book I rated very highly last year “Small Joys” by Elvin James Mensah and all these echoes suggest this book is very much of the moment.
I think the narrative (first person by Theron throughout) is beautifully shaped. There is the right balance of times with Jake and times without him to appreciate the effect he has on Theron who attempts to keep his life plodding on when he is not around. But is Jake, an enigmatic character throughout, doing the same?
This is a powerful bisexual romance novel which is intense, often queasy and especially unhealthy and which really drew me in. I have nothing in common with these characters but they still felt believable and convincing and I was involved with their lives, another achievement from the author where reader unfamiliarity can so often create distance. There have been some debuts this year that have been equally hyped that, although very strong, didn’t quite live up to my five star expectations. This does.
“Anyone’s Ghost” is published by Picador in the UK on 11th July 2024. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.