reubenalbatross 's review for:

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
3.25
challenging emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A very white, heterosexual, middle class look into life in London in your early 30s.

The book definitely has a mix of good and bad points, but I enjoyed listening to it in general.

The good:

- Succeeded in putting me off ever having my own kids even more than I thought was possible (and I never wanted them in the first place)
- I appreciated the dementia storyline, I thought this was very well portrayed
- It was refreshing to see a genuinely healthy relationship between Nina and her ex Joe. I also appreciated that Lucy wasn't a 'jealous wife' character opposing Nina, as always seems to be the case in media, and instead was a way to show Joe being happy after Nina

The bad:

- The narrator's Italian accent was VEEery dodgy, not sure she's ever heard a real one
The way my eyes ROLLED in the back of my skull when she shagged the Italian neighbour. It was so ridiculous, predictable, and unoriginal. This was by far the worst part of the book. Also he called her a whore in an angry way, but apparently it was a joke and he didn't hate her??? Just because you're depressed, doesn't mean you should be able to easily get away with something like that