“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.

A gorgeous, moving, queer coming-of-age love story. It's hard to believe that this is a debut - it's written so beautifully and tenderly, but is also dark. Even from the first page, as readers we know that this is a story that will be marked with tragedy, and this lingers over the rest of the novel.

Rooted in music, drugs and nostalgia, Thompson's novel unfolds over two decades - starting in the early 2000s. I paused occasionally to revisit or listen to some of the bands referenced, music felt so integral.


4 stars only because I wanted more character depth and development but it will stay with me nonetheless - as I think about Theron's grief, loneliness, and yearning. Very grateful to Pan Macmillan for the proof via NetGalley - this one is definitely worth reading now it's out.

Fantastic debut, a coming of age story full of tenderness and longing while at the same time real and raw. A love story.

This was a moving read that traced the young angst filled teenage years and the obsession that we have all had on a first crush

Beautifully written and achingly melancholic.
You know from the get go how it’s going to end, adding a somber blue tint to all of Theron and Jake’s interactions, counting down their fleeting time together.

My one critique was that Theron was such a frustratingly passive character who did a lot of waiting around and Jake was so elusive I never felt he really got to have much of a personality, except being so sad.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher 3.5/5 ⭐️

After reading the first few pages of this story, I almost gave up with it, thinking it wasn't for me; never could I have been so wrong! As soon as Davey/Theron went to work at the hardware store and met Jake, I was hooked. I think if we are lucky or possibly unlucky, almost everyone meets a Jake once in their lives. He is someone who on the surface is self assured, daring and exciting, whereas by the end of the book, we see him in a very different light.
I would agree with some of the reviews that this story and it's writing style are not perfect, but for me, that only serves to reinforce the imperfect lives that are being portrayed. I became entranced by the almost ethereal nature of the relationship between Theron and Jake and the passages where Theron describes being in close proximity to Jake were achingly real in their longing and worry about rejection.
I don't read love stories usually, so I'm still not sure why I requested this book, however I will say that it is definitely the rawest, most tangible story that I have read in a long time. And it will stay with me for a long time, the best accolade that a story can have.

This is an extraordinary love story that spans a decade. Theron feels trapped in rural New Hampshire until he meets Jake: the enigmatic older boy who introduces him to drinking, drugs, and driving. They tool around and Theron struggles to understand if Jake is queer, or just the friend he's never known. Years later, Jake visits an older, cooler Theron in New York, where they spend a blackout together and Theron grapples with the same questions. And finally, Theron reflects on Jake as he comes to terms with how the other man changed him.

This story is stunning, so gripping for something that's entirely character-based. Theron really annoyed me at times, but that's because he was a teenage boy and then a pretentious city hipster - two variations of himself who act in entirely explicable ways. The other characters were glorious too. A love story to being in love.

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy!

1 star

While eloquently written at times and trying to tell a beautifully sad queer story, the endless enabling and stream of drugs—especially in the first third—was just not for me. I tried my best to connect with the book, but none of it managed to elicit any sort of genuine emotion from me. Though I would still tell you to give it a try because I think this has just not been the right topic and time for me, but the vibes are definitely there!

Theron David Alden's friend Jake has died after his third car crash, prompting Theron to tell their story in flashback. Both lonely, they meet when Theron is 15 and Jake is 17 at their summer job at a New Hampshire hardware store. They get high, listen to music, survive a nasty car crash, and then drift apart. A few years later they meet again in New York, both in a relationship with women (at varying degrees of seriousness), survive another car crash together, and have their own will-they-won't-they moment. Sadly they drift apart again, never to reunite in person, and Jake has his third and fatal car crash, this time alone.

This is a modern love story told by Theron in the first person. This is also a story of discovering sexuality and trying to find self-acceptance. Although Theron and Jake spend a relatively short amount of their lives in each other's company, Jake is Theron's one who got away. He also never quite knows how Jake feels, when for Theron we know that he both wants to be with Jake and also wants to be him. They share similar interests with their music, as well as both being lonely and reckless, and although there is love there, they tend to drag each other down.

This was a really accomplished debut, however be warned: there's a lot of drinking, drug taking, graphic sex, and mentions of suicide. Now that you've been warned, I would say that this is well worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance reader copy.

This book follows Theron from teen to adult and his relationship/friendship with Jake.

I dont know if I would say this was a romance as it feels like a self reflection on wasting time and waiting.
Theron spends a lot of his time waiting and imagining rather than doing.

I found that once I passed 50% of the book I enjoyed it a bit more but I wasn’t overly keen on the continual dashes littered throughout the book.

This is a 2.5 star reviews rounded up to 3.

3,5 stars.

The story of Theron and Jake spanning many years. Their meeting and the teenage years is told in an authentic and gripping way.
Then, the ending is palpable.
In-between - well, I did not like Jake much.
I felt like it lacked a few layers for the themes it was exploring.
In that case, perhaps if the story structure were different and the main characters later years were an illusion told by Theron, and some aspects of Jake’s persona were hinted at, this would have been a 5 star read for me.

I highly recommend it despite my remarks above. It is a strong book and tells an important story with important themes.

Characterisation 3/5
Prose 3.5/5
Plot 3/5
Themes, setting, mood 5/5
Execution 3.5/5

Not for me. Teens and drugs? No thanks. And the formatting made reading uncomfortable. Hyphens all over the place.

"Anyone's Ghost" by August Thompson is a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that follows the main character, Theron/Davey, through three significant phases of his life: his mid-teens, early twenties, and late twenties. Each part delicately portrays the profound impact that one person's influence can have on another's life.

The pivotal figure in Theron's journey is Jake, an older, cooler, and more carefree individual whom Theron greatly admires. The evolution of their relationship—from one rooted in admiration to something physical and ultimately heartbreaking—is compellingly depicted throughout the story.

Despite the ending being revealed at the beginning of the book, the narrative maintains an irresistible pull, making it hard to put down. The emotional rollercoaster that unfolds is both raw and relatable, engaging readers deeply.

Potential triggers include drug use and suicide.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC of this amazing book.

‘It took three car crashes to kill Jake’
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GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR RADAR NOW! Such a captivating, wonderful, heartfelt story of love and loss, of life and how powerful a connection can be even after so many years
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Theron David Alden is there for the first two crashes: the summer they meet in rural New Hampshire, when he’s fifteen and anxious, and Jake’s seventeen and a natural; then six years later in New York City, those too-short, ecstatic, painful nights that change both their lives forever—the end of the dream and the longing for the dream and the dream itself, all at once.
Theron is not there for the third crash.
And yet, their story contains so much joy and self-discovery: the glorious, stupid simplicity of a boyhood joke; the devastation of insecurity; the way a great song can distill a universe; the limits of what we can know about each other; the mysterious, porous, ungraspable fault line between yourself and the person you love better than yourself; the beautiful, toxic elixir of need and hope and want.
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Such a beautiful love story, following along from Theron’s POV as he navigates life through the many years and the many reappearances of Jake in his life. This book had me absolute lost in its pages and I can’t thank @ksangh94 & @picadorbooks more for this early proof copy! Pre-Order or grab your copy 11th July 2024

Thompson provides an unfettered portrayal of adolescence tinged by love and loss. Emotional growing pains and the hardships of queer experience are deftly conveyed throughout this novel. There were many sad points but I personally felt as though this novel was melancholic rather than gut wrenching. The representation of bisexuality is incredibly potent especially from the perspective of a male protagonist who grapples with toxic masculinity and internalised homophobia amidst his rocky upbringing. As Theron is enamoured by another boy, the text explores both limerence and romance, for both female and male love interests. Crossing states in America and spanning over different periods in Theron's life, this bildungsroman novel is captivating in its depiction of drugs, sexuality, interpersonal relationships, and mental health. Overall, this book is definitely worth reading and has a similar aura to a Dennis Cooper novel, bold and gritty but also notably vulnerable.