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’
-
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
-
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.
-
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.

Anyone's Ghost had me engrossed within the first few pages through August Thompson's witty writing and short chapters that made it difficult to put down.

The novel follows the character Davey "Theron" from the age of 15 to 28 and his journey of obsessive young love with his once older and cooler co-worker Jake. Their relationship cuts off when Theron moves to New York for college but after an out of the blue email from Jake they are reunited, sparking a fiery romance fuelled by drugs and the invincible rush of youth.

This novel tackles mental health, drugs and the rawness of growing up queer in modern America that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

Although the ending is fast-paced, you will still be left crying and wanting to read more. I definitely recommend this book for the perfect summer read.

I'll admit, I requested this mainly because the title references a song by The National... But I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. I was hooked - the prose was sensual, intense and nostalgic. An excellent evocation of teenage infatuation and heartache. A powerful exploration of loss.

Having gone in not knowing much about it, I really enjoyed this novel, which in three parts tells the story of the very intense but also very intermittent relationship between Theron and Jake, a slightly older boy he meets during a teenage summer working in a hardware store. I loved the teenage sections the most, which felt fully inhabited, but it’s a gripping and enjoyable read throughout. Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"This will always be the summer I met Theron."

Theron David Alden is a lonely fifteen year old, who is forced to spend his summer with his father and to take on a summer job where he meets Jake. Older, cooler and fearless. Instantly the summer is saved and full of hanging out, smoking weed, listening to music. Theron isn't sure if he is in love with Jake or just wants to be him, be his friend, his brother. This is the story about a summer that creates a bond till death does them part.
I cannot even point to what exactly it was that had me enthralled, but Anyone's Ghost had me reading till way after midnight. It reminded me of the types of books that I used to love as a young adult. Lovely prose, some nice quotes, not too pretentious. Rollercoaster of emotions even with knowing how the story will end from the first page. I have to admit that the second half and all the drug abuse was less interesting to me but still this was unputdownable.

Thoughts: This is very much a coming-of-age story at heart, navigating the highs and lows of transitioning into adulthood, self-discovery and how relationships change along the way. The prose in this book was beautiful, poignant in parts and deeply nostalgic.
There are many descriptions of alcohol consumption and drug use so keep that in mind if you are thinking of picking this one up. I found the story to be an unflinching, tender and raw exploration of loneliness, love and loss.

i think i had chills down my spine throughout when i was reading this. this gave me shivers. i hate and love this book for how much it made me feel, cause it made me put it down and cry several times. this is toxic. this is beautiful. this is life.

An absolutely beautiful and hear-breaking coming of age story.
I wasn’t expecting to be completely sucked into Theron’s world.

Wow ghost really made me sob - this story felt so realistic. The friends to lovers vibe didn’t feel forced and it was refreshing to see both of them navigate their feelings for each other together. This book we definitely be a hit and I’m sure people will go through a rollercoaster of emotions as I most certainly did!!

I loved this book with my whole heart. I knew I was going. To enjoy it from the synopsis. Will keep an eye on the author!!

This was a tender and gut-wrenching exploration of queer love, teenage crushes and idolisation— A debut coming-of-age love story that you need to get on your summer TBR.
•
I felt so connected to the main two characters in this book, everytime I put it down I'd be constantly thinking about them and a day after finishing it I still can't get them out of my head. This was such a bittersweet story from start to finish; we're led into the book with the knowledge that one of them dies which makes for a heartbreaking story that reads like a flashback over the course of two decades and allows us to get wholly attached to both Jake and Theron/David. Knowing what we know doesn't make the eventual tragic event any less upsetting, instead I thought it heightened it and I was left reading the last few pages nearly sobbing into my pillow. It felt such a clever way of writing a novel like this and made it seem so different to any other type of love story.
•
Thompson's writing was so addictive and had me thoroughly gripped right from the first page, the way he sets each scene and the care and time he's put into the characters and the story as a whole is plain to see. I can't believe this is a debut, I'm already itching for more from August, even if it means having my heart shattered again and again!
•
The only very slight criticism I had was the last part of the book, as we got to present day, felt a little rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book. But with saying this, I thought the ending was appropriate and didn't leave me feeling unsatisfied (albeit completely heartbroken!).
•
Showing what it means to love someone while also wanting to be them as well as the complexities of battling with your sexuality and masculinity, Anyone's Ghost is the modern love story that is bound to be a popular read this summer.

Thank you Netgalley, Picador, Pan Macmillan for the free eARC!

I was highly anticipating this debut from August Thompson, and although it has its moments of greatness, it failed to sweep me off my feet.

I am a sucker for this kind of novel, that explores these star-crossed yet doomed relationships. Not unrequited love, but an exploration of great loves you’re forced to leave behind. It’s prominent in one of my favourite novels, Call Me By Your Name, and in Past Lives, a recently re-watched film.

At times, particularly at the 70% mark and onwards, Anyone’s Ghost did become reminiscent of those stories for me, but I felt there was a lack of real depth to the characters that kept me distanced from their story.

Before this point, the slow pacing forced the narrative to become stagnant, and I wasn’t able to root for the characters, nor truly understand their desires.

I wouldn’t discourage people from picking this up, but I feel other novels explore the same relationship dynamics better.

This is a debut novel from American author August Thompson that feels as though is spans a lifetime though in reality the scope of the novel is much shorter - it’s a story of youth and sexual awakenings told through Theron/Davey after he’s sent to spend the summer in New Hampshire with his father and first meets the cooler, enigmatic Jake.

Anyone’s Ghost was a slow burn for me and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I came to. It’s very similar in tone to Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead as the narrative perspective ages with Davey as he shifts from being a scrawny, insecure 15 year old and grows into Theron a Brooklynite confident in his sexuality though still captured by the uncertainty and push-pull of his relationship with Jake.

I think my issues with the novel were that it feels very New-York-Writing-School in a way that I often struggle to connect with - it’s a novel of identities. But Theron’s sexuality is beautifully unfurled from the questioning nature of adolescence into the explorations and negotiations of your early twenties and committed relationships. Thompson manages to capture the contemporary in creating characters whose love stories overlap and intertwine one another without villanising or sidelining one romance in favour of another. However, there’s so much focus on the effects of drug-taking that the novel can drag - particularly in the New Hampshire section - that feels filled with a lot of faux-revelations about the beauty of the world and touches upon narrative overindulgence.

Wow! I really thought this book was going to be something else. I did find the first hundred pages started to drag but I'm glad that I stuck it out because by the end I was truly in love with this book. And I think everyone should give it a read. it is gorgeous.

Anyone's Ghost is a love story about destruction and the people who change your life. Theron David Alden is fifteen and spending the summer with his dad in New Hampshire when he meets Jake, who is older but likes the same things—bands, drugs—as him. They return to their separate lives, but over the next two decades, Theron is haunted by his love for Jake and how much he's always hoped for Jake to want him too.

This is a novel about character and relationships rather than plot, a fact that's made clear by the opening basically giving you the key turning points in the narrative at the start: three car crashes. That out of the way, there's space to focus on Theron, and Jake, and a few others around them, and the impact of love and depression and a desire for oblivion, but also a hope of something. The first part of the book centres around Theron's coming of age story, trying to avoid his own queerness and rationalise how he feels about Jake whilst they spend all of their time drinking and doing drugs, and then the second part moves to a twentysomething Theron, not long out of college and in New York looking for something, when that something becomes Jake suddenly visiting. This becomes a bittersweet story of growing up and still hoping to get what you've dreamed of.

The other main relationship for Theron in the book, with Lou, isn't mentioned in the blurb, but is also central to the book, as they explore open relationships and what feelings you might burden a partner with, seeming in contrast in some ways to Jake's relationship throughout the book with Jess, who as readers from Theron's perspective, we know little about. There is a richness of queer relationships and ways of navigating the world, even when they are, as they are often in the book, melancholy ones and messy ones.

The third part brings the book to nearly the present day, and the tragedy already set up in the opening, by way of a speed through Theron's life for a while. This part does feel a lot more rushed than the rest of the book, but does have a nice ending scene between two characters that feels like it rounds off the story well, whilst continuing the sense of 'haunting' pervading the whole thing.

Anyone's Ghost is a bittersweet queer love story and an exploration of oblivion. I found the middle part in particular hard to put down, with its memorable image of New York City in a storm and two characters trying to find who they might be together, even briefly.

3.0 stars.

Thank you to Macmillian and Netgalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for honest review.

Fifteen-year-old, Theron, is wholly transfixed when he meets the older, bad boy Jake. They like the same bands, the same drugs, the same kinds of accidents and the same drive for oblivion. They spend two decades getting high, drifting apart, being brought back together by the fates, until the same ones tear them apart forever.

Does Theron want Jake, or does he want to be Jake? But does Jake actually want intimacy with Theron, or will he take whatever he can?

It starts off with the immediate news that Jake is dead, learning he survived two of the three crashes, but the last ultimately lead to his death. The news of his death doesn't truly affect the reader until going through the rocky relationship, reading excerpts of their lives together (Theron POV). It was a good attention grabber to dive into the novel, but I often wonder if I would have been more attached if they just kept the news until the end. Combined with reading about their drug use, together and separately, over and over and over again, I just kept waiting to hear of the accidents which took me in-and-out of caring about these main characters. I just felt like something was missing, but I still enjoyed this read. The themes of the book are grief and depression, which always ropes me into a book. So, I was intrigued on this journey to see how each character handles it, their thoughts and actions, and mostly, all of the whys. I'll probably visit this book in the future for another read, maybe a physical copy will help to enhance my reading experience.

From the start of August Thompson’s debut we know that there will be three car crashes involving two men, the last of which is fatal for one of them. Fifteen-year-old Theron is smitten, with the manager of the hardware shop where he’ll be working the summer, eager to impress Jake and terrified both of embarrassing himself and discovering a sexuality he’s busy trying to smother. They bond over a mutual love of thrash metal, recklessness and self-destruction. Six years later, Theron is living in Brooklyn, still hankering after Jake who texts him suggesting they meet after years of silence, arriving in the middle of a hurricane which confines them to Theron’s apartment for four days, Theron’s fantasy of a life together scotched by Jake’s wedding ring. The invitation to Jake’s memorial seven years later shocks but doesn’t surprise Theron.
In an intensely introspective narrative, Theron tells us his story in flashbacks. The excruciating self-consciousness of adolescence is captured painfully well contrasting with Jake’s apparent coolness until it becomes clear that they're both grappling with a depression which threatens to destroy them both. A heart-wrenching novel, although over long for me.