| Title | : | Self-Portrait, with Ghost |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 191126110X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781911261100 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 332 |
| Publication | : | Published October 18, 2016 |
Zadie, still consumed with grief by the recent loss of her mother and her father's quick remarriage, overhears a story that Chloe is haunted by the ghost of Leslie. Encouraged by her friend Michelle and her boyfriend Tom, Zadie enters a virtual competition with Chloe, in a mutual, growing obsession with social media. As Chloe sickens, with the same illness that killed Leslie, Zadie enters a world in which truth is indiscernible from fiction, where the human and the paranormal intersect, and where hatred, jealousy, and love become the same emotion.
Self-Portrait, with Ghost Reviews
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Atmospheric, evocative, and original, Self-Portrait, with Ghost will keep you turning pages … and turning at every bump in the night. You will frequently ask, Is it really a ghost? Or is it Zadie's imagination? (Chloe’s histrionics?) It may be her grief that’s haunting her. Or it might be her dead mother, either in favor of the new stepmother (Chloe, the rising artist) or a vengeful spirit conjured by Zadie’s hatred. This story also explores the use of social media as a means to further one’s following. Is it okay to cheat and steal and pose to make a name for oneself? What happens to her art when the artist focuses on pleasing a cyber audience of “friends”? (What happens to her art when the artist focuses on destroying another’s reputation?) The marketing in this book becomes another sort of demon, besides the ghost said to stalk the house, and it creates an opportunity to climb the social ladder. But, as with Faust, the ascent to fame may ultimately destroy the soul.
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This novel was found to be disturbing. Zadie, the main character has lost her mom and her dad has remarried in haste. Has been two tears and Zadie's grief is still fresh. She doesn't like her stepmom and soon developes a hatred for her when she[Chloe] steals an art idea from Zadie and the idea involves her mom who died of cancer. What I saw in this novel was thought,word,and deed. The thoughts are the breeding ground for the spoken word and the deeds that follow. Saw lots of disfunction in all the characters. Was deep in showing how disfunction can swallow one up and turn one into someone unrecognizable. Has an element of paranormal which often comes from our thinking that has gotten out of hand. Is about hate turning to love. Is a fine line between the two emotions. Really got into this book and think all on Goodreads would benefit from reading it. Thanks to Sarah Kennedy who teaches at a college nearby. Also thanks to Ms. Kennedy for another book she sent at the same time.
