WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews - 36. Halloween Month Special Reviews: The Ghost of Ellwood (Book 1 of Ivy Grove Series) by Jaclyn Osborn

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52914802-the-ghost-of-ellwood

Happy Halloween Month of Reviews, this is the first book that I am reviewing for my month-long special reviews of Halloween stories. I'll be doing ghosts, psychics, Vampires, Werewolves, and magic stories/series. I thought it would be poignant if I begin these special reviews with a ghost story, which is equal parts romantic, tragic, and spine-tingling. There’s something about a good ghost story that keeps people wanting more of something, I think Jaclyn Osborn found that in The Ghost of Ellwood. It is also refreshing to finally find a gay ghost story, because honestly, it is about time there’s stories like this in mainstream novels. The ghost in this tale died a century ago from a brutal hate crime, which was sadly common. I was intrigued by the premise and it kept me reading until the very end. Readers should be ready to weep at times and be weary at others.

Length-wise, the book is 261 pages long and 8 hours 24 minutes on audible. It was actually quite easy to read through this novel for me, but I have read reviews, where some did not like the subject matter or the storyline, so it took them longer.

Plot: Ben Cross is a 30-year-old horror novel writer, who is stuck in a rut. He used to produce amazing stories that were critically acclaimed and made into shows and movies. Yet, his 2 recent books have not been well received. Due to his stress as a writer, he could not focus on his lover. His boyfriend James reveals he is having an affair with Ben’s book agent, Shane and they abruptly break-up. Desiring a change of scenery, Ben decides to buy a new home and finds an old Victorian home, Blackwell Manor in the town of Ivy Grove, which is on the market at a rock-bottom price. He moves in and starts discovering various things, such as mysterious sounds, ghostly shadows, and a mystery from the hundred-year-old journal of Theo Blackwell, son of the original owner. Researching the fact that Theo Blackwell, a 19-year-old boy had disappeared in October 1917 without a trace, he realizes the ghost haunting the manor may be this boy. Theo appears to Ben; they begin an odd friendship. At the same time, Ben’s neighbor Carter, a 25-year-old boy, begins befriending him and attempts to flirt with him. Ben is sexually attracted to Carter, but he is not in love with him. However, despite the oddity of it, Ben is finding himself falling head over heels in love with Theo Blackwell as Theo slowly opens up his story about his life, his former lover Henry, and ultimately his death. Theo is hesitant for Ben to fall in love with him, considering he’s a ghost and Ben is alive, such a love can never be fulfilling for either of them. Additional things happen to Ben in the story, such as him visiting another haunted home in Ivy Grove, Redwood Manner. He encounters the malevolent spirit known only as “Lady Death”, which portends his own death soon. The ending of the story is as sweet as such a tragic human/ghost love can ever be without fixing what has happened, but finding a path forward as they are. It’s a type of Happily Ever After, just not perfect.

Review: I love this story, in spite of the Goodreads reviewers, who could not accept the love between a human and a ghost. Maybe it’s because I grew up on this kind of horror story being Chinese and my culture actually has “Ghost Marriages”, which is a tradition where a living person can marry a dead person. If I ever have a husband and one of us dies first, I want to have that ceremony performed with him. I don’t think Gay Ghost marriage has been performed yet (heck, I might even write a story with that concept for myself). It’s the most amazing concept to love and cherish someone so much to be with them even if life/death separate you.

Ben Cross is an interesting character and I do admit I am partial to a struggling writer, who is trying to find his voice and create a story. I think Jaclyn Osborn succeeded in creating a character that wants to love Theo, a ghost, by being his friend, his confidant, and ultimately more from Theo than he knows he may get. The simple route of lovers would be the caring and doting Carter, but Ben knows he is only attracted to Carter, he doesn’t love him like he does Theo. It’s a meta-commentary about the nature of gay relationships, paralleling the love of human/ghosts, being a “half-life” of what people can truly have. What sold me on Ben’s character though was near the latter chapters, when he meets “Lady Death”, Jaclyn Osborn’s interpretation of ghostly malevolent ghostly specter from the movies The Woman in Black. Facing his mortality, he’s afraid of course, but there’s a greater fear in that he doesn’t want to leave Theo alone, knowing that not everyone becomes a ghost after they die. The root of his existential fear being love is very beautiful concept.

Theo Blackwell is the star of the book, his relationship with Henry from the early 20^th century, his abusive wealthy father, and the mystery surrounding his death. If he weren’t a ghost, I’d say he’s a really sensitive gay boy, who gets hurt easily. His story of losing his boyfriend Henry to Lilian, in an arranged marriage, was bitter, but there was no hate in him for Henry, because sadly, it was what gay men were expected to do. His story chronicles a period of gay American history few people ever consider, it’s the parallel period to E.M. Forster’s Maurice, but set in the United States. Being gay back then could not have been easy, the society was far more brutal and few places accepted openly gay men, except in the woods and secret hiding places, where they could be themselves. Learning about how Theo felt, his anguish, and his death made me angry that humanity could be so blind and hateful. Yet, I just have to look at other parts of the world to know human beings are still that way.

Other characters were also well used, Harvey, as Theo’s lover and the grandfather to Carter, was a dedicated lover to the end of his days. He wrote secret letters to Theo, lamenting how he did not cherish him enough, and his inability to bring the man who killed him to justice in their unjust world. Harvey may have lived a secret life as a gay man, but he never forgot the boy he loved. Carter, unlike his grandfather, is a proud and openly gay man without reservations. He’s the typical emo twink, but you can’t help enjoying his company or the number of sassy commentaries he delivers. He's the kind of gay character that would usually be a great romantic interest, which is exactly what Ben considered, the feeling was mutual from Carter as well until Ben found Theo's ghost. He was at first jealous over Theo getting Ben’s love, but they connected and became close friends nonetheless. Carter becomes far more fascinating as the story progresses, including his connection with Redwood Mansion, where he meets another handsome ghostly lover. Additionally, the story’s text was really written well; Jaclyn Osborn made some of the most poignant and poetic metaphors.

As for the weaknesses, yes, I do agree to some of the reviews that Jaclyn Osborn did not focus enough on her main plot towards the end of the novel. We learned the truth about Theo’s death, but it was not the ending of the novel as you’d expect from the inception of the mystery. Instead, we get a complicated subplot in the middle of the book involving “Lady Death”, a malevolent spirit from another haunted house. I understand why readers hate the juxtaposition of the plots. I agree that she could have handled an A/B story line better, but to me anyway, it was a minor issue, because the story was not negatively impacted by it. I actually liked the “Lady Death” plot twist, it added horror to the story and makes it perfect for Halloween reading, if you like gay romance and horror mixture.

My Review: 4 out of 5, I recommend this book for anyone looking for a Halloween gay fiction reading. It has a lovely human/ghost romance, a fun mystery plot, actual horror, and some fun story concepts. There’s a reason why I chose this book among all those I am reviewing to be my first Halloween review.