A review by cangell
Ghost Lover: Stories by Lisa Taddeo

dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved “Three Women” and “Animal,” so I was excited to read Lisa Taddeo’s latest delve into the feminine psyche. Her prose is lush, poetic, and unsparing, chronicling the insidious ways the patriarchy erodes women’s self worth. She treads familiar terrain in this story collection, which is reminiscent of Cheever and Updike’s classic tales of upper middle class malaise. The language is as spectacular as ever here, yet where her two previous books were gripping and impossible to put down, I found my attention waning. 

Collections are usually thematically linked, but most of these stories are simply too similar to the point of schtick. After the second or third or fourth wealthy, self-absorbed white woman stewing about wealthy, self absorbed white men, I started to lose interest. The Malibu villas and New England country houses started to blend together.

Much of the criticism of Taddeo’s work reeks of the same double standards her characters suffer under. Many readers still seem deeply uncomfortable with complicated, openly sexual female characters who aren’t sufficiently meek or morally pure. Taddeo seems to be speaking to that directly. I love a good unlikable narrator, but even the most hellish characters need to be compelling (Joan in “Animal” is a great example). The pressures and traumas that have undone these women are very real, but many of the stories merely paint a portrait of these issues rather than add something new to the conversation. I kept waiting for some kind of nod to the reader that wasn’t there. 

A number of reviews have touched on representation issues. Queer people and people of color are largely invisible, except for occasional appearances as an exotic or threatening other. I assumed these icky moments were a reflection of the narrow worldview of the characters, but they were never commented upon or explored further. The world of the stories is almost defiantly vanilla . 

There are a number of standouts in the collection, especially towards the second half of the book. The enduring love between friends in Air Supply and Suburban Weekend is deeply moving. I enjoyed the supernatural turn in Padua, 1966. Taddeo is at her best when she dives beyond the everyday heartaches to examine the much bigger monsters that lurk underneath. I think if I’d read some of them on their own instead of couched between the other stories, I would have appreciated them more. 

Taddeo is such a skilled storyteller, it would be nice to see her step beyond her comfort zone. I’ll be eager to see what she comes out with next. 
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