City of Ghosts: A Novel

by Johanna Stoberock

Overview

A haunting debut novel that tells of dependence and betrayal among best friends and the man they both love. A sweeping romantic adventure begins when Isabel Grady marries her best friend Anna's lover and follows him halfway around the world to the inhospitable mountains of Nepal. Now, living in a ruined palace, with a husband who disappears for weeks at a time, Isabel struggles to make a new life for herself. But when Isabel learns that a visit from Anna is only months away, suddenly it seems that at every turn her ancient surroundings-and her own past-threaten to crush her hopes for the future. Isabel's new environment mirrors the tensions and passions of her marriage. The dense heat of monsoon, the ruins of a corrupt regime, and the lonely existence of expatriates are vividly rendered in a lyrical, rolling prose that is never hurried but always compelling. City of Ghosts is a poignant and probing study of love and loss and marks the arrival of a fresh and exciting literary voice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393051728
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/17/2003
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)

Editorial Reviews

No matter how far you go, you can't escape yourself. That, at least, is what Stoberock's protagonist Isabel discovers when she winds up in Nepal married to her best friend's lover. Isabel has known Anna since she was seven. From the moment they met, Anna was the leader and Isabel the follower. More than 20 years later, they are roommates in New York City, where Anna is a lawyer and Isabel manages an import store. As the novel begins, Anna is about to set off on a yearlong trip around the world. Before she leaves, she falls in love with Danny, a guide who leads treks in Nepal and is in New York on business. They part with plans to meet in Nepal, but once Anna is gone, Danny slips into Isabel's bed, and just a few months later, they are married. In Nepal, they settle into Danny's apartment in an old palace. Danny seems to love Isabel, but Isabel has all too much time to ponder exactly why she married him, and what it says about her relationship with Anna. Complicating matters is the fallout from the recent death of Anna's brother, who was Isabel's boyfriend for many years. Matters come to a head on a dramatic trek in Nepal, when Anna and Isabel finally face off. Stoberock's understated prose mitigates her overheated premise, and she astutely describes the effects of buried resentment. The novel's pacing is uneven, however, and the characterizations of Danny and Isabel are cloudy. Stoberock clearly knows Nepal well, but the picture she paints of it never quite springs to life. The same might be said of this artful but listless novel. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

First outing about a young woman’s bittersweet marriage to a tour guide. Isabel Grady grew up on Cape Cod, where the men are silent but not often mysterious.So, naturally, when she moved to Manhattan to room with childhood friend Anna, she was unprepared for someone like Anna’s boyfriend Danny. A trekking guide, Danny lives most of the year in Nepal, leading tourist expeditions through the mountain passes. Anna is still in mourning for her brother Matthew when she meets Danny, and being in love helps take her mind off the nightmare of Matthew’s tragic death. Unfortunately for Anna, Isabel (who’d been in love with Matthew) also needs to forget a few things, and while Anna is out of town, she and Danny become lovers. Eventually, they marry and move to Kathmandu, where Danny organizes his expeditions and Isabel helps manage a crafts shop. Danny introduces her to the expatriate community, and she soon becomes a good friend of Bethany Andrews, who teaches at the American School. Bethany’s husband Greg, also a teacher, runs a small side-business exporting Nepalese artifacts to the US and Europe. During the long periods when Danny is off on his treks, Isabel spends more and more time at the shop, being gradually brought into Greg’s exporting enterprise—which isn’t strictly run according to the letter of the law. Just when Isabel begins to worry about some of the characters she’s dealing with in her business, a personal problem overshadows her commercial concerns: Anna has come to Kathmandu. Worse, she’s going on an expedition with Danny. Is there more here than meets the eye? Just to be sure, Isabel insists (very much against Danny’s wishes) on accompanying them. Is it possible to run halfwayacross the world with a man only to lose him? Spirited and fresh-faced, a decent debut marred a bit by heavy breathing ("Did I say his eyes were blue? They were like a September sky").

Kirkus Reviews