The Involuntary Ghostwriter (The Ghostwriter Series #1) Out-of-date.

The Ghostwriter Series #1

by Douglas Debelak

This is an out-of-date, likely out-of-print edition. To read the current edition, it is now available on Amazon, with links and updated information here on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

310 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Author’s Biography
I would much prefer to have my biography written by someone else and, therefore, presented objectively in the third person. But, until I can afford to hire a publicist or persuade a friend who knows me well enough and whom I trust to be honest, we are both stuck with me and a clearly subjective and highly biased effort. In consideration of such biased subjectivity, I believe the most honest approach I can offer is to proceed in the first person.

For my complete biography and links to information about my book, so that I don't have to cram it into the space provided here, go to: my Biography Webpage, so I also don't have to update it at multiple locations

For an overview of The Ghostwriter's Series and those specific to each of the books in the series.

Reviews

[Greg Meritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thought-provoking book that had me questioning the workings of the universe and the Creator. The author does an excellent job of taking us into to the world of Jonathon Fry, who sits down to write a novel, but is soon taken down a different path. Jonathon finds himself writing about a woman he's never met. As the title suggests, he is compelled to write about this woman and then he begins to question his own sanity. This is an excellent story that is sometimes raw and serious, sometimes light and funny. This novel will make you think and perhaps question your own perception of reality. I'm looking forward to Mr. Debelak's next book.

[Jay Saph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read with good pace. It follows two interlinked stories set in different time points and each written in first and third person. One story focuses on a chap writing a novel and the problematic relationship with his unforgiving wife; the other, I think, takes a look back to his early romantic life. The writing is clean, unpretentious and easy to follow. The erotic bits (and there's lots of them) are quite engaging and avoid (mostly) the cheesiness you often come across. All the characters strike me as believable, although, I will admit (at times) I laughed to myself, "Yeah, right!" Mr Debelak certainly is very interested in what he writes about and doesn't forgo any details! It is entertaining, there's no doubt.

I suppose my biggest criticism with "The Involuntary Ghostwriter" is that I felt that the element of the story which involved God, just didn't work for me. I can see that the author, from his professional background, wanted to add an element of mystery/complexity so he could differentiate a tried and test boy meets girl story line, but most of the time I felt some passages were incongruous, or "bolted on", to the main thrust of the story. What I'm saying is: if these passages weren't there, the underlying plot would have had the same impact for me, at least. This is purely a personal opinion and maybe this theme would resonate more strongly with another reader.

Bottom line: an engaging, well written piece but might be lost on some.

[S.L. Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathon Fry takes a year off to finally write the novel he's always wanted to, but the universe seems to have different plans for him! He finds himself visited by a beautiful woman in his dreams, his blog posts seem to tell the story of an unknown creator, and his marriage hits a snag. Both Jonathon and the Creator evolve as their stories unfold and we're given insight into the mind of the creator of the universe. This is a great read that will have you questioning the universe and its creation, our roles in it, and how someone would be affected if the creator decided to speak through them.

[K.T. Munson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters

This book is very driven by the main character. It does after all have an autobiographical feel to it. There is ugliness and beauty. Bad and good choices. It is a life lived. If you read the first 20% you will get hooked on his life. You'll want to know more, and the chapters/pages just fly by. The supporting characters are all from his point of view. Although one is in first person and another in third person, which could be a little confusing at times, once you get over the hump it flows seamlessly. 

Plot

The focus of this story is on the life of Jonathan Fry. The plot ping pongs back and forth between a younger and older Jonathon  It is like watching life unfold at two different points in a man's life. Watching decisions turn into rewards or consequences. Be warned this is clearly the first book in a series as the first chapter, it ends rather abruptly and with multiple issues looming and unresolved. 

Overall

After a slow start I was sucked in. It read like a diary or journal of a man recounting his life and the choices he made. I cringed, I gripped my phone in worry, I gasped, and I was enthralled. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started this book but I was impressed. It is a unique writing style that sometimes feels like the author is sitting next to you explaining what is going on. 

One thing that did bother me was the disruption of the 'creator' chapters. That is usually where I took breaks. I read this whole thing off and on during a plane ride and it was the perfect book to pass the time. In a way the creator chapters were nice break points for me, but they were painful to get through because I was so invested in Jonathan Fry's life. I'll admit this book surprised more than once, and mostly for the better! 

Rating

4 Stars

There is a raw and yet philosophical feel to the book that is engaging. A surprisingly pleasing read perfect for a long plane ride. 

This is a voluntary review. Thanks to the author for providing me a copy. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.

[Alicia Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

“God.” It means a lot of different things to different people. And if you’re like me, you’ve wondered what role He plays in our daily lives. Does He listen? Is He even there? Does He interfere on our behalf? Is He watching us? Is He ALWAYS watching us? And could he possibly be living among us? What would He do to make ends meet? He’d have a significant advantage, right? He’d know things we couldn’t possibly fathom and make choices that have no downside. Even with a “carpenter’s” origin, he’d find a way to “rise above.” Do you think that’s a fair assessment?

Douglas Debelak has an innovative approach to addressing these quandaries. He serves us God in small, mysterious doses, lightly woven in around a recurring dream sequence as well as the book’s two main story threads.

Jonathan has reached a point in his life where he feels past peak. Nothing good will ever happen unless he makes some major life changes. Inspired by erotic dreams, marital problems, and an overwhelming need to make sense of his past and present, he begins writing a semi-autobiographical account of his youth. But it takes on a life of its own, almost as if the “voice” in his ear is not his own.

Jonathan’s “Narrator” tells his story from “the beginning.” The conflict, morals, and the family and relationship problems aren’t what I would call “typical,” but they would still pass as plausible in the modern world. The Narrator and his girlfriend/wife are smart, ambitious people who are attempting to make love, sex, and marriage work despite their personal hang-ups and their unaligned religious beliefs all while undergoing their educational enrichment and employment hassles. For anyone who’s been through something similar, this element was well done and extremely relatable. Although this guy doesn’t act like “the Son of God,” he means well and stays true to his core set of beliefs, love being his highest priority. And if you’re type to look for “clues,” there are plenty to feast on, including the contractor stepfather.

I expected the dream and God components to come to a finer point, but they should continue to come into play in the next two books of the trilogy. Overall, I was extremely satisfied. The story could hold its own without the religious element. It’s engaging and well written. And there’s enough left open-ended in regard to bridging the gap between the before and after (how the Narrator becomes Jonathan) to keep me invested in the outcome of these characters. I look forward to reading more of Debelak’s work.

[Michael Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking book about a man who sits down to begin writing a blog to examine his past. He gets waylaid partway through as he writes a story of his relationship with a beautiful woman who is completely unknown to him. He finds himself unable to control the compulsion to continue writing about her, and he begins questioning reality.
Douglas takes us through tales from his youth with a mix of light humour and serious thought, and these become intertwined with the emerging story of the unknown woman and his intensifying relationship with her. I found this a compelling read.

[Angela Panayotopulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book, I assumed it had something to do with an ordinary ghostwriter tackling the sort of work you'd expect -- that he'd be a mercenary of the written word for a fellow human (my daytime job, coincidentally) and would be penning masterpieces for clients who wanted to become authors despite not personally being writerly types.



What I received, instead, was a very imaginative, surreal, and sometimes disjointed story of a writer (Jonathon) often consumed by a greater force -- by Debelak's fictional depiction of God, presumably ("or [Jon's] imagination, some demonic possession, or bat-shit craziness taking over his brain") -- and summoned to be a sort of mouthpiece of divinity. This element of spirituality clashes with Jon's erotic dreams featuring a woman who isn't his wife. Or does it? As explained in Debelak's intro: "the central and original story of The Ghostwriter Series is the autobiography of God, or a fictional, irreverent, raw and real, alternative version thereof. He didn't invent sex, but it is one of his favorite things."

So there's that.

And there's a lot of musings about that (sex), too. It's as raw, real, and irreverent as promised, and sometimes downright hilarious -- especially the dialogue between the parents who are taking their first stab at the birds and bees convo. That was brilliantly written and achingly real.



The book has its fair share of grammatical issues, right from the Intro itself, which I found to be a bit off-putting. I often found it difficult to follow the narrative, both chronologically but mostly in terms of transitioning (time-wise, plot-wise, and in terms of head-hopping) between chapters/sections. The head-hopping was often hard to navigate because some of the ghostwritten material was in italics and some wasn't.

Jon is a believable character -- I for one, did not find him particularly likeable, but he is undeniably well-rounded and realistic, and that's the most commendable quality a written character can have, so no points knocked off there. I struggled to relate to and "believe" in the ghostwritten voice, and I also couldn't buy Jonathon's rather complacent reaction to "getting" it. It did make sense that he'd enjoy the erotic dreams that seemed to accompany the narrative sweeping through his fingertips, and I get that he relents to "ghostwriting" in order to let the dreams continue, but I'd expect him to feel and express at least some fear or greater unease or even awe early on in the process. Feeling that you're being overtaken by a "muse" is one thing; feeling crazy or possessed is a very different beast.



That said, you can't negate the creativity of the story's premise. One of the things that Debelak promises to explore in his book is the question of "What if?" He certainly delivers on that promise. There are lines within his manuscript that practically glitter with the magic of wonder and imagination and quiet wisdom, and these are the ones that sung to me... lines like "Some of you are so entrenched in your beliefs that you will continue to insist you know me better than I know myself" ... "he had no idea what he was doing, and he felt that applied to every single aspect of his life" ... "she became a prime example of not asking a question if you don't want the answer" ...
"Your imaginations are what create those possibilities. Your imaginations are the driving force of you becoming... more."

[K.V. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Involuntary Ghostwriter is a story about a man who feels a compulsion to write a memoir that is not his own. This - and some strange yet satisfying dreams - distances him from his wife. But, as with any relationship, both parties have flaws that they must learn to accept and love. The story has a lot of sexual references and descriptions, but I really enjoyed the flow of the protagonist's thoughts and narrative. This book could easily be seen on bookshelves. My favourite part was the last few chapters - I couldn't put the book down and went right into the second one of the series. Looking forward to seeing where it goes!

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Definitely thought-provoking, but far too much sex and coming-of-sexual-age stories for me.

[Steve Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Almost my adolescent life as a nerdish, insecure boy.

[Sheena Macleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boon gave Jonathon Fry a year to write his novel but, as memories that are not his own flood his thoughts, Jonathon begins to question whether the words he has written are his own or whether he is a mere conduit for someone else. And, he is haunted by dreams of an exotically beautiful woman he has never met. His wife initially benefits from these late night dreams, until he honestly answers her questions about why he is suddenly more active in bed.
The Involuntary Ghostwriter poses a number of intriguing questions. Was God writing the words? Why had He decided to speak through Jonathon Fry? And, what messages was He conveying?
Events in the internet café raised questions in me as a reader and, like Jonathon Fry, I wondered what was going on. It is feasible that if God did live amongst us now, He would lead a life much like our own and would look like we do. As a child, growing up He would have had a familial set of cultural, religious and social restrictions passed on to him. Since God used the media of the time in the past, again, it is feasible that He might use social media today to send us His word. So, was Jonathon Fry, like his predecessors, an Involuntary Ghostwriter, telling God’s story and passing on His messages?
Jonathon Fry is likeable and immediately recognisable as a typically flawed and slightly disillusioned man nearing burn out and retirement; questioning the life he has led and the choices he has made. Jonathon’s confusion and conflict as he reads back what he has written are evident and touch on many real life questions about sex, guilt and religion. Despite his confusion about the life he is writing about that is, and at the same time is not, his own, Jonathon is compelled to keep writing.
While some parts are emotionally challenging, such as childhood bullying and a need to fit in, other parts provide a humorous and insightful look back at a typical childhood and early adult years of a boy growing up, and facing sexual awakening.
Douglas Debelak provides his fiction, loosely based on facts. This is a book about living and striving, that many people will relate to. An important recurring theme running throughout is sin and guilt. This is a book about human existence and experience and the anxiety caused by living. As Jonathon reaches retirement, is he experiencing some sort of personal crisis or, is God using him as a medium to pass on his words about what it is to live, to exist and what it means to be human in the world that He provided for us?

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathon Fry is writing a novel. It started as a story of his own life, but in typing it, has evolved into something wholly different. His book is revealed to us as he’s writing it and in the format of blog posts. In the beginning, he frequently “pauses” to comment on the accuracy of his statements as the narrative progresses. One he realizes that the inaccuracies outnumber the events he actually lived, he decides that he’s okay with it. After all, fiction isn’t required to be accurate. The rest of the story consists of two threads woven together: Jonathon’s past (somewhat fictionalized) life contrasted with what his life has become in the present.

The idea of God writing the story is an original and riveting premise, but he remains absent in any noticeable way. The author seems cognizant of this, and even has God directly admit that his life appears that of a normal human. This is fine, except that if God removed, the story remains pretty much unchanged, save a few overtures.

What we’re given is better categorized as a coming of age memoir: a boy’s sexual awakening, but also his intellectual one, as he moves from a bright kid uninterested in school to doing some pretty fascinating things in the field of computer programming and biological engineering.
The first paragraph of the book blurb states this outright. I would have been fine with the book if it were sold as exactly that. However, the next sentence is what truly piqued my interest: Jonathon's story grows into an epic tale, which purports to be the autobiography of God. This is a promise not delivered. I realize that it’s possible that my definition of epic might differ greatly from others, but the book’s events lean more toward mundane, everyday occurrences than anything epic.

Characters - except Jonathon and God - lack names, existing only as a titles describing their relationship to Jonathan. My wife. My therapist. Ed the Engineer (not his real name). This distances the reader from connecting with them. An intentional choice, is seems, by the author.

There are emotional scenes flecked throughout (mostly involving the narrator and his first wife), but much of the narrative contains detailed play-by-plays of events that became tedious to read through. (The remodeling of the house with his stepfather and developing software and an argument that resulted about whether or not the narrator had stolen the company’s API, to name a few.) Multiple times, I put the book down to take a break, to reflect, and to wonder, “Did I miss something?” I struggled to maintain interest, but kept reading in hopes I’d stumble upon some fantastic revelation that would make the entire book come to life. God’s parting words to us occupy the last pages of the book and allude something incredibly interesting. But that interesting “something” exists in a following book.

There are things that I did appreciate while reading. The sex scenes were handled in a competent way that lacked any off the eye-roll inducing properties of other erotica. The writing was solid. I also really felt true sympathy for the narrator at times, especially in his younger days. I’m chalking up my unenthusiastic reaction as me not being the right audience for the book, as my expectations were something different than what was presented.

[Caleb Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit Slaughterhouse Five, a lot bit erotic memoir. Jonathon is writing a book, or more specifically a blog, about his life, only...he's not. Some of the details are familiar, but also removed from the reality as he actually remembers it, and yet he can't stop himself from writing the details of this alternate timeline.


I loved Slaughterhouse Five and something about this gave me little whiffs off that masterpiece. It's well written, it's largely first person, it involves parallel realities. It's intriguing. It's also very, very graphic.


In fairness, the book begins with a warning about graphic sex scenes, but the pervasiveness of them still caught me off guard. I thought maybe it would be more like the Sin City graphic novels, where it was graphic when it happened, but not central to the story. The opposite is true. Every detail of the lead’s (but not really the lead’s?) sexual evolution is detailed from childhood masturbation to his married life. It's essentially the driving force of the story.


I'm not counting this against it at all as my score goes. A warning was given and I underestimated said warning. That's on me. But just know it's pivotal to the plot if that's not your thing (it's really not my thing, but the book was still enjoyable).


The one star I'm taking off is because five stars would imply I had no issues at all with it, and the truth is that the physical perfection of Jonathon’s first wife, who “could've been a lingerie model" (but wasn't) made her really boring to me and she is a very major character here.  Every man who sees her wants to be with her to the extent of making their wives jealous by even being in the same room with her, and, sure, there might be women for whom that’s a reality, but within the context of this book, it just took me out of it. The premise requires enough suspension of disbelief as it is.


I think it's a fascinating premise and it really was well written and paced on the whole. I don't think it's for everyone, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit the title of Book 2, The Ghostwriter’s Wife, didn't make me incredibly curious where the story is going.

[m.m. radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Life Journey Told Through Writing At An Internet Cafe...

My favorite incident in “The Involuntary Ghostwriter” occurs when Jonathon Fry, in recapping incidents in his life—some accurate and some admitted distorted (for example, how computers had slipped into the story of his childhood when PCs weren’t around until he’d been an adult)—was when his mother, concerned with what she thought of as Jonathan’s unhealthy fascination with sex, sent him to church camp for the summer, hoping it would get his mind off it. A couple of the older kids are discussing jacking off, and one of the kids jumps on a bunk and masturbates in front of him. So much for Jonathan’s mother’s best intentions. The book’s premise is one where Jonathan takes a year off work to write. He and his wife have grown distant after he admits he’s been having fantasies of another woman. Even though the fantasy female is not real, per se, his wife is chagrined that there is an imaginary someone else. Jonathan does love her and fears growing old without a partner, and facing their estrangement, talks things over with a therapist, whom his wife will not join him in seeing. The surprise ending delighted me, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Ali Seegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Involuntary Ghostwritter is an intriguing read; it tells the story, or rather two stories, of Jonathan Fry who has taken the year off to write a book, a memoir, that he decides to publish online. The book dips between the two lives of Jonathan; his youth, finding himself, finding love, discovering sex, and the reality of his life today... his crumbling relationship with the wife he still loves but unwisely told of his sexual dream about a stunningly, beautiful woman that was not her.

I particularly enjoyed the younger years that were beautifully written with a sensitivity and understanding of the dilemmas facing a shy young man as he navigates his way towards adulthood. The love story is pure and touching; you find yourself entangled in their discoveries of each other’s bodies, and you celebrate their promises to never leave the other.

Parts of the story left me wondering... perhaps intentionally? (this is book 1 of a series, after all)... but it detracted slightly from the overall enjoyment of the book. However, the writing made up for this in abundance and all-in-all it was a clever and enjoyable read.

[Mariyam Hasnain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. The story is written from first and third person point of view alternatively. The main protagonist is Jonathan Fry who is writing his story and publishing them in the form of blog postz. This was his backstory and takes the readers from his childhood to teenage years, finally culminating or should I say continuing to his adulthood years.
The writing was smooth and flew very well. However, there was kind of a drag at some places especially when the author describes the remodeling of Fry’s stepfather’s house.
I would love to know about the mystery (dream) girl of Jonathan’s dream. I tried to figure out who was his ex-wife. Were the mystery girl and the ex-wife the same woman? These questions left unanswered, and I think I need to read the second part to know the answers.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read if we minus the childhood abuse part of the book. Erotic descriptions are also carved out well and I felt like reading them. There was newness to them, something which is rare to find.

[Ann Pratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, what an interesting read. This isn't the first book I've read recently that details different stories within its pages, but I have to say, an author being able to do this, I personally find quite remarkable. There were so many different aspects to this book, but primarily I loved it because it read like an autobiography in one aspect, and a biography in another. The tales progressing alongside one another provided a contrast that held my attention throughout, from beginning to end.

Would I read a follow on book from this? Maybe, if in the mood for another book that felt autobiographical. Certainly the characters were an interesting mix, and it would be interesting to see where they progress from the end of this first book. I'm giving this one four stars. It's definitely a different kind of journey to embark upon.

[Tamira Thayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Story within a Story and So Forth

I enjoyed this book; the author writes well, and I was able to get a good feel for the characters. It’s loosely focused around automatic writing, but I wasn’t sure if the character who was doing the automatic writing really believed it was coming from the good Lord above, or his psyche—or if he felt they were one and the same.

In the book, the author writes about an author who is writing a book, and so sometimes it got a little confusing as to who was in ‘control’ of the narrative, and it would take me a minute or two to get back into that aspect of the story.

I think it’s well worth the read—and maybe you’ll want to check out the next in the series as well when you’re finished.

[Matt Gianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE INVOLUNTARY GHOSTWRITER, the debut novel by Douglas Debelak, follows Jonathon Fry as he reviews his completed memoir. It turns out Jonathon is quite a writer, practically divine. But, as he discovers the narrative differing more and more from his memories, he begins to have doubts. Are the words truly mine? Is this life? Am I some kind of prophet? Or a madman?
The story reads like a dual timeline, with the scenes from the first person memoir storyline taking place during Jonathon's youth and young adulthood, the other third person storyline taking place when he's much older. I enthusiastically recommend THE INVOLUNTARY GHOSTWRITER to all who like deep psychological dramas.

[Christine Clayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by the complexity of yet simpleness of this book. There is two part to the story one told in the first person and one in the third person, yet it was not confusing, it was easy to understand and get engrossed.

Jonathon Fry is nearing his retirement, he has had good and bad times in his life like most of us. The plot really starts when he starts writing a blog about his youth and ends up writing about a beautiful woman he had never met but somehow felt like he had.

I was quite amused at the effect this exotic beauty had on the marital life of Jonathan before his wife finds out about it.

[Rebecca Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Unique Approach to Storytelling

At times this book was difficult to read for its brutal honesty about relationships with your significant other and with yourself. But we couldn’t help but turn the pages to see what happened. A reader’s investment in the characters in a novel, or a memoir, is the primary objective of an author. This talented writer had our attention from beginning to end in a story which was both unique and all too familiar at the same time. Infused with honesty, self-awareness, and plenty of self-doubt, we shared the pain, the happiness, the eroticism, and the struggle for understanding life and love many times. Well done, Douglas Debelak.

[Xanxa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected but very enjoyable

An intriguing journey through the very troubled mind of a man at a crossroads in his life. Some of his memories don't seem to belong to him but he writes as though they do. An intriguing story within a story which holds the reader's attention all the way.