The latest novel from Bram Stoker Awards winner Ramsey Campbell is a mystery almost up until its final pages.
Campbell does a real job of getting the reader to scratch their head and wondering if we are dealing with an unreliable narrator.
We follow the journey of Alex, an author who has been tasked ghost writing the life story of Carl, a man who has transitioned from being a woman after being abused as a child.
This was quite a difficult read to begin with as we are taken through Carl’s memories in graphic detail in some cases. It is interesting to see an author tackle transgenderism when attributed to historical sexual abuse.
Things do become quite convoluted as things progress and the lines between Alex and Carl become blurry and it will certainly put anyone off becoming a ghost writer anytime soon.
Carl is quite a difficult character to empathise with despite the abuse claims, as his vagueness of most things and projecting onto Alex becomes quite infuriating. Alex on the other hand exists in a grey area with some chapters allowing us into his world whereas others he appears quite distant and forgetful.
Somebody’s Voice is an intriguing read for the most part but it will certainly require patience to get through some of its slower chapters.
Somebody’s Voice by Ramsey Campbell is released on 22nd June 2021 by Flame Tree Publishing.
