As this information is disclosed in the first few pages, I don't feel I'm spoiling the fact that part of this book is written from the ghost's point of view. At first, I would sometimes not understand when the POV changed to the ghost and would be slightly confused and have to go back a few paragraphs to see when the POV shifted. Maybe that is because I was reading an ARC version on Kindle and in the actual book, it may be a more obvious shift.

That said, the POV of the ghost was not all that interesting to me, unfortunately. I don't know how that was possible as I love stories that include ghosts (doesn't have to be scary, which this is not). The coolest part of the ghost portion was how he kept bringing books out and putting them on the floor. Yet I don't know what the purpose of that was for. Was he sending a message? Why the floor and not the desk? Or the chair? Never made sense to me. And the fact that he later trimmed his trees and put the trimmings in garbage bags? Ummmm. Or that he was writing in notebooks. I guess if you're going to write about ghosts, you can make them do whatever you want them to. But again, what was the point? Why couldn't he do something for his widow? That would have tugged on the heartstrings more.

On to the rest of the characters. They were all highly intellectual (which is great) but appeared to be written in a very haughty way. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and their constant discussions of their work,. It just wasn't interesting for me. Perhaps a more scholarly reader would appreciate all of the ramblings of the story more than I (or is it me? I'm sure the characters would point out the correct grammar here for me.)

There were times throughout the book that I became very intrigued or started to feel like I was finally picking up an interesting thread and 'the hook' was just around the corner, only to have the story veer off to another rambling path that didn't hold my interest.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I wish I could say I liked it more!

This book has a great premise and I was excited to receive a copy. However, I found it poorly written. The characters never really come to life or mean anything. I quit reading 1/2 way through. Sorry just didn't care.

Writer Simon Inescort died of a heart attack on a ferry, yet he still lives at his and his wife Lorca's home in Vermont. Simon, who is a ghost now, tells the reader stories about what he witnesses of the comings and goings of the new occupants of his home, Zachary and Muriel. He also reminisces about the love of his life Lorca.

Simon shows us Zachary, who is a private investigator trying to solve the case of a young child who has disappeared. Heartbroken and haunted, Zachary will not stop until he finds her. We see through Simon's eyes the day to day relationship between Muriel and Zachary, warts and all as they decide to try for a family.

He entices us with the love story between himself and Lorca, how they met and fell in love. How they too wanted to start a family in the same house Zachary and Muriel are now living. How just before he set off on his last boat ride, he and Lorca tried to resolve their own marital problems.

The particular irony in all this is that Simon is aware of a clause in the deed of the house called the "Ghost Clause" which allows the current owner to be reimbursed by the previous owner if it is found there is a ghost living in the house. This is something he would never want to do to Lorca.

But with the alarm constantly being set off and with particular books being placed face down in the library will Zachary and Muriel get suspicious? What would they do if they knew?

The Ghost Clause is a "haunting" look at two marriages whose problems sometimes parallel each others through heartbreaks and joys and happiness and love everlasting.

Thank you #NetGalley #HoughtonMifflinHarcourt #HowardNorman #TheGhostClause for the advanced copy.

Mystery | Adult
This new novel from National Book Award-winning author Howard Norman is a mashup of a ghost story, a missing child mystery, and a love story/domestic fiction. Mostly it’s a ghost story, as Simon Inescort sticks around his house after dying of a heart attack at age 48. He is surprised by his consciousness and his corporality – he can pick up and read books as well as write in a journal. Unfortunately he keeps setting off the motion sensor in the library where he spends most of his time, creating an ongoing annoyance for the new homeowners, Muriel and Zachary, and their cat Epilogue – the only creature aware of Simon’s presence.
Simon’s widow Lorca visits occasionally, growing fond of the young couple who bought her home, with the titular ghost clause. It’s an out for homebuyers in Vermont when the seller fails to disclose the presence of a malevolent spirit. Happily for all, Simon isn’t malevolent, though he does cultivate a high creepy factor when he writes of the young couple’s sexual lives! Muriel is a newly minted PhD launching her career in academia; Zachary is a detective, and his first big case is to find a local missing child. Though technically I suppose it’s a mystery, that storyline just never takes off; it’s merely a tangent. Instead, this is a literary novel that explores the relationships between lovers, friends, colleagues, and neighbours, set in a community where relationships are deeply treasured, Even, apparently, after death. It’s a character driven novel, meaning nothing much really happens, even though it’s a mystery, making this a lovely choice for chilly fall nights. Just try to ignore the fact the ghost is a voyeur! My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40796181

This book was very well written, but just was not for me. I can see why people really enjoy it and there were some parts I did enjoy, but a lot of parts I had to slog through. The author is very talented and I will continue reading his books. This one just was not for me.

Description
Simon Inescort is no longer bodily present in his marriage. It’s been several months since he keeled over the rail of a Nova Scotia–bound ferry, a massive heart attack to blame. Simon's widow, Lorca Pell, has sold their farmhouse to newlyweds Zachary and Muriel—after revealing that the deed contains a “ghost clause,” an actual legal clause, not unheard of in Vermont, allowing for reimbursement if a recently purchased home turns out to be haunted. In fact, Simon finds himself still at home: “Every waking moment, I'm astonished I have any consciousness . . . What am I to call myself now, a revenant?” He spends time replaying his marriage in his own mind, as if in poignant reel-to-reel, while also engaging in occasionally intimate observation of the new homeowners. But soon the crisis of a missing child, a local eleven-year-old, threatens the tenuous domestic equilibrium, as the weight of the case falls to Zachary, a rookie private detective with the Green Mountain Agency.

MY REVIEW:
The Ghost Clause is a heartwarming story of two marriages. The Anders (the living) own the 1845 farmhouse previously owned by the ghost that also inhabits the home. Simon died at the age of forty-eight in 1994. When the farmhouse is bought by Muriel and Zachary, Simon is part of the deal. He enjoys visiting the library and has made himself at home alongside the new owners. Of course Simon sets off their security alarm system every time he sets foot in the library and they can't figure out why.

It is beautifully written with a little bit of humor and tragedy all mixed in together. A must read.

This book was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

Enjoyed the story. Norman's prose has a cadence to it. The words wrap around the reader.

Norman added the little details, such as the cat, and the sensors, and the widow who was the previous owner of the house.

I recommend this book for readers who have not read a good ghost story recently.

Apparently in New England it is common to include a ghost clause in a house sale agreement. If new owners are spooked by a ghost the previous owner will buy back the house. When Zachary and Muriel bought a house from Lorca Pell no one knew Simon, her dead husband returned to live in the farmhouse. Simon keeps a diary and enjoys visiting Muriel's library. He keeps setting off their security alarm. This book chronicles the two generations that live in the old house. Simon and Lorca were very old school and loved the old Vermont village. Zach and Muriel starting their family and Zach's new business as a private investigator. Sort of a love story and some mystery thrown in for good measure. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A handful of characters who spend majorities of their lives in a Vermont farmhouse, only one is a ghost, but more of a nostalgia ghost that is only known by the cat. All literary or artistic characters but a bit meandering.

TW fertility/miscarriage

Read this book immediately! Howard Norman knows how to navigate the depths of the human heart better than almost any author alive and THE GHOST CLAUSE proves this all over again. Poor Simon, a minor writer, died of a heart attack but he still inhabits in his home, even though his adored wife has sold the house to Zachary and Muriel, a young couple grappling with their relationship. Zach is a private investigator and his life has been overtaken by his pursuit of a missing child. Muriel is a college professor who translates beautiful and sensuous Japanese poetry. Simon watches them both and spend his days in his former library/office re-reading the books of Thomas Hardy. through Simon's eyes, we experience his past relationship with his wife and the unfolding of Zachary and Muriel's own marriage. Funny, tragic, touching, THE GHOST CLAUSE is one of the most satisfying novels I have read in a long time.

I absolutely loved the multi-layered narrative of this story, along with the mystery aspect. A definite favorite of my reads so far this year!

I have lots of problems with this book. Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Here we have a book told from Simon, the ghost who tells the story in a constant stream of consciousness. It deals with the living couples' infertility, constant complaints about the house alarm, the missing girl. The ghost, Simon reflects on how he met his wife, how he died, and how he landed a publishing deal.

What didn't I enjoy?
1. The steady stream of consciousness. This is a disjointed, irritating, and frustrating read.
2. The ghost, Simon watching the living couple have sex. If I were a ghost, watching people have sex wouldn't be something I'd enjoy.
3. Ghosts can't pick up a book. It will require a lot of energy in order to do it. If we go by the paranormal teams.
4. Instead of exploring ideas as a ghost, it gave me too much backstory of the ghost's history. He's dead.
5. The constant name-dropping of popular authors. It became too much for me to handle and irritating.
6. The characters acted trite and nauseating. New age ideas made it unrealistic for me. I want gritty characters, not weak characters.
7. We jump from idea to idea. Stick to one story and eliminate the rest.

What did I like about it?
1. If the author maybe changed the story to where the ghost assists the private detective to find the missing girl instead of the other junk in between, I'd be interested. The way the story stands now, no. No, no, no. Too much fluff and not enough grit.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, but there just seemed to be an invisible wall between me and the narrative that kept me from being fully connected to what was happening. The back and forth between the ghost's life and marriage and the living couple's marriage and life, adding in the "mystery" of the missing girl and that whole investigation, just kept me pretty continuously confused about what story line I was currently meant to keep track of. The conversations were also long, and often without reference to who was speaking, and that was also an easy way to become lost. I think I enjoy a book that doesn't require quite so much effort.

Decent novel, not what I was expecting, but that always isn't a bad thing.
I liked most parts of this book, but a few I found a bit dull. I really liked the ending the best.
Overall, a good, sweet story about people and marriage.

Excited about the unique idea of telling a double romance via a ghost's point of view, I eagerly anticipated and downloaded The Ghost Clause. However, I had trouble getting into it. Yes, hauntingly and beautifully written, but the slow start makes it difficult to want to keep reading.

I have no doubt that Howard Norman worked hard on his book. Just reading it exhausted me. It's like he tried to imbue each page with the essence of every Anthropologie window display, every Design Sponge blog post that uses the phrase "eclectic melange". The so-young-so-cool-so-twee couple inhabiting the house read like caricatures of lifestyle bloggers. They play records on an antique phonograph. A PHONOGRAPH. There's no sense of self-awareness, either from Norman or his characters. His insistence on minutely describing everything his characters do is stifling. Much like an up-and-coming social media darling at Coachella, he strives for an air of casual coolness, while actually coming across as trying too hard.

I expected ghostly hi-jinks of which there were none. This is a story of a house and the families that inhabit it told by one of the family members who is now a ghost. A new approach to story telling that took me by surprise.

Book did grab you in with interest with it writing style. It wasn't really plot driven more windows into to couples lives through the understanding of a ghost that was also an author. The writing style as I have said is more snape shots than plot driven. The build up, suspense to certain events really got me want to find out and stop me putting the book down but due to the style I found the payoff not as satisfying. The great thing about this book was the character development, given that this type of book would lead more to cardboard characters, this time they were fleshed out nicely. Would have like to go in deeper but this maybe to do with narrator (the ghost) preface than anything else. If you love The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald then you would love this book. #Netgallery

What is this book? The title indicates that is a ghost story or a mystery. There is a ghost narrator (who sets off the security alarm in the library). There is a mystery---the new husband in the house is searching for a missing child. There is also some reflection on marriage as the ghost narrator compares his marriage to the couple living in his Vermont farm house. Add in some erotic poetry translated from the Japanese by the detective's wife and you have I don't know what. The author tried to create a fairy tale; twee setting, perfectly imperfect characters. Despite the numerous elements I found irritating, overall I liked the book and I think others will find it somewhat entertaining.