Ghosts

He said ‘I love you’. And then he disappeared.

Things that are going right for Nina Dean:

• She’s found her dream job.
• She finally has her own home.
• She’s met Max, a beguiling romantic hero who has swept her off her feet.

Things that are going wrong for Nina Dean:

• She has the neighbour from hell.
• Her friendships are fracturing, and so is her parents’ marriage.
• She hasn’t seen or heard from Max for weeks.

Just as everything ought to be falling into place, it’s all falling apart instead. Nina’s beloved dad’s memory is slipping away from him, and her mum is caught in a baffling mid-life glow-up. Her friends are becoming strangers and her exes are moving on. Everywhere she turns, she’s reminded of time passing.

The last thing she needs is another ghost.

Dolly Alderton's debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.

Review

Witty, touching without ever being sentimental, hugely enjoyable -- David Nicholls

It's incredibly moving. The idea of believing in everything and nothing in the same moment. The female friendships were beautifully drawn -- Billie Piper

Ghosts is wonderful. Funny, sharply observed, poignant, and full of truths about life and love and friendship. ― Matt Haig

This debut novel is a tender, effervescent and deliciously well-observed guide to the complexities of thirty-something life -- Jane Shilling ― The Daily Mail

Ghosts is an absolute knock-out. Wickedly funny and, at turns, both cynical and sincere, Dolly Alderton's voice feels like your very favourite friend. I devoured it -- Taylor Jenkins-Reid

A sharp-eyed debut . . . Tests the boundaries of what used to be called chick-lit ― Guardian

There are sharply skewered set pieces, but also tender observations . . . a promising, deftly written, often entertaining and poignant debut novel ― Sunday Times

Loved it from start to finish, really laugh out loud: well-written, packed with ideas and observations and so engaging I can't put it down ― Philippa Perry

I absolutely adored it. So clever and funny and such a treat. The pages really did turn themselves ― Cathy Rentzenbrink

A stunning achievement: I was laughing out loud, doing my best a few minutes later not to burst into tears and then angry that it had all come to an end. So moving, so funny, so beautifully written and so poignant. Brilliant ― Stanley Tucci

Utter BRILLIANCE. Dolly is such an insightful commentator on love, longing, friendship and emotional landscapes. I absolutely LOVED it! ― Marian Keyes

About the Author

Dolly Alderton is an award-winning and bestselling author, screenwriter and journalist based in London. She is the author of two Sunday Times bestselling works of non-fiction: Everything I Know About Love, which won a National Book Award (UK) for Autobiography of the Year and was made into a BBC One TV Series, and Dear Dolly, a collection of her agony aunt columns from The Sunday Times Style magazine. She is also the author of two novels, Ghosts and Good Material, which were both instant Sunday Times bestsellers. She is a columnist for The Sunday Times Style and has also written for GQ, Red, Marie Claire and Grazia. She is the co-creator and former co-host of the beloved podcast The High Low.