by I was recently reminded of a book I loved, A Manhattan Ghost Story. I read it because I’d given permission to use my name for one of the characters, but I adored this book. It portrayed ghosts as being as clueless and lost about being dead as some of us are about being alive. I wrote a very gushing fan letter to the author and he signed his next book for me!
So I googled him to see what he is up to only to learn that he’d died fairly recently, on October 31, 2015. I think I already knew and had blocked it. It’s just too sad. There was always something so vulnerable about him.
A Manhattan Ghost Story was first optioned to be made into a movie in 1991 and according to Wikipedia, “As of 2015, the film is in development at Touchstone Pictures.” It would make such a great movie, damnit. Make it already. I just wish it had been made in Terry’s lifetime.
Wow, clicked on the link, and that looks to be a really great read. Going to get it. And a movie, nice!
I was watching the original “Exorcist” the other night on Netflix, and had completely forgotten the large role the Priest played in the story right from the start. Kinda makes me wonder what else I’ve forgotten about movies I watched years ago.
Wikipedia says he had Parkinson’s. I knew about this disease but just recently, discovered that an old boyfriend from university had been diagnosed with it in the last year, and so am more aware of its debilitating progress. I also audited a class last year, given by a prof who had started his decline with Parkinson’s robbing him of his ability to speak loudly and write clearly. Such a shame. It’s interesting that you remembered him as ‘vulnerable’. That’s how I would have described the prof, but not my old boyfriend. He was a black belt in karate who still enjoys tramping in the bush with his hunting dogs. Interesting how each individual is so different and yet alike from every other person.
I am intrigued by the fact that he had to get your permission to use your name in the book! Was it ‘you’ as a character? Or was it because your name is fairly unique? I see our public library only has two books by him – ‘Strange Seed’ and “Eyes of the Carp’. I’m kind of reading enough things for now, but if they’d had ‘A Manhattan Ghost Story’ I would have got it for sure.
Damnit! They should have had it! I think he just liked my name, because we’d never met and the character wasn’t like me. I remember she had a Marilyn Monroe type figure and I was very boyish at the time. I’m sorry about your ex-boyfriend and the prof. Life is so unfair. I really must remember to count my blessings more.
Cara, the priest was my favorite part of the movie. Also a vulnerable character. I just realized I’ve used that word several times recently. I wonder what it indicates!!