The Ghostwriter

The novel frames Olivia’s relationship to her family as her darkest secret. She has hidden not only her relation to Vincent, but also avoids discussing his impact on her life. In Chapter 2, she explains that she had lied to her partner, Tom, about her family life, claiming that both of her parents were nurturing but were now deceased. Although she gave him this backstory before she knew that their relationship would become serious, she never took the steps to rectify it with the truth. The longer their relationship goes on, the more severe the lie becomes, which causes Tom to break off with her when he discovers that Olivia has been keeping her father company in Chapter 21.

This reveals Olivia’s primary coping mechanism of avoidance. Her resolve to keep her family ties a secret represents her fear of confronting the hard truths of her childhood. This reflects her choice to become a ghostwriter. While ghostwriting, she can briefly inhabit lives where “[n]o one can see who [she is] or remember who [her] father is” (4). Olivia would prefer not to acknowledge the complications of her life, but the job that Vincent offers reminds her that it’s impossible to keep her secret forever.