Ghost Radio

Definitely a good book if you like characters with interesting backgrounds and yet still mysterious to the reader. The ending though really left me with so many questions and thoughts.

I picked this book up recently and I didn't really put it back down until I was the whole way through to the end. The story is really freaky and surprising, I don't really like too much 'horror' but I really liked this. The radio show stories were great- Gout reminds me of some terrifying paranormal call-in shows you hear in the middle of the night on a long dark highway. Spooky!

When I sat down to review "Ghost Radio" by Leopoldo Gout, I had really mixed feelings about what to write. However, none of those feelings indicated it should receive anything less than 5 stars. The story had flaws but despite those flaws, it was riveting and held my interest like the best science fiction. One note: if you don't liked a mixture of third person (he went to the store) and first person (I went to the store) in your books, then "Ghost Radio" will drive you insane. The author mixes the two, sometimes effectively, sometimes less so. It generally worked well in differentiating the radio callers' stories and the past events, versus what is happening "now" that results in the conclusion. The first person, however, had the unlikely and unfortunate effect of making the main characters, Joaquin and his girlfriend, Alondra, less likeable. Particularly Alondra. So much so, that I had a little trouble with some aspects of the ending. The final chapters are in third person, however, where they are more likeable, which helps the story move more smoothly at the end. The characterizations, however, are important because ultimately they impacted the way I interpreted the story. As for the story itself, it really had more in common with the best, experimental science fiction than a traditional ghost story. I am a huge fan of horror/ghost stories. And science fiction--if you mean SCIENCE fiction and not fantasy. For many years, I've been searcing for ghost stories along the lines of Shirley Jackson's "Haunting of Hill House" where the horror is understated and elegant instead of in-your-face blood and gore--which is actually less memorable and terrifying than few, ominous, well chosen words ("And whatever walks there, walks alone.") To my delight, "Ghost Radio" is not an in-your-face gorefest. It has something in common with Jackson's understated, creeping sensation of fear, but as I mentioned, it really falls more in the category of fiction such as Pat Cardigan's "Tea From An Empty Cup". In fact, that feel of the two books is very similar. I'm including these points of comparison to give potential readers an idea of what to expect. That pretty well takes care of the "atmosphere" of the book. The story is even more interesting. And that is where the review is difficult. I don't want to give away the ending and yet my interpretation of the events in the story differ from the blurb on the back as is often the way with good fiction. It is hard to stay if the author intended this or not. I'm going to be generous, though, and say he gave the reader concepts about the universe, the afterlife, music, and radio that are fascinating and open to interpretation. The ideas postulated are that the afterlife and our physical world are separated by something similar to a pane of one-way glass. The dead can see us, and a few can interact to a limited degree with those alive. But the living cannot see the other side. And radio waves pe

The novel Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout is a creepy and twisted story about late night talk-radio host Joaquin and his decent into the world of ghosts. Ghost Radio is a call in radio show where callers recant their own strange, horrible and terrifying ghost stories. The show is born after Joaquin gets into a car accident, which kills his parents and is hospitalized for months. Incidentally, it also kills the parents of another boy his age, Gabriel. Joaquin and Gabriel instantly become friends and in the hospital become very close. Even when confined in a hospital, their rebellious attitudes lead them on daring adventures. During one of their adventures they acquire a radio. Late at night they tune into their favorite show, Ghost Radio. It is this show that Joaquin gets the inspiration for his own Ghost Radio. After their release, the boys start an experimental, rock, punk, pseudo-goth band, Deathmuertoz, and develop a small following. However one night, during a live broadcast of Deathmuertoz, Gabriel dies and Joaquin is left the soul survivor of yet another near death experience. After this Joaquin stops making experimental music and becomes a DJ until he eventually starts up Ghost Radio. Fueled by all of his near death experiences, Joaquin is fascinated by all the stories he hears on the air. His girlfriend, Alondra, a cynical, gothic, comic book writer and his sound manager, Watt, also join him, on air. Joaquin tries to maintain his cynicism but when the lines between reality and his callers' stories start to blur it is hard for him to remain cynical. After one particular disturbing call however, he can no longer hold on to his cynicism and begins to dive deep into the world of the dead. The way Gout writes these characters, they are familiar to everyone. This is a great read for everyone, but especially if you can get all of the many references to underground music, comics and other "non-pop" culture. These elements make these already familiar characters feel real, as if you are reading some biography of your friend, or brother or girlfriend. Ghost radio is an exciting novel that vividly captures the essence of terror surrounding the paranormal. Author Leopoldo Gout conveys the story of call-in talk radio host, Joaquin with such frightful emotion that you will feel like you were in the book with him. The art at the beginning of every chapter of the book perfectly captures the spookily sick elements that make this book a wonderful and the disjointed style of story telling helps to not only build the intensity but also makes the book even more creepy, leaving you scared and very intrigued to turn the next page. The book takes what you expect and turns it on its head. It is an otherworldly thrill ride. This book is one of the creepiest and scariest books I've read in months... I think I may have fallen in love. Anyone who likes a good Edgar Allen Poe tale or Twilight Zone episode will love this book. It twists your m

Joaquin hears something in the white noise as he's tuning his ham radio. It is trying to communicate with him, only he doesn't know yet what it is. It doesn't know what it is either. They're both going to find out. Joaquin and his girlfriend Alondra are hosts of a call in radio show called Ghost Radio in Mexico City. Because of their popularity, they're offered a test in America and they fly up to Houston for they're first American broadcast. Joaquin sees a helicopter in the night sky. It's strobe is blinking and like that white noise, Joaquin sees a pattern. It's Morse code, the message is from It and It's saying, "Joaquin, we'll be talking soon." Then if flashes, "Goodbye and best wishes." It is figuring out what it is and before too long Joaquin is going to know too. This is a horror story of the kind Stephen King used to write back in the day. It grabs you by the scruff of the neck, sends chills down your spine as it takes you to places you don't want to go. Scary stuff, but deliciously scary. I was awake all night, even though I finished the book by two. I couldn't help myself, I started it again.

Joaquin has had the Dead Kennedys song "Kill The Poor" stuck in his head all week, so when Gabriel starts humming it in the hospital, Joaquin joins in. From that point forward, the boys, whose parents just crashed into each other leaving both boys as orphans, find their lives completely intertwined. They even end up living with relatives in the same neighborhood. They're both intrigued with noise and form a band that takes "found sounds" and arranges them into music. After Gabriel's death, Joaquin begins to listen even harder to the noises around him, hoping to find a hidden message there from Gabriel. He turns the dials of his radio hoping to pick up a ghostly voice in the static. As a final hope for some contact from the world beyond, Joaquin starts up a radio show similar to one they listened to together in the hospital where they first met, Ghost Radio. He takes calls from people with paranormal stories to tell, but really he hopes beyond hope that perhaps one day Gabriel will call in. Strangely, the song "Kill the Poor" is a common thread that runs through Joaquin's life from the moment he meets Gabriel: "Efficiency and progress is ours once more now that we have the neutron bomb. It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done. Away with excess enemy, but no less value to property. No sense in war but perfect sense at home." Joaquin starts to feel as if perhaps he is a neutron bomb, bringing death to everyone he loves. The more he thinks of this, the more bizarre his life becomes. He can't tell the difference between life and the lucid dreams he begins to have. But suddenly everything makes sense to him in one lucid moment that determines the future of those he loves. Leopoldo Gout does a great job of storytelling. I found myself drawn into the story, and I read most of it in one sitting. I looked forward to the few stories of the paranormal that were told over the airwaves of Ghost Radio. Another thing about the book that I really enjoyed is that the author places a photo from Gabriel's "Polaroid journal" at the beginning of each chapter. These "Polaroids" are actually drawn by the author himself and are quite beautiful. After reading, I found myself chewing over how the various components of the story are intertwined. I enjoyed every moment of reading this novel. However, I'm afraid some might not understand how the book had to end and feel cheated by it. Personally, I can't see how it could have ended otherwise. What a lovely book. I feel like rereading it just to try to tease out all its secrets from the beginning. And, like Joaquin, I'm going to have "Kill the Poor" stuck in my head for a week.