Ghost Portrait - first UK edition
by Greg Norminton
GHOST PORTRAIT is a tersely beautiful book. By careful choice of moments it
conveys the story of the life of a man. The painter Nathaniel Deller, who is at
the end of his life, finds himself haunted by his past. He has lived through the
English Civil war and the Restoration and these fragments of time are depicted
in well-chosen snapshots. It is all that is needed; these astute, accurately
described scenes convey so much. We learn about aspects of his character -
things that he did, things that he didn't do - and how these built up, layer
upon layer, to produce an elderly man, wracked more with the pain of memory than
the physical ailments which have caused him to lose his sight. Suffused with
desire and regret, this beautiful, understated novel is a moving meditation on
change and compromise.
Book has dark-blue boards with the title in gold on the spine. Jacket is
price-intact at 14.99£.