Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Leapfrog Press
Publication Date: September 15, 2009
Reviewed by Ashley Barrett
When Jamie Eugley, a ninth-generation lobsterman in a small Maine community, notices another fisherman’s buoys in his water, he ignores the advice of his hot-headed friends and takes pity on the unknown trespasser. Jamie regrets his decision when he meets owner of the buoys, a wealthy man named Neil Ames, rubs Jamie the wrong way from the first encounter.
Throughout the summer, the strain of caring for, Anja his girlfriend suffering from a head injury, and the scant lobster catch, grind on Jamie’s nerves. When he meets Happy, a colorful sailor from the Florida Keys, he begins fantasizing about a new life in a new place. But when a family feud erupts into a trap war, and Jamie learns of Neil Ames’s desire to incorporate and put everyone else out of business, Jamie fights to preserve his way of life, while feeling consumed by it at the same time.
The Ghost Trap is K. Stephen’s first novel. I enjoyed her writing style but the plot dragged in places. I didn’t find myself compelled to flip the page.
Salty language is sprinkled liberally throughout The Ghost Trap but it seems necessary to authentically capture the dialect of the characters.
Overall, I enjoyed The Ghost Trap and would recommend it for anyone interested in a realistic look at the lives within fishing communities.
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