READERS GUIDE

Introduction

An Introduction to Ghosted

Nearly everyone who has dated (or attempted to date) in the twenty-first century knows the term “ghosted,” whether they are the ones who are ghosted or are the ones doing the ghosting. With dating apps and social media now playing such a significant role in today’s relationships, it’s no wonder that ghosting has become an easy solution for breaking up—especially when you’d rather avoid an uncomfortable conversation.

In Rosie Walsh’s Ghosted, readers meet Sarah, who is back in her childhood home in England from Los Angeles for a quick vacation, where she happens upon Eddie David walking in a field. They meet and fall instantly in love. Sarah knows it is the beginning of something wonderful—why, then, hasn’t Eddie called her as he promised he would? Is Sarah in the throes of being ghosted by Eddie, with whom she thought she would spend the rest of her life? Sarah’s friends tell her to forget about him, but Sarah is convinced that there is another reason for Eddie’s disappearance. . . .

A riveting page-turner with unforgettable characters and an unsettling secret at its core, Ghosted is a deeply moving novel that is impossible to put down.
 

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Have you ever ghosted someone, or been ghosted yourself? How did you handle it? What happened?

2. How should Sarah have handled Eddie’s disappearance? Was she right to keep searching for him, or should she have left it alone?

3. What do you make of Sarah and Reuben’s marriage? Do you think they were a good fit for each other when they met, or was their match doomed to fail no matter what? Did they behave well toward each other? What advice would you have given them?

4. There are a number of relationships in the book, and all are written with nuance and complexity. Do you see yourself in how the characters interacted with one another? Why do you think Eddie’s relationship with his mother was so tense? Could Sarah have been a better friend to Jenni?

5. Technology plays a significant role in the book and Sarah’s constant addiction to checking her phone takes a toll on her mental health. Do you think it’s important that Sarah had the option to try to track down Eddie? Why or why not?

6. There are number of anonymous letters scattered throughout the book. Did you guess to whom these were addressed, or who they were from? When did you know?

7. Were you surprised when you learned the truth about Hannah and Alex all those years ago? What did you think had occurred?

8. Having a child together is ultimately the one thing that seems to bring both Sarah and Eddie’s families together at last. Yet Jenni and Javier struggle to get pregnant, and must decide what their life will look like without children. If you couldn’t have children, or do not plan to have children, what would your life look like?

9. Why do you think Jo and Tommy kept their relationship secret? Would you have done the same in their position?

10. The ability—or inability—to forgive defines many of the characters in the book: from Eddie’s mother’s resistance to moving on, to Sarah’s inability to forgive herself, to Eddie’s crucial final decision on which the entire story hangs. Is it important to be able to forgive? Or are there some things that can never be excused?