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Writer's pictureShae Belenski

A Plot Hole in David Mitchell's 1997 Book, Ghostwritten

Okay, so this is a hyper-specific post, all about a singular plot hole in the 1997 David Mitchell Novel Ghost Written, which I feel almost challenges the whole dynamic of the book in the events are connected in a tight-knit time structure. Here is the issue - In the 7th section, Marco saves Mo Muntarvary from a would-be hit and run. However, with additional details, learned later in the 8th section (Mo's Section on Clear Island) this is impossible in the timeline of the events. Here is why: Mo is said to have witnessed Neal Brose's (the narrator of section 3) death while she, Mo, was eating noodles. The reason Neal Brose died is because of the pure existential dread (and undiagnosed diabetes) of having mismanaged illicit funds from a Russian crime lord which affected his [Neal's] Hong Kung banking firm. Neal's death set many events in motion - 1) the collapse of his company and 2) the events of Section 6 in which Margarita's art heist crew Jerome and Rudi are killed by Russian gangsters because Rudi was not able to acquire certainly funds (the one's which Neal Brose was handling). So back to chapter 6 we learn that Marco, after sleeping with Neal Brose's ex-wife a) is turned away from his publisher Tim Cavendish because of his (Tim) brother's company's financial strain (caused by NB's death) and b) turned away by the man he is ghostwriting for (Alfred) because Alfred learned of his friend's Jerome's death. Thus, it is impossible that Mo witnessed Neal's death because the events of Marco's day were explicitly impacted, nay shaped, by the effects of Neal Brose's death, and since Marco saved Mo's life at the beginning of that day, it is impossible that Marco could have saved her life in the same day she witnessed Neal's death. And thus, time is thrown out of whack just a little bit. I hope this helps.

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