Ultimately, unsatisfying.

The world of 'Beyond Black' is intruigingly dark, with Mantel's attention to detail lending a sense of familiarity to a deeply bleak environment. The difficult subject of childhood trauma is handled with a chilling sense of knowing. However, though the world (and characters within it) feel very real, there is very little in this world to be enjoyed. The book offers little respite from its dark subject matter and relief can only be found in paragraphs that feel lengthy, insignificant and mundane. There is very little character development to glean satisfaction from, and the plot as a whole feels disjointed and weak. Having at least enjoyed Mantel's writing style I am curious to check out her other books, however this story left me feeling dissapointed and ultimately unsatisfied.