3.5 stars rounded up. This was an appropriate spooky month read (though I didn’t think of that at first, I’ve just had this in my library forever and then Mantel died so suddenly and tragically in Sept). Not only is it about a medium whose connection to the spirit world blends into daily life, but she’s haunted by ghastly men from her horrific childhood. This made it a bit difficult to read at times. And yet it’s strange how understated this trauma is, a sick undercurrent to the mediocrity of suburban greater London and the meh people in Alison’s life, who still manage to be interesting and even funny under Mantel’s pen. Seriously, Mantel can write. If the writing were any less good I’m not sure I would have stomached it. To be fair, I’ve always found the wastelands and anonymous buildings along motorways bleakly interesting, and Mantel captures that vibe with perfectly balanced lyricism. She also fits in commentary about classism, xenophobia and anti-immigration quite handily.