How Beyond Black shone a light on Hilary Mantel's most personal preoccupations
John Self uncovers how Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black is a ghost story, a condition-of-England novel and a meditation on the power of memory
Book of the Month: Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
In 2005, Hilary Mantel received her first recognition from the Booker Prize when Beyond Black, her funniest and most personal book, was longlisted
Although best known for her historical fiction, Hilary Mantel’s first Booker Prize nomination came with this comically sinister tale of wicked spirits and suburban mediums in a masterpiece of dark humour. Alison Hart, a medium, tours the outskirts of London with her cynical sidekick, Colette, passing on messages from beloved dead relatives to a paying audience. But behind her plump, smiling persona hides a desperate woman: she knows the terrors the afterlife holds, but must conceal them from her wide-eyed clients. At the same time, she is plagued by spirits from her own past, who become nastier the more she resists…
From reading guides and extracts to illuminating features, find out more about our April Book of the Month here
Beyond Black in Hilary Mantel's own words
- By
- Hilary Mantel: two-time winner of the Booker Prize
- Published by
- 4th Estate
Hilary Mantel’s comically sinister tale of wicked spirits and suburban mediums is a masterpiece of dark humour - and even darker secrets.
