And her ghosts don't just lie in the background of her mind, they come up to her and talk to her, and harass her constantly night and day. Alison Hart has a lot of past to struggle with. The book either lets up after a bit, or I got used to it, but I was able to cruise through the last three quarters and enjoy the complex characterizations and interactions. But I kept thinking about these women and so I kept returning to the book. I pushed so hard through these pages and found them exhausting. This is a major work, this novel, maybe a master work, and jagged little pill for sure. And Mantel drags us through this relationship, relentlessly emphasizing what isn't there, without ever saying so. Colette is practical, but soulless, interested in how Alison works, but unable to understand her. I found the first 100 pages, where Alison takes on a manager who she tries to depend on, but who she doesn't really get along with, both brilliant and horribly painful. So, she has to give them something else, a tangle of lies and truth, and common sense presented as personally meaningful. People don't get any better or wiser just because they've passed. She knows that her audience actually doesn't actually care what the dead are saying, and probably would be pretty crushed to find out how pedestrian these dead.

Except Alison's skill doesn't provide this. Although they don't really understand it, they are here, with Alison, to find some meaning. They live meaningless lives, and are so removed from their cultural heritage, some don't even know the names of the grandparents. This is a modern audience, living in artificial neighborhoods removed from nature and short on history. She constantly speaks to the spirits of the dead and she makes her living travelling around and holding shows where she tells the audience about what the dead are saying. Alison Hart is a psychic medium, as in like the real thing. She was looking into modern soulless life in suburbia. Mantel got very personal with this book (and followed it up with a memoir). In this episode they were all gushing about, when a female guest piped up with how she tried this book when it was new, and found it so painful to read, she gave up. They invite a few guests for each episode, and in the few episodes I've listened to those guests struggle to match the hosts charisma. The main guys have a good time talking loudly about the books they are reading and discussing. Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel published: 2005 format: 367 page kindle ebook acquired: February read: Feb 28 - Mar 9 rating: 4A little preface: I read this based on a Backlisted podcast (which I checked out because of wandering_star).

Beyond black by hilary mantel