Hilary Mantel: Beyond Black

Not bad, not bad. A typically English novel. Lots of references to English towns and there is a sense of..well, rain, throughout. Grey, dreary, closed in. Its beautifully written. Not pacy. Put simply suspense filled. Briefly, it a tale of a medium coming to terms with her past and how this relates to her future. If you're a devout religious anything, don't read it, it deals with spiritualism in a very honest manner, putting across both a sceptics insight and a believers but it may still unsettle those of a more conservative nature. As a thriller goes, it is very thrilling. Don't read this alone in an old victorian house, you will be nervous. Mantels' detail is haunting (pardon the pun) her main character sympathetic. You will find yourself wanting to beat up various characters along the way (even the main one) and say: pull yourself together, get a grip. There's a certain mirror holding quality to it, the reflections of the characters within others is interesting and the power interplays make you stop and think. This is one of the novels which may seem 'old lady-ish' and I wouldn't say its for a young audience - I mean the under thirty fives - but if you do attempt it, keep in mind the style is that of a much older generation. I like the style, personally, it does have some flowery prose and it does follow conventional structure, but I think to a certain extent it is this style which carrys the plot to its best advantage. Although it does have one large failing: the ending. Its disappointing. Its almost like Mantel ran out of steam - and it is quite a chunky book anyway, however this is not a reason to simply give up the ghost (there's those puns again! do excuse them). The tying up of the loose ends you would expect just doesn't occur and you almost want to re-write the ending itself. Yes, the revelation near the end is revelatory but it isn't enough. A comfortable book that makes you wonder - wonder where it could have gone, that is.

In one sentence? A book at bedtime with Cocoa and the cats

In three themes?

1. Belief
2. Self discovery
3. Relationships