Beyond Black
This articlepossibly containsoriginal research.(December 2016) |
Author | Hilary Mantel |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Gothic novel |
Publisher | Fourth Estate(UK) Henry Holt and Co.(US) |
Publication date | 2005 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 384 pp |
ISBN | 0-00-715775-4 |
OCLC | 57382720 |
Beyond Blackis a 2005 novel by English writerHilary Mantel.It was shortlisted for the 2006Orange Prize for Fiction.[1][2]
Plot summary
[edit]The book's central character is amediumnamed Alison Hart who, along with herassistant/business partner/manager,Colette, takes her one-womanpsychicshow on the road, travelling to venues around theHome Counties,and providing her audience with a point of contact between this world and the next. On the surface, Alison seems like a happy-go-lucky woman, but this persona is only a mask she wears for her public. In truth, she is deeply traumatised by memories and ghosts from her childhood, and a knowledge that theafterlifeis not the wonderful place her clients often perceive it to be. She spends much of the story trying to exorcise herdemons,and by the end is ultimately able to overcome them.
Reception
[edit]It was generally well-received. OnMetacritic,the book received a 75 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]In September/October 2005 issue ofBookmarks,a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a(3.5 out of 5) with the summary saying, "A story that normalizes clairvoyance shouldn’t work this well, but it does".[4]
References
[edit]- ^"Beyond Black | Hilary Mantel | Macmillan".US Macmillan.Retrieved6 May2019.
- ^Mantel, Hilary (2005).Beyond Black.Harper Perennial.ISBN9780007157761.
- ^"Beyond Black".Metacritic.Archived fromthe originalon 8 July 2009.Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"Beyond Black By Hilary Mantel".Bookmarks.Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2015.Retrieved14 January2023.
- Mantel, Hilary (2005).Beyond Black.Fourth Estate Press.ISBN0-00-715775-4.
External links
[edit]- 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction
- Profile of Hilary Mantel in The New YorkerArchived27 July 2005 at theWayback Machine