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August 20, 2012
In 1952, with England still suffering the aftershocks of WWII ("Shortages, restrictions, rules and ration books, coupons and exhortations..."), Isabel and her new husband Philip move to the countryside, where he is taking over a medical practice. While Philip is immediately absorbed in his work, Isabel feels lonely and unsure of her decision to enter into the life of a country doctor's wife. One cold night, Isabel discovers, in the top of the cupboard, an RAF greatcoat, apparently being kept by Mrs. Atkinson, their strange landlady. Before long the ghost of the coat's former owner, a WWII officer named Alec, appears outside the window and draws Isabel into a curious and passionate romance. It's only a matter of time before the truth of the officer's past is revealed. Orange Prize winner Dunmore (for A Spell of Winter) this time delivers more of a slender film treatment than a fully developed novel, with blurry paranormal rules and obvious themes about the impact of war and its losses on our lives. Agent: AP Watt, London.
September 15, 2012
Dunmore's eerie evocation of postWWII Britain provides the perfect framework for this nifty little ghost story. As newlyweds Isabel and Philip Carey attempt to cope with housing, fuel, and food shortages in their remote Yorkshire village, the lonely and dissatisfied Isabel becomes increasingly drawn into a disturbingly realistic relationship with a deceased airman. After discovering an RAF greatcoat in their drab little flat, she begins receiving visits from the coat's original owner. Just who Alec was and how he figured into the life of the Careys' ominously dour landlady is revealed in delectable dribs and drabs as Isabel begins to lead a double life. Hovering between two worlds, she must figure out exactly what is going on, what her landlady has to do with it, and how and when to extricate herself from a passionately romantic relationship with Alec. This atmospheric tale features an appropriately Gothic twist that bolsters the haunting conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
May 15, 2012
Having moved to Yorkshire in winter 1952 with her doctor husband, who's often absent, Isabel Carey is feeling isolated. One night she wakes up freezing and huddles under an RAF greatcoat she finds abandoned in a cupboard. Then she hears a knock on the window and discovers a young man wearing a greatcoat just like hers. Orange Prize winner Dunmore makes the past shimmer, but here she's making it spooky, too.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2012
After a grimly realistic portrayal of postwar East Berlin in The Betrayal (2010), Dunmore offers up an eerie story about postwar England that may, or may not, be a ghost story. In 1952, newlyweds Isabel and Philip move to East Riding where Philip has taken his first job as a doctor. While Philip plunges into his work, Isabel is lonely and adrift in her own life. Mrs. Atkinson, the dour elderly landlady, is always pacing the floor above, and Isabel's downstairs apartment is dank and cold; looking in a closet for an extra blanket, she comes across a military greatcoat and wraps herself in it for warmth. Another night not long afterward, she wakes to a tapping at the window and finds a young pilot staring in and calling her nickname, Issy. The pilot begins visiting regularly. Whether he's a ghost or figment of her imagination remains unclear. Together they visit a nearby World War II airfield; she sees abandoned disrepair, but to him, the base is in full wartime operation. They make love. Afterward, she stands in front of her house with him unseen by the local woman. She inexplicably knows his name is Alec and that he is waiting to fly a bombing mission to Germany that has been delayed. She finds herself increasingly filled with another woman's memories--a farmhouse, a baby, Alec. Meanwhile, she and the touchingly drawn Philip repeatedly fumble their attempts at love and intimacy. When Isabel witnesses Alec and Mrs. Atkinson share an exchange of terrible longing, she sees why Alec actually has appeared. The slight tale crumbles under too much scrutiny but beautifully expresses emotional longing in ways both natural and supernatural.
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October 1, 2012
Isabel and Philip Carey start their married life in a small Yorkshire village in 1952. Philip works long hours as a doctor, while Isabel tries to keep house with little money. Rationing, left over from World War II, is still in effect, making it difficult to get enough coal to keep their shabby apartment warm. Isabel finds an old RAF greatcoat in the cupboard, piles it on the bed, and falls asleep underneath its weight. When a mysterious RAF pilot named Alec knocks on the window, he acts as if he knows Isabel. She feels as if she knows him too, maybe from another life. Their passionate affair seems inevitable. This leisurely paced novella is big on atmosphere but light on plot and character development. VERDICT Best for those who are already fans of Dunmore's gothic novels or for readers who enjoy a quick ghost story. [See Prepub Alert, 4/23/12.]--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.