In this darkly humorous novel, Hilary Mantel delves into the fraught world of psychic mediums. Alison Hart, the story’s charismatic protagonist, is a medium burdened by her gift, which often feels more like a curse. She carries on her shoulders the invisible weight of the spirits that communicate with her, passing on their messages to the living—a mundane routine punctuated by her underlying terror of what the spiritual realm truly holds. As Alison tours the London suburbs with her stoic assistant Colette, she confronts her own specters: the haunting figures from a childhood marred by her mother’s tumultuous life among petty criminals. The pair settle in a soulless suburban area that quivers on the edge of the supernatural world, a liminal space that soon threatens to unravel not just their lives, but the very fabric of reality. 'Beyond Black' is both a cutting satire of suburban life and a chilling exploration of the otherworldly, woven together by Mantel’s sharp wit and unrelenting insight.