While in England, quite predictably, we spent a lot of time in book stores. JL bought way more than I did, but I managed to find an exceptional book that I want to share with all of you on this excerpt Wednesday (which starting next week will be moving to Fridays–just to keep everyone on their toes). Anyway, without further ado, I give you The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore:
Back cover copy:
The Greatcoat is a ghost story set during and after the Second World War, about the power of the past to imprint itself on the present, and possess it. In 1952, newly-married Isabel Carey and her husband Philip come to live in a small town close to a wartime bomber station. Their flat is dark, poky and cold; their landlady paces the floor overhead. One night, when Philip is out on call, Isabel finds an RAF officer’s greatcoat in a cupboard, and spreads it on the bed to keep her warm. In the middle of her dreams, she hears a knocking on the window …
A short excerpt:
“She could still hear the tapping sound that had woken her. It must be her dream still turning, like a record after the needle had been lifted off. Tap, tap, tap. Soft, insistent, determined. It was a real sound. It was coming from the living room. It sounded like someone tapping on glass—on a window.
Relief flooded her. Philip must have gone out without his key and he was tapping on the front window to attract her attention. He didn’t want to arouse the landlady by ringing the bell at this hour.
Isabel snatched up the greatcoat and dragged it around her. Thank heavens Phil was back. She’d make some tea and he’d tell her about his case and everything would be fine. She ran over the cold linoleum, into the living room and across to the window, without switching on the light. She pulled back the curtains.
There was a man outside the window. She saw the pallor of his face first, as it seemed to bob against the glass, too high up to belong to a man who had his feet on the ground. The streetlamp lit him from the side, throwing the sharp shadow of his cap over his face. He was too close, inside the railings that separated the house from the pavement.
A man in a greatcoat. An RAF greatcoat, exactly like the one draped over her shoulders: she couldn’t mistake it.”
It’s a quick read by a fabulous new-to-me author. Highly Recommended!
Have you read Helen Dunmore before? What are some of your favorite ghostly books?
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
My book, Ashenden, was not as good. I put it down halfway through. Debut author, great premise, but sooooo slow.
However, I read the Caitlan Moran book, How to be a Woman, very quickly! Very very funny. Also digging Marian Keyes new book, which won’t be available here until spring.
Ti, I have read tons of Phillipa Gregory. She does write some great books.
Hi Julia!! Glad to see you! Phillipa is one of the consultants for Time Team, one of my families favourite shows!!
I need to read more Gregory. Will have a look and pick one out!
Oops..Philippa Gregory.
I used to love Victoria Holt stories. Didn’t she write some ghosty romance? I just looked her up, wow, she was prolific under many different names.
The Shivering Sands is my favorite. Gothic novels at their best!
Oh, I haven’t thought of that book in years. I may have to find my copy. It’s the perfect time of year for it.
Ooh, sounds good! It’s a great time of year for ghost stories. I’ve written a foreword for a charity volume of ghost stories, out today in the UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/FEAR-Modern-Anthology-Horror-Terror/dp/1908910380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349246140&sr=1-1
I ‘liked’ it for ya!!
Very cool. And what an honor!
Very cool, Sherri!
And thanks for the rec, Dee–will look this one up!
I was honored. They put my name on the cover and everything. Cool.
It really is awesome. Can’t wait to see it.
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Night Embrace. While not quite the ghost story, there is a ghost in it.
I am so glad you had a great time!
English authors are so vastly different to American I think. You see more books about time periods from the early 1900′s. If you want historical romance try Phillipa Gregory and Anne O’Brien. They do frightful amounts of research for their books and I have seen Phillipa on Time Team as an expert about certain people/time periods.
Though I do shop for most of my books via a store or Amazon, I LOVE hitting the charity shops for used ones. I do not know if you are into ‘second hand shops’ and I really was not big on them. We do not have ‘garage sales’ we have car boots (a car boot is the trunk so its like an open air flea market when you see car boot signs.) I am shocked and amazed sometimes at the really COOL things you find at them. And the books…just WOW. My husband collects pre-Victorian books. We have found some gorgeous books.
Oh, I want to go second hand shopping with Ti! What fun! Old books, I love really old books. Well, new ones, too. Books!
Deal. When my mom came over, I introduced her to the shops here. She was SO hooked that we had to hit every shop from then on. Its not just books, its everything. A LOT of junk. But then you come across amazing finds like old tins from the war (like powdered eggs) and pewter pitchers that turn out to be 200 years old. Things like that. My mom collects salt cellars. Before there were salt shakers, they had small bowls of salt that sat at the table with a spoon. The closer you sat to the salt, the more ‘upper crust’ you were. Anyway. She collects these little bowls and spoons. She has several hundred and some are worth a lot of money. Most are Victorian but she does have some pre-Victorian. And she collects copper molds. (Spelled moulds here). She was in heaven shopping in the charity shops! So when you come over, we will hit charity shops. I hunt books and I collect old plates. I love old plates to eat off of. Bowls, dinner plates. Do not get me wrong, I have a really nice dinner set but I like to eat off old china. So much history. The tales they could tell!!!!
I just want to go shopping with you, period!
Yeah, let’s go shopping! Um, in a month or so. OMG, holidays are coming. Where has the year gone? Where?