Author: Anbara Salam
Publication: Tin House Books, trade paperback, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: 1920s Scotland
My Impression: This was a very unusual novel which captures the upheaval in the life of an ordinary middle-class couple when Robert Hazard starts seeing ghosts and interpreting their messages to strangers. His wife, Evelyn, is appalled by his refusal to give up what seems like a strange obsession with the occult. She summons a doctor who says:
“Well, for a sustained attack of this nature, I would propose only three alternative explanations.”Evelyn spends most of the book worrying about which possibility is accurate. She is instantly skeptical of Robert’s newfound "talent" but as she sees him in action, conveying messages from the dead with information he could not possibly have guessed (or could he?), she becomes more and more convinced he is an actual medium. She also enjoys the social whirl that has been absent from her life for years and, genuinely fond of her husband, she is glad to see him valued and feted, although she is not completely comfortable with some of the people that are now part of their lives, dictating how he spends his time.
Evelyn waited politely, but he showed no sign of finishing his diagnosis. “Yes?” She had an urge to shake him, to make his words roll loose like sherbets inside a penny dispensary.
“Well,” Dr. Greitzer shot his cuffs. “The first possibility is that he is insane,” and as Evelyn began to babble, he interrupted her – “or, secondly, it is a falsehood.” Evelyn shut her mouth with a snap. Her skin ran cold. That would be even a worse possibility than insanity. . . .
“And the third?”
Dr. Greitzer gave her the hint of a smile. “The third option,” he said, replacing his hat, “is that he’s telling the truth.”
Their backgrounds are very different: Robert grew up in an orphanage while Evelyn’s very proper family experienced a change in fortune and lost their estate but still maintains what they would call standards and are horrified by Robert’s behavior. As the Hazards are drawn deeper into the world of mediums and paranormal activity, Evelyn is also afraid her own secret might be revealed, which her elder sister, who died in the flu epidemic, helped her hide from the world ten years ago.
What I most liked about this book is its setting, 1923 Scotland, as people recover from terrible loss of life (in the war and from influenza) in the messy present; the reader soon gathers what happened to Evelyn and her family in the past, and one can also read between the lines. For example, Evelyn clearly married beneath her socially; presumably Robert was acceptable as a prosperous professional when her family was in financial straits, and their marriage has been successful until the story begins. Along with the question of Robert’s authenticity as a medium comes a related issue - how long can Evelyn handle being part of the spiritualist movement?
Source: Library. Although I was on the fence for a few chapters, I wound up thinking it was very well done with interesting characters and great atmosphere and I recommend it. Hazardous Spirits is my second book for the 2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.
New Vocabulary: I wondered why the doctor "shot his cuffs" - it means straightening one's arms with a sudden movement to make the cuffs of one's shirt appear beyond the sleeves of one's coat or jacket.
I am definitely drawn in by the setting and timeframe, although the story itself sounds a bit much--the whole spiritualist movement is interesting but not sure I want to read a novel in which it is the main thread. Although in the right mood, I think I might like it. Good review.
ReplyDeleteThat was my reaction too and I kept putting off reading it for that reason. And some of the people associated with the spiritualism were very creepy and/or self-serving, so very distasteful. But the author really focused on Evelyn's reactions to what is going on, which was done well, I thought.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read the book about Sherlock Holmes (I had to look it up to remember the title), Arthur & George by Julian Barnes? It started out very well and then got lost in spiritualism.
This sounds really good to me. I have enjoyed reading about the period immediately following WWI and the years around the Spanish flu epidemic before, so it's tempting to get hold of this one. It's little wonder that an infatuation with spiritualism hit the world after all the people of those years had to endure in such a shore period of time. It probably was a way to cope with the despair they must have felt.
ReplyDeleteHmm. Not heard of "shot his cuffs" -- good to know. Funny. You have me wondering what the wife will do at the end. If she'll bail on the spiritual movement. The setting sounds good.
ReplyDeleteSadly this one isn't available in Fife's libraries although her book from 2018 is. I think most British readers would understand what is meant by 'shot his cuffs.'It's quite a common action in men, in the UK anyway.
ReplyDeleteAs I read it, I was wondering what you would think about it, Katrina. I think you'd especially enjoy the descriptions of the homes they visit for weekend house parties - and might recognize some of them.
ReplyDeleteDoes your library allow you to make requests or to borrow from other libraries in Scotland? I bet if they know it is set locally, they'd be willing to purchase it. It's an obscure publishing company so perhaps hard to get from whatever wholesaler they use.
Spiritualism is an interesting topic but yes, definitely in small doses.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge