Our book group choice for October 2015 is Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. Colette and Alison are unlikely cohorts: one a shy, drab beanpole of an assistant, the other a charismatic, corpulent psychic whose connection to the spiritual world torments her.
The novel is set in the early 2000s in the United Kingdom, specifically in the suburban wastelands of London’s orbital ring road. The landscape is described as “marginal land,” with fields of strung wire, treadless tires in ditches, fridges dead on their backs, and starving ponies cropping the mud. It is a landscape running with outcasts and escapees, with Afghans, Turks, and Kurds, and scapegoats scarred with bottle and burn marks, limping from the cities with broken ribs.
The main characters are Alison Hart, a medium, and Colette, her assistant. Alison is a charismatic, overweight, and middle-aged woman who has seen the dead since childhood. She tours the suburbs of London, moving through psychic fairs at run-down hotels, always accompanied by her spirit guide, Morris. Colette is a shy, drab beanpole of an assistant who is fiercely loyal to Alison. She is also a talented artist, and her paintings of the dead are often used as evidence of Alison’s powers.
The novel begins with Alison and Colette arriving at a psychic fair in a rundown hotel. Alison is immediately besieged by clients, all of whom are eager to hear from their loved ones who have passed away. However, Alison is distracted by the presence of a group of spirits who are following her. These spirits are from her own past, and they are determined to torment her.
Alison’s struggle with the spirits from her past becomes increasingly intense. She is haunted by visions of her childhood abuse, and she is threatened by the spirits who are determined to possess her. Alison’s sanity begins to unravel, and she is forced to confront her own demons in order to survive.
The novel explores a number of themes, including the nature of reality, the power of the past, and the struggle to find redemption. The novel also challenges our assumptions about mediums and the afterlife.
The novel is written in a darkly comic style. Mantel’s prose is sharp and witty, and she does not shy away from the more disturbing aspects of the story. The novel is also full of vivid imagery, and Mantel’s descriptions of the “place beyond black” are particularly chilling.
Discussion Questions for Beyond Black
- How did you find the experience of reading Beyond Black?
- Did you actually believe in Alison and her world view, or did you think it was possibly a hoax or even psychosis brought on by childhood abuse?
- Alison and Collette have a strange relationship. They are opposites. What factors keep them together and in the end, what pushes them apart?
- Where does Collette’s animosity come from and why does Alison put up with it?
- Did you find Alison a frustrating character?
- Is it enough to redeem her in the end that she is kind to Mart?
- What do you think is the point of the recordings Collette is making?
- What was the purpose of the climactic event: Mrs Etchells’ death on stage?
- Was it, as some have said, a ‘state of the nation novel ‘’
- What did you think of Hilary Mantel’s drawing of male and female characters?
- Did you find Alison’s demons frightening at any stage?
- The fact that all the main characters are women – the majority of the spiritualists and their audience, is this an example of female power or weakness? Why do you think all the male characters were drawn as evil or ineffectual? Their audiences are mainly women
- Death of Diana incident seemed to show that the dead come back with only partial characteristics: what questions does the visitation of Diana raise about the difference between personality and identity?
- Was the ending satisfying? Had Alison earned her eternal bliss, endlessly circling the orbital with the ghosts of Maureen and Kathleen?
- Would you recommend this book to anyone?
- Did it live up to the expectations of being something scary?
- What would be the most memorable parts, either creepy or comic?
Individual Ratings
DKB's Rating 
Catherine's Rating
Sue's Rating
EmmaT's Rating
Miranda's Rating