Author: mantel, hilary (Keywords)

In the wake of Hilary Mantel's captivating memoir, 'Giving Up The Ghost', this collection of loosely autobiographical stories locates the transforming moments of a haunted childhood.

Evelyn Axon is a medium by trade. Her daughter Muriel is a half-wit by nature. Barricaded in their crumbling house, they defy the curiosity of their neighbours and their social worker. Then a horrible secret comes to light.

Charles O'Brien, bard and giant. The cynical are moved by his flights of romance, the craven stirred by his tales of epic deeds. But what of his own story as he is led from Ireland to seek his fortune beyond the sea in England?