The Greatcoat: A Ghost Story

The love affair between a neglected wife and a mysterious soldier is “a perfect ghost story” from the acclaimed author of The Siege and The Betrayal (The Independent).   In the winter of 1952, Isabel Carey moves to the East Riding of Yorkshire with her new husband, Philip, a doctor. While he spends long hours on call, Isabel finds herself lonely and vulnerable, trying to adjust to the realities of being a country housewife.   One evening, Isabel is woken by intense cold. Hunting for extra blankets, she discovers an old Royal Air Force greatcoat hidden in the back of a cupboard. Sleeping under the coat for warmth, she starts to dream and is soon startled by a knock at her window—where a young RAF pilot stands outside, wearing that same coat. His powerful presence both disturbs and excites Isabel. And soon, their unexpected connection sparks an affair that will change them both irreparably.   “Written in crisp, enthralling prose,” The Greatcoat is an atmospheric tale of love and war that blurs the line between the real and the imaginary (The New Yorker).   “Dunmore’s gift, familiar from The Siege and The Betrayal, is to use a finely drawn domestic setting to show the great events of European history on a human scale. She doesn’t need ‘horror’ to spook her readers; our past is bad enough.” —The Guardian   “The most elegant flesh-creeper since The Woman in Black.” —The Times (London)   “The sense of déjà vu surrounding the story makes it all the more chilling . . . Tense and engaging.” —The New Yorker

From Booklist

Dunmore’s eerie evocation of post–WWII Britain provides the perfect framework for this nifty little ghost story. As newlyweds Isabel and Philip Carey attempt to cope with housing, fuel, and food shortages in their remote Yorkshire village, the lonely and dissatisfied Isabel becomes increasingly drawn into a disturbingly realistic relationship with a deceased airman. After discovering an RAF greatcoat in their drab little flat, she begins receiving visits from the coat’s original owner. Just who Alec was and how he figured into the life of the Careys’ ominously dour landlady is revealed in delectable dribs and drabs as Isabel begins to lead a double life. Hovering between two worlds, she must figure out exactly what is going on, what her landlady has to do with it, and how and when to extricate herself from a passionately romantic relationship with Alec. This atmospheric tale features an appropriately Gothic twist that bolsters the haunting conclusion. --Margaret Flanagan

About the Author

HELEN DUNMORE was born in York in 1952. She is a prolific poet and author who has published several collections of poems and children's books, as well as ten novels. Her novel A Spell of Winterwon the inaugural Orange Prize in 1996.

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