The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary MantelMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
After finishing Hilary Mantel's historical doorstopper novels on the French Revolution and Thomas Cromwell in Tudor times, I was curious how the great author would tackle short stories set in contemporary times.
The argument can be made that Hilary Mantel is a horror writer! But not in a supernatural spooky way. Hers is the horror present in the dark deeds and desires of normal people, make scarier with the idea that these terrible things can indeed happen.
The ten stories ring of truth, showcasing her skill for detail and incredibly rich texture. Mantel practically inhabits different personalities and changes her voice accordingly: the Caucasian wife who has to fend off the advances of a neighbor in Saudi Arabia, the woman whose house is picked by a would-be IRA assassin, the vampire who works in Harley Street.
I was particularly struck by WINTER BREAK (what would you do if your taxi driver does a hit-and-run and you're not sure if it was an animal that was struck down?) and THE LONG QT (a married man faces unexpected consequences when his wife discovers him with another woman). They were only 11 and 8 pages long but BOOM! The impact! Once read, they're in one's brain FOREVER.
Gave it a two-star rating only because the book does not suit my personality, I found it too depressing and troubling despite the technical brilliance. I much prefer her historical novels, thank you very much (which are also rather depressing and troubling, haha, but since they're so long, the emotions are drawn out and don't hit you with as much concentrated force).
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