Hilary Mantel's last two books (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies) both won Man Booker Prizes; now she enters the field again with her first short story collection in a dozen years. For most American readers especially, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher will be a great treat. In addition to the previously unpublished title story, the book contains appealing stories such as "The Heart Fails Without Warning," "The Long QT," and "Winter Break" that were available before only in UK publications. An apt choice for book clubs and nighttime reads.

02/02/2015
Mantel’s clever, keenly observant prose is well rendered by reader Carr’s classy, British-accented delivery. The 10 short stories in this collection are a blend of ordinary people struggling emotionally and physically, and more-seriously flawed characters who are disturbed, exposing a dark side of human nature. The first story, “Sorry to Disturb,” is an incisive, cringeworthy look at unwanted friendships and the peril of being too nice. While in Saudi Arabia with her husband for work, a stranger inserts himself into a woman’s life in a persistent, uncomfortable fashion. As she struggles to be rid of him without being hurtful, it becomes obvious his intentions are romantic, and there are some humorous moments. Mantel throws a shock into the seemingly tame “Winter Break,” as an ordinary taxi ride becomes a murderous journey. A sudden stop, followed by the narrator’s repetition of a single word, remains with the listener long after the conclusion. “The Heart Fails Without Warning” is a harsh look at a heartbreaking illness. Anger, frustration, and sibling snark are expressed deftly. The provocative conclusion, “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher,” is light on action, but heavy on dialogue between two strangers: a mild-mannered woman with a deceptive edge to her voice, and a gruff, accented IRA assassin who commandeers her apartment. Throughout, Carr provides lively, nuanced expression to Mantel’s complex characters. A Henry Holt hardcover. (Sept.)

An event with a capital 'E' . . . Breathtaking” —NPR

“Scintillating . . . Like the Olympic gymnast who nails her landing every time.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A book of her short stories is like a little sweet treat.” —USA Today (four stars)

“[Mantel is at] the top of her game.” —Salon

“Genius” —The Seattle Times

“[Mantel is] an international literary star.” —Elle

“One of the best novelists writing today.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Mantel's] writing is cinematically exquisite… you can't help but get sucked in.” —The Chicago Tribune

“The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher delivers on its promises: the promise built by Mantel's reputation as one of the unquestionably great contemporary writers, the promise made by its shocking title, and the promise inherent in the genre of short stories...Mantel pokes and prods and scratches at our tiny collective wounds, opening them into something much bigger. Readers may find the stories uncomfortable, but also hard to put down.” —A.V. Club

“A book of her short stories is like a little sweet treat.... Some of the stories are so brief and twisted...they have a hint of the cruelty of Roald Dahl's short stories (the ones that were definitely for grown-ups).... Mantel's narrators never tell everything they know, and that's why they're worth listening to, carefully.” —USA Today (4 stars)

“Here is the Mantel of her earlier, darker kitchen-sink novels: harsh and comic, even derisive.” —Los Angeles Times

“Mantel] evokes a shadowy region where boundaries blur and what might have happened has equal weight with what actually occurred…. Despite the plethora of sharply observed social detail, her short stories always recognize other potential realities…. Even the most straightforward of Mantel's tales retain a faintly otherworldly air.” —Washington Post

“[A] barnburner of a title story...It's not the plot that matters as much as the superb little touches with which Ms. Mantel punctuates it.” —New York Times

“Hilary Mantel has escaped from King Henry VIII's court.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Mantel is not just a novelist, however, but a great political novelist at the top of her game.” —Salon

“The stories are artfully constructed and share a muted gothic tone marked by the same ‘heightened, crawling quality' that one of Mantel's narrators, a writer, finds at a moldering hotel.” —New Yorker

“The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, untied from the historical record, she gives her characters freer rein to rattle their chains, and the results...are satisfyingly chilling.” —The Daily Beast

“Here are stories in which horror shudders between the high gothic of Grimm and the menacing quotidian. Oppression comes from air conditioners that 'labor and hack' and from 'the smell of drains.' Cruelty is made manifest by a wayward young girl who finds an even more outcast target in the form of a severely deformed child.... These are Ms. Mantel's signature strokes - freaks made human and humans made freakish, and always with the expiation of a dark and judgmental humor.” —Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Elegantly clipped and beautifully precise, Jane Carr’s delivery of this innovative story collection, by the author of the Booker Prize-winning WOLF HALL, is simultaneously hypnotic and engaging. She captures the diverse tales with a unifying reserve that frees the listener to embrace and ponder Mantel’s distinctive style. These are challenging stories in both style and content, so Carr’s accessible voice and delivery are well employed throughout the collection. Somehow Carr maintains a brisk pace, yet her momentum makes the words and images even more lively, more real. Whether focused on issues of family tension or something more fantastical—ghost stories? vampires?—Mantel’s words and Carr’s voice combine to create an enriching listening experience. This collection is an excellent introduction to Mantel’s celebrated work. L.B.F. 2015 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine