"It was fascinating to see Mantel take a break from doorstop historical novels to publish this book of very modern short stories, which are spooky and densely packed with words used in ways you wish you'd thought of. I wanted to read the whole thing again right after I finished, because I couldn't shake the feeling that I hadn't yet unearthed what each story was supposed to be telling me – and that if I could figure them out, it would be like a set of keys to making sense of the whole big, spooky world we live in." – Rachel Sanders