Episode 72: Mediums
Summary: Grab your ouija boards and candlesticks, folks, it’s time to get messages from the other side! Today, Holly and Devin dabble in the world of Mediums! Whether you’ve visited a medium yourself or don’t believe in ghosts, our hosts are leaning into spooky season by discussing books that feature folks who can (well, can they really, though?) commune with the beyond.
Topics Discussed:
The Heart (5:01): Devin discussed Happy Medium by Sarah Adler, a spooky romance following Gretchen Acorn, a grifter who delights and consoles the grieving of DC by “channeling” their dearly departed. When her best (richest) client asks her to speak to a ghost who is making it impossible for her bridge partner to sell his farm, Gretchen reluctantly agrees. When she realizes that a) the bridge partner is NOT an old, crotchety man named Charlie Waybill but a super sexy youthful farmer and b) that the ghost is real and named Everett, Gretchen has to confront that maybe she’s less of a fraud than she thought, and in much bigger trouble than she ever thought possible. Devin’s key takeaways were:
Our protagonist presented as a fraud is a surprise at the start but adds authenticity to the rest of the story. In DC she uses her roommate who works various service jobs and a ton of internet sleuthing about the dead person, but heading to Gilded Creek Goat Farm her facade fades away and all she’s left with is a real ghost and her annoying, growing feelings for a real life man.
Gretchen, Everett and Charlie must all face the gap between who they pretend to be and who they actually are over the course of the book. While Gretchen is a straight up grifter, all three of them have falsehoods and fake parts of their lives (or afterlives) that are holding them back and keeping them from living authentically and, for the living, finding love.
This bucolic setting of Gilded Creek was phenomenal. The old farm with lots of knitted sweaters and afghans, early mornings and willow trees by brooks with weekly farmer’s markets was idyllic and the perfect setting for this slightly spooky, very wholehearted story.
The Dagger (17:30): Holly discussed Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam, a psychological historical fiction novel set in 1920s Edinburgh, Scotland that follows Evelyn Hazard as she sprints to her sister’s house to call a doctor for her husband, Robert. He’s started acting strangely and saying he can see spirits, and Evelyn worries he is losing his mind. But is he? Tension mounts as Evelyn grapples with the social and logistical implications of the one person who might reveal what she’s hiding about the death of her sister, Dolores. Holly’s key takeaways were:
This story draws you in from the very start; the narrative is close third person so the reader is only shown part of what is happening and is dropped into the world by following Evelyn around as she’s navigating this new, scary situation.
While yes there is tension and suspense, Salam also explores beautifully the nature of grief; Robert wants to use his gift to help comfort people who have lost loved ones, which is almost everyone because of the recent world war and flu epidemic.
The characterization across the board from protagonists to side characters is fantastic; Evelyn and Robert are super interesting as well as Evelyn’s mother; Salam captures the small, pathetic moments of being human that anyone can relate to while also exploring the supernatural.
Hot On the Shelf (33:23):
Devin: Briefly Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur, Death Doula
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (38:24):
Devin: The Decameron on Netflix
Holly: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.
