The Greatcoat, By Helen Dunmore
An illustrious new classic joins the ghostly cavalcade
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In her Afterword, Dunmore says that her inspirations for this ghost story were The Turn of the Screw and Tom's Midnight Garden, stories which deal with the past's imprint upon the present. Her own story stands comparison with those illustrious models.
Isabel Carey, a young woman newly married to a GP in east Yorkshire, living in chilly rented accommodation with a weird and disagreeable landlady, finds an old RAF greatcoat which belonged to a bomber pilot, and takes to sleeping beneath it. One day when her husband is out and she is taking a nap under the greatcoat, there is a tapping at the window....
A genuinely eerie story in which both the living and the dead are equally real.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments