The Other Side of Mrs Wood: The most irresistible historical fiction debut of the year

’Gorgeous, an utter delight’ MARIAN KEYES ‘A charming debut that sparks with fun and fizz’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ’A must read!’ SOPHIE IRWIN ’Storytelling at its finest’ STYLIST A DAILY MAIL ‘novel to devour in 2023' LONGLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION DEBUT CROWN PRIZE Mrs Wood is London’s most celebrated medium. She’s managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out séances for Victorian high society. Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments. There are reports of American mediums nearly materialising full spirits and audiences are no longer satisfied with the knocking on tables and candle theatrics of years gone by. And then, at one of Mrs Wood’s routine gatherings, she hears something terrifying – faint, but unmistakable: a yawn. Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand. She decides to take on Emmie, a young protégé, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naïve ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined? In this humorous and supernatural tale, Mrs Wood, London's top medium, finds herself in a battle to maintain her reign in the occult world. With the introduction of Emmie, a seemingly innocent protégé, the story takes a feminist twist, challenging the norms of Victorian high society. For fans of Alex Hay (The Housekeepers), Stacey Halls (The Familiars), Jennie Godfrey (The List of Suspicious Things), Laura Shepherd-Robinson (The Square of Sevens), and Katie Lumsden (The Secrets of Hartwood Hall). HarperCollins 2023