Vacant Possession
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Review
’The macabre and wonderfully funny plot has as many twists and turns as a well-made thriller’ Standard
‘Filled with fiendish glee……Lie back and laugh yourself silly: this is the best send-up for a long, long time.’ New Statesman
‘Hilary Mantel's wit is wonderful and startlingly nasty’ Sunday Times
‘The farce is edged with constant acuteness about our current social mess and the pleas for charity to begin at home never miss the bull’ Observer
Product Description
‘Savage and funny black humour at its best’ Time Out
Muriel Axon is about to re-enter the lives of Colin Sidney, hapless husband, father and schoolmaster, and Isabel Field, failed social worker and practising neurotic.
It is ten years since her last tangle with them, but for Muriel this is not time enough. There are still scores to be settled and truths to be faced – not to mention a certain amount of vengeance to be wreaked.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First published in 1986, this novel continues the story of Muriel Axon from Mantel's debut novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day. If anything this is even more horrifying in terms of the events depicted. Like the earlier book, it is unremittingly bleak, black and scurrilously funny. Muriel is living in an institution for the insane, but is about to be released into the community. She is already learning how to fare more successfully on the outside, this time. Still illiterate, maladroit, cunning, and as mad as a bucket full of starved snakes, she is picking up expressions, mannerisms, new words and new abilities. She has a plan, the first part of which is fooling the luckless family that moved into the house she used to share with her mother into taking her on as their cleaning lady.
It's not necessary to have read Every Day Is Mother's Day, but to be honest, it would be useful. Muriel Axon is one of the creepiest, wickedest characters to have ever been created. To come upon her fully-fledged, so to speak, might be too much of a shock. You also need to know what happened to her mother - and her child. Hilary Mantel has here over-egged every pudding with a gleeful sense of - well, why the hell not? The result is pure evil. Mesmerising.
It's not necessary to have read Every Day Is Mother's Day, but to be honest, it would be useful. Muriel Axon is one of the creepiest, wickedest characters to have ever been created. To come upon her fully-fledged, so to speak, might be too much of a shock. You also need to know what happened to her mother - and her child. Hilary Mantel has here over-egged every pudding with a gleeful sense of - well, why the hell not? The result is pure evil. Mesmerising.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`Vacant Possession' is the sequel to `Every Day is Mother's Day' by Hilary Mantel.
`Vacant Possession' begins 10 years after the events at the Axon's house which ultimately led to Muriel being placed in Fulmers Moor in the Greyshott Ward as part of her rehabilitation to eventually return to society, which she does, but Muriel has changed, she can now mimicry (mimic) and is a mistress of disguise, one of Muriel's hidden traits is that she watches people and for ten years she has been watching everyone in Greyshott Ward.
Colin Sidney is now living in the Axon's old house, his sister Florence still lives next door, his wife, Sylvia has reinvented herself, she has become more confidence, more sociable. Isobel Field is now married and no longer a social worker, everyone is living their lives but unknown to them, Muriel is amongst them.
`Vacant Possession', I felt was the stronger of the two books, you find out more about Muriel and also how devious (and scary) she is, with `Vacant Possession', you find out the lengths which Muriel will go to, to get her revenge.
An interesting read.
`Vacant Possession' begins 10 years after the events at the Axon's house which ultimately led to Muriel being placed in Fulmers Moor in the Greyshott Ward as part of her rehabilitation to eventually return to society, which she does, but Muriel has changed, she can now mimicry (mimic) and is a mistress of disguise, one of Muriel's hidden traits is that she watches people and for ten years she has been watching everyone in Greyshott Ward.
Colin Sidney is now living in the Axon's old house, his sister Florence still lives next door, his wife, Sylvia has reinvented herself, she has become more confidence, more sociable. Isobel Field is now married and no longer a social worker, everyone is living their lives but unknown to them, Muriel is amongst them.
`Vacant Possession', I felt was the stronger of the two books, you find out more about Muriel and also how devious (and scary) she is, with `Vacant Possession', you find out the lengths which Muriel will go to, to get her revenge.
An interesting read.
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read this book over and over. Its bleak, horrific and oh so funny. Muriel is a disturbing character, self-preserving and understandably vicious, but the comedy shines through, making the novel unforgettable. I never undertand why Hilary Mantel is not more acclaimed as an author - she is needle-sharp.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not the best
Couldn't get on with this at all and as for the alleged 'humour', where was that? Definitely not the best and very glib ending. 2nd hand book anyone?
Published 6 months ago by plain jane
another cracking read
Just recently showed it to a friend nd she is waiting to read it after me. What style this woman has-I laugh out loud reading it at night. Read more
Published on 29 April 2010 by Ms. Joanne Lancaster
re-reader
I agree with the other reviewer who says she re-reads this novel. I cannot quite believe that I started to read it again immediately I had finished it ... it's THAT good. Read more
Published on 20 April 2010 by S. E. Wilde
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