''The Seance'' is a 2008 horror novel by John Harwood. Set in late 19th century

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, it follows the story of Constance Langton who in an attempt to make her mother healthy again takes her to a

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spea ...

only to result in tragic consequences. ''The Seance'' won the 2008

Aurealis Award The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

for best horror novel. The book was first published in Australia on 1 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape in trade paperback format. It was re-released in

hardback A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

and

mass market paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...

format in Australia during 2008 and 2009, and received a similar release in the United States and United Kingdom during this time. An audio edition was published in September 2008 by Oakhill Publishing Limited in the United Kingdom.

Synopsis

Ever since her childhood Constance Langton has felt out of place. She never had a proper mother, as Constance's mother preferred to obsess over the death of Constance's infant sister Alma, to the point where this drove her to suicide many years later. To make matters worse, Constance seems to have the ability to see horrible visions of future deaths, which greatly unnerves her. In 1889 Constance discovers that she has inherited Wraxford Hall, a run down and supposedly haunted mansion in Suffolk. Despite warnings by the Wraxford family lawyer that the house has led to the death and disappearances of several Wraxfords - and that living there is not a good idea, Constance ends up drawn to the house, something that might spell her doom.

Reception

''The Seance'' received positive reviews from

Tor.com ''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction. From 20 ...

and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', the latter of which compared the book to the works of

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for '' The Moonstone'' (1868), which has b ...

and Arthur Conan Doyle, writing that both authors were "fascinated by the disputed borderland between the claims of the paranormal and the techniques of Victorian science. In the hands of a lesser writer, these elements might have seemed stagey and trite. But Harwood reinvests them with novelty and makes them genuinely spooky." ''The Telegraph'' praised Harwood's writing, especially his "understanding of how two young women, Constance and Eleanor, are at the mercy of a society in which they have to fight for an economic stake, continually facing the anxieties of poverty and social banishment."

Awards

for best horror novel (2008, won)

References

External links

''The White Body of Evening''
at

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

2008 Australian novels 2000s horror novels Aurealis Award-winning works Novels set in London Jonathan Cape books {{2000s-horror-novel-stub