Introducing our October Monthly Spotlight: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
This month, we delve into a haunting tale that's perfect for the dark nights ahead. Read an interview and extract, explore our reading guide, and enter our new competition to win a bundle of books
As the nights grow longer and Halloween draws near, it’s the perfect time for a chilling read. That’s why, this month, our Monthly Spotlight title is The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2009, The Little Stranger is Waters’ fifth novel – a chilling ghost story set in postwar Britain. The novel builds on her earlier explorations in the Gothic genre, this time adding a full-blown supernatural twist.
Set in 1947, The Little Stranger centres on the Ayres family, who have lived in their grand Georgian house, Hundreds Hall, for over two centuries. Now, the once-elegant home is falling into disrepair, its masonry crumbling and gardens choked with weeds. But are the Ayres haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life?
The foundations of Waters’ story came from her own recurring ‘night terrors’, in which she saw a figure looming over her, ‘Woman in Black-style’. In an exclusive interview with the Booker Prizes website, Waters reveals that these unsettling dreams prompted a shift in the direction of her novel: ‘What would happen if I made this a ghost story?’ she wondered.
Waters also explains how she drew inspiration from the greats, including Henry James and Shirley Jackson, and how she used a poltergeist to give middle-class fears regarding the societal changes in postwar Britain a tangible form.
Writing for Salon, Laura Miller noted that ‘The Little Stranger is about class, and the unavoidable yet lamentable price paid when venerable social hierarchies begin to erode.’ While the Washington Post’s Ron Charles remarked that the ‘creaks and groans that reverberate through this tale are accompanied by malignant strains of class envy and sexual repression that infect every perfectly reasonable explanation we hear.’
For more on The Little Stranger, visit our Monthly Spotlight page. There, you can read the full interview, explore an extract from the novel, and dive into our comprehensive reading guide. You’ll also find an essay by Lennie Goodings, Waters’ editor of over 20 years, which offers a deeper look at her extraordinary body of work. Plus, don't miss your chance to win a bundle of books by the author, including her three Booker-shortlisted titles.
We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, or join in the conversation on our social channels. But be warned – once you’ve entered Hundreds Hall, you might find it hard to leave it behind…
Sarah Waters interview: ‘I turned my night terrors into a ghost story’
The Booker Prize-shortlisted author talks about the inspirations behind the novel, using ghosts to embody middle-class fears, and the writers who showed her that queer fiction could be clever and ambitious.
‘The class changes were my starting point. In fact, I’d realised what a big deal they were in the post-war period, with working-class people coming out of the war with a new energy, a new optimism, and snobbish middle- and upper-class people feeling gloomy and frightened about what they saw as the advent of a dreary new meritocracy.’
Win a bundle of Sarah Waters novels and a Booker Prize tote bag
To celebrate our Monthly Spotlight for October, we’re giving you the chance to win six books by Sarah Waters and a limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag. The set includes The Little Stranger, Fingersmith, The Night Watch, Tipping the Velvet, Affinity and The Paying Guests.
To be in with a chance of winning the set, head over to the Booker Prizes website and enter the competition by 12:00 GMT on Thursday, 31 October, 2024. This competition is open to readers anywhere in the world.
Read an extract from The Little Stranger
In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, with its owners – mother, son and daughter – struggling to keep pace with a changing society. Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.
Where to start with Sarah Waters: a guide to her best books
Renowned for her captivating historical fiction and Gothic flair, Sarah Waters has garnered widespread acclaim, frequently exploring themes of identity, sexuality and social class. Here, her editor of over 20 years, Lennie Goodings, explains where to begin with Waters' work, including her three Booker Prize-nominated novels – Fingersmith, The Night Watch, and The Little Stranger.
Discover our reading guide to the novel
Whether you’re new to The Little Stranger or have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, discover more with our comprehensive guide which includes a synopsis, character summaries, critics’ comments and a range of discussion points for book clubs.
Ooooh! - my very first Sarah Waters novel, which I believe I owe a thanks to the Booker folks for making the introduction. She is now one of my favorite authors.
Sufficiently creepy for the Season. Good one! Thank you Booker!
Great 👍 Thank you 🙏📚🙏