Colleen Mondor Reviews Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam

Hazardous Spirits, Anbara Salam (Tin House 978-1-959030-13-3, $17.95, tp, 368pp) October 2023. Cover by Beth Steidle.

Anbara Salam’s historical novel Hazardous Spirits opens with some unexpected fam­ily drama for protagonist Evelyn Hazard. Firmly established as a middle-class housewife in 1923 Edinburgh, she is happy with her accountant husband, Robert, and living in close proximity to her dear sister, Kitty, and her family. Still griev­ing from the death of their older sister, Dolores, (‘‘Dolly’’), in the devastating flu epidemic of 1918, Evelyn thinks she has life if not figured out, at least a bit under control. Then Robert announces he can communicate with the dead and asks her to support him as he involves himself in local spiritualist society.

What is a loving, supportive wife to do? Evelyn immediately thinks back to an undefined financial scandal in her childhood with her parents and is understandably concerned about what Robert’s pursuit of spiritualism could mean to the extended family’s still precarious social position. The right choice, she is certain, is to forbid Robert from engaging with spiritualists. But he is so disap­pointed, so hurt, and so eager to help others that she relents. Soon, he is on stage before stunned crowds, engaging with private clients in seances, and convincing both himself and his wife that he really is receiving messages from the dead. Evelyn has doubts, though, and, more importantly, fears. Because if Robert is doing what he says he is doing, then he might contact Dolly, and if that happens, he will learn Evelyn’s dark secret and their mar­riage will be over.

I spent a considerable amount of time while reading Hazardous Spirits wondering if I was immersed in a novel of historical fiction or histori­cal fantasy, and I can’t make any promises which genre it is even now – you are going to have to decide for yourself. I can tell you that Salam nails the staggering grief in the United Kingdom in the 1920s and the desire of so many families to contact their loved ones who were lost to war or to the flu pandemic. She refers to the documented opinions on spiritualism of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, mentions several actual published books and studies on the topic, and the performance/lecture circuit that Robert par­ticipates in is patterned after those that actually existed. Even the wild hedonistic society of ‘‘Bright Young Things’’ who support Robert’s talent and befriend the Hazards is representative of the Jazz Age and Lost Generation. Their brash parties and self-destructive tendencies are right out of The Great Gatsby, but as Salam reveals, many of them suffered tragic losses in the war and understand­ably look to talents like Robert and those he works with to ease their crushing pain.

Of course there are many problems for Evelyn in all of this. Her conservative parents are predictably disapproving, Kitty is cautious of how her new friends defy convention, and worst of all, Robert’s frequent séance partner is a child who either has a remarkable paranormal ability or is a talented charlatan. The biggest issue of all, however, even greater than Dolly potentially speaking from the grave, is that if Robert doesn’t really hear the dead, he is a liar and Evelyn cannot bear that thought, for it will mean the end of their marriage. As the parties spin more and more out of control and she meets dazzling people who pull her in opposing directions, Evelyn is torn between her heart and her head. And then, just when she thinks she really knows what is going on, Salam throws a massive final curve­ball that leaves her, and readers, reeling.

The domestic tension in Hazardous Spirits is so well done that as Salam ratchets up the drama bit by bit, she doesn’t have to describe Evelyn’s stress; readers can already feel it. The subtle hints revealing the motivations of even the slightest of characters – Kitty’s mild-mannered husband, a veteran, has nightmares and thus his own ‘‘eccentricity’’ in her view – serve to fill out the scene of a nation that is continuing to suffer from years of trauma. It is obvious why spiritualism is so popular, just as it is not surprising that there would be people taking advantage of the situation. Can Evelyn believe her husband sees and hears the dead? Is he depressed or is something worse causing him to hallucinate? Or is it true and if it’s true, well, OH NO, HERE COMES DOLLY! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and I’m still shaking my head over that ending. Hazardous Spirits is a dark delight, perfect winter reading, no matter what you believe.

This review and more like it in the November 2023 issue of Locus.

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