Send us a text Are you a city mouse or a country mouse? That’s the question at the heart of my conversation with Charlotte Northedge. Her new novel, The People Before argues that though the city may be a hassle, it’s a lot less scary than what waits out there in the fields and farmhouses of this pleasant land. Charlotte is very much a city mouse. She’s also the Head of Books for The Guardian Newspaper, which makes her superbly well-euipped to talk about fiction in general, and this is an episode that really gets into the Gothic tradition of which The People Before is part. We talk about the unique nature of the female gothic, domestic loads and mortgage terror, the economics of haunted houses, and I stand by my argument that rural axe-murders are fairly rare. Enjoy! The People Before was released on November 10th by HarperCollins Other books mentioned in this episode include: The House Guests (2021), by Charlotte Northedge The Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona Ward Sundial (2022), by Catriona Ward The Fell (2021), by Sarah Moss The Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley Jackson Rebecca (1938), by Daphne Du Maurier The Turn of the Screw (1898), by Henry James Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.