The traditional Christian wedding vows include provisions “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,” but they’re a little fuzzy on what to do when a spouse declares that they can communicate with the dead. Evelyn Hazard could use more concrete guidance when her husband makes just that declaration at the beginning of Anbara Salam’s troubling novel, Hazardous Spirits. The rest of the book sees Evelyn wavering between believing her husband and doubting him, dealing with disapproving relatives, enjoying the benefits of contact with rich spiritualists, and worrying if her own secrets are safe. I feel emotionally worn out after reading this book, but not entirely satisfied by its conclusion.
Evelyn does her best to be a respectable wife to her accountant husband, Robert. She appears content with her life. She visits her supportive sister and tolerates her parents, who clearly care about appearances above all else. Evelyn and her husband are clearly in love. Things take a turn when Robert reveals to Evelyn that he believes he can talk to the spirits of the dead and see ghosts. Evelyn’s response is to rush to her sister’s house. She is barely coherent when she arrives and, when the doctor is summoned, is treated as if she’s the one who needs medical attention. When things get sorted out, the doctor tells Evelyn that there’s nothing physically wrong with her husband. The doctor isn’t even particularly fussed about Robert’s mental state, though that might be because the United Kingdom in the 1920s saw a flourishing of spiritualism in the wake of World War I. Many con artists made a living claiming to contact relatives killed during the war or who died of influenza for grieving survivors.
Robert cajoles Evelyn into visiting the local spiritualist library. He clearly believes that Evelyn can be convinced that it’s possible to talk to the dead if she just opens her mind and learns more about the movement. Evelyn is skeptical but torn. She wants to trust her husband but spiritualism is clearly a bridge too far…at least until Robert’s mentor, the child medium Clarence O’Grady, and Robert himself start to make some eerily accurate predictions during their performances. It also helps that Robert’s new acquaintances include a rich war hero and a countess. Being able to hobnob with this new set at country mansions and parties in Edinburgh appeals much more to Evelyn than Robert’s efforts to contact the dead.
Although I felt for Evelyn, I was frustrated by her more than once. She’s a fearful sort of person, constantly worried about what others think and that her “terrible” secret will be exposed. I understand anxiety, sure, but what I struggle with are characters who waver. (I had a really hard time with Hamlet.) Take time to decide, do some research, talk to people—but make a decision! Salam leaves the ending of Hazardous Spirits deliberately unresolved. When I read a book with this kind of ending, I usually have enough information and enough of a sense of the protagonist that I can arrive at a solid conclusion about what happens. Evelyn is so at the mercy of the people around her that I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to stop changing her mind about who to trust or what’s real. The ending of Hazardous Spirits is definitely going to annoy a lot of readers, even if they were able to tolerate all of Evelyn’s slings and arrows.