Nights at the Shopping Centre

[commonpeople1]

Catherine O'Flynn, What Was Lost, 2007
I never knew ghosts stories could be this depressing. Either they scare you, make you laugh or leave you indifferent, right? Catherine O'Flynn breaks new haunting ground with this novel, winner of the Costa Fist Novel Award 2007, by exploring the sadness generated in a community after the construction of a glossy shopping centre in the 80s and the ghost that inhabits it. The novel centres around little Kate, who wishes to escape her reality by playing detective and following strangers in the mall; Lisa, who is going nowhere as deputy manager of the mall's mega music store; Kurt, a security guard recovering from a personal tragedy, who prefers the solitary night shifts; and Teresa, who would rather get abuse at school then stay at home with her violent father.

O'Flynn captures perfectly Britain's particular take on empty consumerism, lives going nowhere, relationships founded on killing time together rather than learning or enjoying anything. We all know people like these characters, and maybe we recognize parts of ourselves in their struggle to make sense of life.