The Extra Large Medium

Ever since she was a kid, Annie Colville has been talking to the Dead. She knows they’re dead because they’re always dressed in chocolate brown. And they’re hanging around where Annie can see them because they’re worried about the things they left undone. Their crucial unfinished business. Like where they left the key to the shed, or who should get the Crown Derby tea set.

But Annie’s grown up now, and things are getting serious. Especially after she falls for Evan Bees. It’s hard enough to lose someone you love; but what if you know they could come back to you? And they just…don’t?

With this wonderful debut novel, Helen Slavin has taken the ghost story into a new dimension. Quirky, irreverent, moving and a little bit spooky, The Extra Large Medium will charm you completely—even as it’s raising the hairs on the back of your neck.

Praise for The Extra Large Medium:

‘A very, very good novel. Not a wasted word. Helen Slavin is a highly original talent and is very much a writer to watch.’

Beryl Bainbridge

‘The narrative voice is emphatically northern, no nonsense, warm and witty. Annie sees the silliness in everything, including herself, and is not afraid to laugh at it. Both she and the book are unassuming and disarming. Short, often one-word, sentences create a sense of informality—like a proper chat—but they belie more serious undercurrents.’

The Times

‘Quirky, bizarre, black-humoured left-field ghost-story social commentary.’

Courier-Mail

‘Helen Slavin can strip characters without a shred of nastiness. This debut is the oddball antidote to the psychic adverts that lurk inside every glossy gossip magazine.’

Sydney Morning Herald

‘Memorable, imaginative.’

Woman's Day

‘Wicked sense of humour and vivid imagination.’

Guardian