The Greatcoat - Couverture souple

There was a man outside the window. An everyday figure, safe as houses, but her heart clenched in fear. It was the look on his face: recognition, a familiarity so deep he didn't have to say a word.

But she'd never seen him before in her life.

It is the winter of 1952, and Isabel Carey is struggling to adjust to the realities of married life in Yorkshire.

Isolated and lonely, she is also intensely cold. And her husband - a doctor - is rarely home.

And then one night she discovers an old RAF greatcoat in the back of a cupboard. She puts it on her bed for warmth - and is startled by a knock at her window.

Outside is a young man. A pilot. And he wants to come in ...

'Taut and elegantly written' Sunday Times

'Atmospheric and accomplished' Woman & Home

'Haunting and exquisitely crafted' Glamour

'A perfect ghost story' Independent on Sunday

'I love ghost stories and this one is hugely atmospheric.' Judy Finnigan

'I really enjoyed the authentic wartime detail in this book.' Richard Madeley

'In her Afterword, Dunmore says that her inspirations for this ghost story were The Turn of the Screw and Tom's Midnight Garden, stories which deal with the past's imprint upon the present. Her own story stands comparison with those illustrious models. A genuinely eerie story in which both the living and the dead are equally real.' Independent on Sunday

'Helen Dunmore's first ever ghost story is at once eloquent and haunting and a beautiful interpretation of the novella.' Stylist

In the winter of 1952, Isabel Carey moves to the East Riding of Yorkshire with her husband Philip, a GP. With Philip spending long hours on call, Isabel finds herself isolated and lonely as she strives to adjust to the realities of married life.

Woken by intense cold one night, she discovers an old RAF greatcoat hidden in the back of a cupboard. Sleeping under it for warmth, she starts to dream. And not long afterwards, while her husband is out, she is startled by a knock at her window.

Outside is a young RAF pilot, waiting to come in.

His name is Alec, and his powerful presence both disturbs and excites her. Her initial alarm soon fades, and they begin an intense affair. But nothing has prepared her for the truth about Alec's life, nor the impact it will have on hers ...