I loved listening to these short stories on Radio 4 and was excited to revisit them in book form, as they were broadcast a few years ago. This is the second set of stories I’ve read—Daisy Johnson’s The Hotel being the first—that were originally aired on the radio before being published. In both cases, I found the experience of reading them far less enjoyable.

The sense of disquiet, so beautifully conveyed on the radio, didn’t translate as effectively to the page. The anthology felt unnecessary, as the stories worked perfectly in their original format. Sometimes, it’s better to leave things in the medium they were designed for, rather than adapting them to fit another form.

While fans of the broadcasts might still find something to enjoy here, I believe these stories are best appreciated in their intended medium.