The Midnight News

Set against the backdrop of World War II in London, Baker’s (Longbourn) latest, narrated by Katherine Manners, does not focus directly on the war but instead highlights 1940s societal issues, including birth control, queer relationships, and standards in psychiatric care. Charlotte Richmond, a typist at the Ministry of Information, is trying to get her life on track but is deeply shaken when her friends begin dying around her. Troubled by their voices, which haunt her thoughts, she becomes unmoored and begins to think that she is being followed. Charlotte is determined to find out what happened to her late best friend, El, and enlists the help of a young man who feeds the birds. But, fed up with Charlotte’s behavior, her family commits her to an asylum, where she is subjected to disturbing medical care. Though the novel is slow to start, listeners will soon be drawn into the storyline and appreciate the intricacies of the world Baker describes. Manners’s empathetic yet lively narration captures the nuances of Charlotte’s struggles and paints a vibrant portrait of her and her friends and family.