Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

Set in Tower Hamlets, a deprived borough of London, this novel centres around the fictional Banyan Court, a housing Tower Block built by the reclusive billionaire, Tobias Fell. The block towers over the neighbouring streets and is home to middle-class residents who can afford its units, with a social housing annexe hidden around the back and made of substandard materials for poorer occupants.

Fell has made his fortune through various nefarious and immoral dealings (show me a billionaire who hasn’t?) but has managed to cover the extent of his rotten affairs with a mixture of litigation, intimidation, and charitable spending (again, not uncommon in the billionaire class). In his twilight years, he has retired to his penthouse and is now rarely, if ever, seen. A selection of residents in the tower, and its poor annexe, receive invitations out of the blue to a dinner party he is giving in the penthouse and this is the culmination of the story. Before that, we are introduced to each character.

What I really liked about this novel is that it is in effect a series of interconnected short stories, each long chapter focusing on a different character, introducing us to their lives, revealing how they discover the tower’s spooky and supernatural secrets and concluding with them receiving their invitation from Fell. Each character has little choice but to attend the party by the end of their individual story, whatever misgivings they might have (some do, some don’t), as whatever it is that inhabits the fabric of the building has reached out and irrevocably touched them. I’m not giving away any spoilers by saying the concluding chapters focus on the dinner party itself, we finally discover what is behind all the hauntings, and why these guests have been invited by Fell. 

This is a great modern ghost/horror story and as well as doing what such a story is designed to do - give us the creeps and scares - there’s a fair bit of social commentary running through in the background. Anyone who’s lived in London, or indeed any big metropolis, will be familiar with issues surrounding housing and affordability. Similarly, billionaires and oligarchs and disparities of wealth are regularly in the news. None of this is laid on too thick, however, and at no point does the author preach; instead, the social commentary is expertly weaved through the horror narrative.   

An excellent novel and highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars