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I was instantly mesmerised by the opening chapter of Old Soul, in which a teacher finds he has something very unusual in common with a woman he meets on a trip to Osaka. From this first scene onwards, this book is utterly compelling. It switches between a continuing narrative � titled ‘Badlands� � and a series of testimonies that almost act as self-contained short stories. The latter are connected by the presence of Jake, the teacher from the first chapter, who goes all over the world in search of them. Together, these entwined narratives slowly paint a picture of the character at the book’s heart: a woman who takes on many guises, an immortal, the ‘old soul� of the title, a dangerous and unknowable creature. In spite of all that, this isn’t a story with a clear-cut villain. As I read, I frequently found my sympathies shifting.

There are definite similarities to Barker’s earlier novel The Incarnations, which also follows a centuries-old character with many different faces, but this is clearly the superior product � slicker and impeccably paced, so unbearably tense I was constantly tempted to skip ahead because I just needed to find out where it was going next. (I tended to enjoy the testimonies most, but ‘Badlands� is electric with suspense, like a taut wire pulled through the middle of the book.) It reminded me of The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, or even a supernatural version of Liz Nugent’s Skin Deep. I already want to read it again.

I received an advance review copy of Old Soul from the publisher through .