The Haunting of Alma Fielding

It was interesting to read a psychological take on paranormal phenomena. Kate Summerscale presented the different perspectives of the people involved, as well as the difficulty of deciding whether fake mediums should be seen as possible victims of trauma and difficult life circumstances, or as disingenuous frauds. The latter would mean they were vandalising homes, hurting themselves, stealing, and lying to their friends. (p. 193) And maybe, as so often the case, it's not an extreme "and/or" but a little bit of both. Fodor, the investigator, wanted to believe in the supernatural while simultaneously trying to explain the hoaxes behind the phenomena. He made a conscious effort to remain kind to clients even when he caught them cheating and his patience was being tested. I also remember a funny moment in this non-fiction book when Fodor shared his theory and a possible psychological explanation with one of his clients for her haunting, and: "His interpretation seemed to do the trick: the ghost left the cottage."