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The Sleepwalker
9 hours, 38 minutes
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room comes a spine-tingling novel of lies, loss, and buried desire the mesmerizing story of a wife and mother who vanishes from her bed late one night.
When Annalee Ahlberg goes missing, her children fear the worst. Annalee is a sleepwalker whose affliction manifests in ways both bizarre and devastating. Once, she merely destroyed the hydrangeas in front of her Vermont home. More terrifying was the night her older daughter, Lianna, pulled her back from the precipice of the Gale River bridge. The morning of Annalee's disappearance, a search party combs the nearby woods. Annalee's husband, Warren, flies home from a business trip. Lianna is questioned by a young, hazel-eyed detective. And her little sister, Paige, takes to swimming the Gale to look for clues. When the police discover a small swatch of fabric, a nightshirt, ripped and hanging from a tree branch, it seems certain Annalee is dead, but Gavin Rikert, the hazel-eyed detective, continues to call, continues to stop by the Ahlbergs' Victorian home. As Lianna peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Annalee's disappearance, she finds herself drawn to Gavin, but she must ask herself: Why does the detective know so much about her mother? Why did Annalee leave her bed only when her father was away? And if she really died while sleepwalking, where was the body?
Conjuring the strange and mysterious world of parasomnia, a place somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness, The Sleepwalker is a masterful novel from one of our most treasured storytellers."
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room comes a spine-tingling novel of lies, loss, and buried desire the mesmerizing story of a wife and mother who vanishes from her bed late one night.
When Annalee Ahlberg goes missing, her children fear the worst. Annalee is a sleepwalker whose affliction manifests in ways both bizarre and devastating. Once, she merely destroyed the hydrangeas in front of her Vermont home. More terrifying was the night her older daughter, Lianna, pulled her back from the precipice of the Gale River bridge. The morning of Annalee's disappearance, a search party combs the nearby woods. Annalee's husband, Warren, flies home from a business trip. Lianna is questioned by a young, hazel-eyed detective. And her little sister, Paige, takes to swimming the Gale to look for clues. When the police discover a small swatch of fabric, a nightshirt, ripped and hanging from a tree branch, it seems certain Annalee is dead, but Gavin Rikert, the hazel-eyed detective, continues to call, continues to stop by the Ahlbergs' Victorian home. As Lianna peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Annalee's disappearance, she finds herself drawn to Gavin, but she must ask herself: Why does the detective know so much about her mother? Why did Annalee leave her bed only when her father was away? And if she really died while sleepwalking, where was the body?
Conjuring the strange and mysterious world of parasomnia, a place somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness, The Sleepwalker is a masterful novel from one of our most treasured storytellers."
10 pages, Audio CD
First published January 10, 2017
1354 people are currently reading
21105 people want to read
About the author
Chris Bohjalian
47 books13.1k followersChris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 25 books. His 25th book, THE JACKAL’S MISTRESS, is now on sale. He writes literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, and (on occasion) ghost stories. His goal is never to write the same book twice. He has published somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 million words.
His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). He has two other novels in development for TV series as well.
He is also a playwright, including THE CLUB in 2024; MIDWIVES in 2020; and GROUNDED (now WINGSPAN) in 2018.
His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.
His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the Sarah Josefa Hale Award; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for THE NIGHT STRANGERS; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for TRANS-SISTER RADIO; a Best Lifestyle Column for “Idyll Banter” from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His short story, SLOT MACHINE FEVER DREAMS was a finalist for Best Short Story from the International Thriller Writers Association and the audio production was an Audie Finalist. His novel, MIDWVES was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.
Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.
He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). He has two other novels in development for TV series as well.
He is also a playwright, including THE CLUB in 2024; MIDWIVES in 2020; and GROUNDED (now WINGSPAN) in 2018.
His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.
His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the Sarah Josefa Hale Award; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for THE NIGHT STRANGERS; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for TRANS-SISTER RADIO; a Best Lifestyle Column for “Idyll Banter” from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His short story, SLOT MACHINE FEVER DREAMS was a finalist for Best Short Story from the International Thriller Writers Association and the audio production was an Audie Finalist. His novel, MIDWVES was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.
Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.
He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,786 reviews
February 9, 2017
I was soooo bored!!!! This now makes two books of Chris's I just didn't care for.... both for different reasons, though.
I was't a fan of "Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands", either.
I'm feeling 'less' bad about giving Chris a low review than the first time I did. I'll survive--- and he'll survive. I like 'plenty' of Chris's books and I like CHRIS! Anybody who has met him ( 3 times for me), will vouch to how terrific 'he' is!!! ....
but this book wasn't doing it for me!
I enjoyed "The Double Bind", "The Sandcastle Girls", "Skeletons at the Feast", "The Light of Ruins", "Trans-Sister Radio", "Before You Know Kindness", "The Night Strangers",
and last years "The Guest Room"...
But in "The Sleepwalker", Chris was putting me to sleep. The first half of the book was slow - and the ending ghastly!
I was't a fan of "Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands", either.
I'm feeling 'less' bad about giving Chris a low review than the first time I did. I'll survive--- and he'll survive. I like 'plenty' of Chris's books and I like CHRIS! Anybody who has met him ( 3 times for me), will vouch to how terrific 'he' is!!! ....
but this book wasn't doing it for me!
I enjoyed "The Double Bind", "The Sandcastle Girls", "Skeletons at the Feast", "The Light of Ruins", "Trans-Sister Radio", "Before You Know Kindness", "The Night Strangers",
and last years "The Guest Room"...
But in "The Sleepwalker", Chris was putting me to sleep. The first half of the book was slow - and the ending ghastly!
May 22, 2018
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
4.5 Stars!!
par·a·som·ni·a
noun: parasomnia; noun: para-somnia
a disorder characterized by abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep.
Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep.
I really enjoyed Chris Bohjalian's last book "The Guest Room" and I was very excited to read his new novel, especially after reading the description.
A character in this book suffers from a disorder called Parasomnia, which is a place somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness. As someone who has also suffered from this affliction, I was quite intrigued.
The book begins in the year 2000. Annalee Ahlberg is a wife and mother of two who vanishes one night. It is assumed that her disappearance has something to do with sleepwalking, a condition that has caused her to do many bizarre and dangerous things. Some of the things she's done are almost funny, like destroying the plants in front of her home, spraying them with silver paint. But she's also done things that are terrifying to her and her family, for example almost jumping off a bridge in the middle of the night. Thankfully her oldest daughter woke her just in time.
After her disappearance, her husband places ads with his wifes picture in the area newspapers to keep her image fresh in people's minds. He tells his daughters people will quickly forget. He says that people survive by being callous, not kind...
Some of Annalee's behavior led to feelings of shame in both her and her husband. He was embarrassed by her behavior and what people saw, and Annalee was ashamed because of what she could not control.
The night she disappears her husband, Warren is away on a business trip, her daughters both asleep in their beds.
It seems like everyone seems to have something to hide. So many lies and secrets. Where is Annalee and what really happened the night she disappeared?
***Possibly very minor spoilers***. Usually things that are already mentioned in the description or within the first few pages of the book. However, if you prefer knowing very little about a book then you may want to stop here. I don't ever want to spoil things for anyone.
Annalee's husband deals with her disappearance by throwing himself into work during the day and drinking until he falls asleep at night. Daughters Lianna and Paige deal with their mother's disappearance in different ways. Lianna is twenty-one and self medicates in order to cope while her younger sister, Paige who is twelve starts to swim the local river in search of their mother. Both feel very guilty that they didn't wake up the night their mother vanished.
Everyone is surprised when her body is not found immediately. Why did this happen most often when her husband was out-of-town?
Detective Gavin Rikert is part of the team investigating Annalee's disappearance. Annalee's oldest daughter feels as though the detective knows more than he's saying. She's determined to find out what he knows about her mother.
I really enjoyed this book. I can tell that Chris Bohjalian is on top of his research. Along with a great story, there was a lot of interesting information about sleep clinics and sleep studies, the different types of parasomnias as well as examples of what kinds things people with this disorder can do. It's terrifying and sad to think of the things that happen while they are asleep. They don't just walk around the room and talk. They can cook, have sex, leave the house, drive, and even commit crimes.
This is a subject that many readers may not have thought about, unless they happened to come across an article or news story where someone has committed a crime or had an accident while "sleepwalking".
I found it both informative and entertaining.
I have had two sleep studies or polysomnograms. The descriptions of the sleep clinics and the tests were very familiar. But while I have done strange things in my sleep (eating, walking, moving things around, waking up in different parts of the house) thankfully I've never left my home. My issues are nowhere near as serious as what Annalee suffered from but it gave me some insight and understanding.
The plot was great. The story flowed well and I grew very attached to the characters. I could almost feel the pain and frustration of the characters coming off the page. Reading Lianna's point of view, her pain and guilt as well as the thoughts from someone else who felt so hopeless and ashamed.
I really wanted to know what happened to Annalee.
In my opinion Chris Bohjalian has written a fantastic book. I found it not only entertaining but also believable. Of course not every single thing is plausible but that's the beauty of fiction, it doesn't have to be! If real life hadn't gotten in the way I could have easily read this in one or two sittings.
This was a suspenseful read with a slow build-up that kept me interested all the way up to a great finish.
Thank you to Chris Bohjalian and Doubleday Books for providing me with an advanced copy to read and review.
4.5 Stars!!
par·a·som·ni·a
noun: parasomnia; noun: para-somnia
a disorder characterized by abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep.
Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep.
I really enjoyed Chris Bohjalian's last book "The Guest Room" and I was very excited to read his new novel, especially after reading the description.
A character in this book suffers from a disorder called Parasomnia, which is a place somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness. As someone who has also suffered from this affliction, I was quite intrigued.
The book begins in the year 2000. Annalee Ahlberg is a wife and mother of two who vanishes one night. It is assumed that her disappearance has something to do with sleepwalking, a condition that has caused her to do many bizarre and dangerous things. Some of the things she's done are almost funny, like destroying the plants in front of her home, spraying them with silver paint. But she's also done things that are terrifying to her and her family, for example almost jumping off a bridge in the middle of the night. Thankfully her oldest daughter woke her just in time.
After her disappearance, her husband places ads with his wifes picture in the area newspapers to keep her image fresh in people's minds. He tells his daughters people will quickly forget. He says that people survive by being callous, not kind...
Some of Annalee's behavior led to feelings of shame in both her and her husband. He was embarrassed by her behavior and what people saw, and Annalee was ashamed because of what she could not control.
The night she disappears her husband, Warren is away on a business trip, her daughters both asleep in their beds.
It seems like everyone seems to have something to hide. So many lies and secrets. Where is Annalee and what really happened the night she disappeared?
***Possibly very minor spoilers***. Usually things that are already mentioned in the description or within the first few pages of the book. However, if you prefer knowing very little about a book then you may want to stop here. I don't ever want to spoil things for anyone.
Annalee's husband deals with her disappearance by throwing himself into work during the day and drinking until he falls asleep at night. Daughters Lianna and Paige deal with their mother's disappearance in different ways. Lianna is twenty-one and self medicates in order to cope while her younger sister, Paige who is twelve starts to swim the local river in search of their mother. Both feel very guilty that they didn't wake up the night their mother vanished.
Everyone is surprised when her body is not found immediately. Why did this happen most often when her husband was out-of-town?
Detective Gavin Rikert is part of the team investigating Annalee's disappearance. Annalee's oldest daughter feels as though the detective knows more than he's saying. She's determined to find out what he knows about her mother.
I really enjoyed this book. I can tell that Chris Bohjalian is on top of his research. Along with a great story, there was a lot of interesting information about sleep clinics and sleep studies, the different types of parasomnias as well as examples of what kinds things people with this disorder can do. It's terrifying and sad to think of the things that happen while they are asleep. They don't just walk around the room and talk. They can cook, have sex, leave the house, drive, and even commit crimes.
This is a subject that many readers may not have thought about, unless they happened to come across an article or news story where someone has committed a crime or had an accident while "sleepwalking".
I found it both informative and entertaining.
I have had two sleep studies or polysomnograms. The descriptions of the sleep clinics and the tests were very familiar. But while I have done strange things in my sleep (eating, walking, moving things around, waking up in different parts of the house) thankfully I've never left my home. My issues are nowhere near as serious as what Annalee suffered from but it gave me some insight and understanding.
The plot was great. The story flowed well and I grew very attached to the characters. I could almost feel the pain and frustration of the characters coming off the page. Reading Lianna's point of view, her pain and guilt as well as the thoughts from someone else who felt so hopeless and ashamed.
I really wanted to know what happened to Annalee.
In my opinion Chris Bohjalian has written a fantastic book. I found it not only entertaining but also believable. Of course not every single thing is plausible but that's the beauty of fiction, it doesn't have to be! If real life hadn't gotten in the way I could have easily read this in one or two sittings.
This was a suspenseful read with a slow build-up that kept me interested all the way up to a great finish.
Thank you to Chris Bohjalian and Doubleday Books for providing me with an advanced copy to read and review.
November 7, 2016
3.5 A woman, a mother goes missing, her two daughters, her husband have no idea what has happened to her, but she is a sleepwalker. A woman who has many times gotten up in the night, done strange things, had been in dangerous situations before. All fear the worst.
So we enter into the world of the sleepwalker, a world I knew absolutely nothing about. Have never sleepwalked nor has anyone close to me, so this was all new. I was shocked, the different forms, the types of sleepwalking are so extensive. The first two thirds of the book centers on the search, the wondering about what happened to their mother, trying to adjust to life without her, it was slow, at times I was bored. There are things that happen but thought it dragged on a bit too long. In between chapters their are anonymous thoughts written by a sleepwalker but we don't know by whom they are written. The last third of the book picks up the pace, becomes interesting, and even if we are pretty sure we know what happened, the ending was still a surprise.
I applaud this author, he branches out, giving us many different types of novels, mysteries, historical, young adult, he has given us them all. Some are more successful with me than others, this for me is firmly in the middle. They are all well written, many times as in this story, tackles issues I knew nothing about. I never think twice about reading his books, they are surprises, I never know exactly what I will get. Looking forward to seeing what he gives me next time around.
ARC from Netgalley.
So we enter into the world of the sleepwalker, a world I knew absolutely nothing about. Have never sleepwalked nor has anyone close to me, so this was all new. I was shocked, the different forms, the types of sleepwalking are so extensive. The first two thirds of the book centers on the search, the wondering about what happened to their mother, trying to adjust to life without her, it was slow, at times I was bored. There are things that happen but thought it dragged on a bit too long. In between chapters their are anonymous thoughts written by a sleepwalker but we don't know by whom they are written. The last third of the book picks up the pace, becomes interesting, and even if we are pretty sure we know what happened, the ending was still a surprise.
I applaud this author, he branches out, giving us many different types of novels, mysteries, historical, young adult, he has given us them all. Some are more successful with me than others, this for me is firmly in the middle. They are all well written, many times as in this story, tackles issues I knew nothing about. I never think twice about reading his books, they are surprises, I never know exactly what I will get. Looking forward to seeing what he gives me next time around.
ARC from Netgalley.
February 7, 2017
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian is a 2017 Doubleday publication.
This book caught my eye when it started to crop up on my Goodreads feed. So, I made a request for my Overdrive library to buy a copy of the book and would like to thank them for adding it.
Touted as a suspenseful thriller, ‘The Sleepwalker’ delves into the murky world of sleep disorders. What happens when someone walks in their sleep? Could they engage is risky behavior? Could they harm someone or themselves?
That is what is on the mind of Lianna Ahlberg when her mother goes missing. Did her sleepwalking condition play a role? Are all the rumors about her to be believed? Was she in an accident or did something far more sinister take place?
This story is a little moody and there is an edgy atmosphere that left me with an uneasy feeling all the way through the book, unsure who to believe or who to trust.
The sleep disorder theme, which is a major thread throughout, touches on Parasomnias, and sleep sex. Some of the imagery and symptoms made me feel a little uncomfortable, but, the topic is fascinating and prompted me to do a little internet search on it.
While the story has its intense moments of psychological suspense, it was also a story about family and all its complexities, especially when coping with such an unusual family trait.
However, the story took a surprising turn towards the end and I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it and still don’t, to be honest, it is thought provoking and the storyline is original, so there is that.
Although the story didn't quite resonate with me the way I had hoped, it is a good read, one psychological thriller fans should really like.
Overall 3.5 stars
This book caught my eye when it started to crop up on my Goodreads feed. So, I made a request for my Overdrive library to buy a copy of the book and would like to thank them for adding it.
Touted as a suspenseful thriller, ‘The Sleepwalker’ delves into the murky world of sleep disorders. What happens when someone walks in their sleep? Could they engage is risky behavior? Could they harm someone or themselves?
That is what is on the mind of Lianna Ahlberg when her mother goes missing. Did her sleepwalking condition play a role? Are all the rumors about her to be believed? Was she in an accident or did something far more sinister take place?
This story is a little moody and there is an edgy atmosphere that left me with an uneasy feeling all the way through the book, unsure who to believe or who to trust.
The sleep disorder theme, which is a major thread throughout, touches on Parasomnias, and sleep sex. Some of the imagery and symptoms made me feel a little uncomfortable, but, the topic is fascinating and prompted me to do a little internet search on it.
While the story has its intense moments of psychological suspense, it was also a story about family and all its complexities, especially when coping with such an unusual family trait.
However, the story took a surprising turn towards the end and I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it and still don’t, to be honest, it is thought provoking and the storyline is original, so there is that.
Although the story didn't quite resonate with me the way I had hoped, it is a good read, one psychological thriller fans should really like.
Overall 3.5 stars
February 7, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars
Well that was a mind-blowing and unsettling read that all came together in the end to make me think…...huh, that was actually a really good book!
So not knowing exactly what parasomnia means or entails I looked it up and gathered this information from the web. What is parasomnia?
Par·a·som·ni·a
Definition: A disorder characterized by abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep.
Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep. Most parasomnias are dissociated sleep states which are partial arousals during the transitions between wakefulness and NREM sleep, or wakefulness and REM sleep.
THE SLEEPWALKER by CHRIS BOHJALIAN was a well-written, fascinating, and suspenseful thriller about the disappearance of a woman with a parasomnia disorder that sleepwalks.
Reading this book via e-book THE COVER did not come into play for this novel although I do find the cover appealing and fitting.
THE SLEEPWALKER is a fitting TITLE for this mystery and is the main reason that I chose this novel to read as I was extremely intrigued with the premise of this story. I'm fascinated by sleepwalking so the subject matter alone held my interest throughout this novel.
This novel was filled with likeable and plausible CHARACTERS and I enjoyed the relationship between Lianna and Paige as they were coping and learning about the disappearance of their mother. The grief and emotions are very touching and made me want to know what happens to them and what ultimately happened to their mother. I also really enjoyed Lianna and Gavin’s relationship throughout this story.
“I vowed to stop sleepwalking through grief.”
CHRIS BOHJALIAN delivers an impressive and suspenseful story here with a few good twists that had me questioning and guessing what actually happened and who was involved. I did find the beginning and the middle of the book slow-paced but the ending was definitely a page-turner that I couldn’t read fast enough!
What I particularly loved about this book was THE ENDING as it was one of those books that makes you realize that everything you just read now makes sense! It might not be realistic but it was extremely satisfying!
To sum it all up it was an entertaining, enjoyable, suspenseful, slow-paced, quick and easy read with a very satisfying ending. Would recommend!!
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
Well that was a mind-blowing and unsettling read that all came together in the end to make me think…...huh, that was actually a really good book!
So not knowing exactly what parasomnia means or entails I looked it up and gathered this information from the web. What is parasomnia?
Par·a·som·ni·a
Definition: A disorder characterized by abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep.
Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep. Most parasomnias are dissociated sleep states which are partial arousals during the transitions between wakefulness and NREM sleep, or wakefulness and REM sleep.
THE SLEEPWALKER by CHRIS BOHJALIAN was a well-written, fascinating, and suspenseful thriller about the disappearance of a woman with a parasomnia disorder that sleepwalks.
Reading this book via e-book THE COVER did not come into play for this novel although I do find the cover appealing and fitting.
THE SLEEPWALKER is a fitting TITLE for this mystery and is the main reason that I chose this novel to read as I was extremely intrigued with the premise of this story. I'm fascinated by sleepwalking so the subject matter alone held my interest throughout this novel.
This novel was filled with likeable and plausible CHARACTERS and I enjoyed the relationship between Lianna and Paige as they were coping and learning about the disappearance of their mother. The grief and emotions are very touching and made me want to know what happens to them and what ultimately happened to their mother. I also really enjoyed Lianna and Gavin’s relationship throughout this story.
“I vowed to stop sleepwalking through grief.”
CHRIS BOHJALIAN delivers an impressive and suspenseful story here with a few good twists that had me questioning and guessing what actually happened and who was involved. I did find the beginning and the middle of the book slow-paced but the ending was definitely a page-turner that I couldn’t read fast enough!
What I particularly loved about this book was THE ENDING as it was one of those books that makes you realize that everything you just read now makes sense! It might not be realistic but it was extremely satisfying!
To sum it all up it was an entertaining, enjoyable, suspenseful, slow-paced, quick and easy read with a very satisfying ending. Would recommend!!
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
February 4, 2018
About halfway through this book I didn't think I was going to like it at all. For the first part, the story was kind of bizarre and repetitive. I kept thinking," okay, I get it, we have talked about this plot point several times." But, a little over halfway through the book it goes into part two. From that point through the climax, the story was much more engaging for me.
I think that people that enjoy mysteries will enjoy this, even if it takes getting through the beginning. I have talked to at least one other person who did not have the problems with the start that I did, so I may be in the minority on that.
Note: some of the subject matter is a little bit risque. Not too bad, but if you prefer your stories G or PG, it may be a bit much for you.
I think that people that enjoy mysteries will enjoy this, even if it takes getting through the beginning. I have talked to at least one other person who did not have the problems with the start that I did, so I may be in the minority on that.
Note: some of the subject matter is a little bit risque. Not too bad, but if you prefer your stories G or PG, it may be a bit much for you.
August 10, 2020
3.5 stars
Annalee Ahlberg is an architect who lives in Vermont with her husband, Warren, and two daughters, Lianna and Paige. Annalee is also a sleepwalker.
While slumbering Annalee has done things like spray- painting hydrangeas with silver paint - almost killing them; and climbing onto the bridge over the Gale River, stark naked. After Annalee was rescued from the bridge by her daughter Lianna, the somnambulist attended a sleep clinic for an extended time and got appropriate medication.
Annalee's sleepwalking episodes always seemed to occur when her husband was away, so Warren hasn't gone out of town on business for years. Now that Annalee's sleepwalking appears to be under control, Warren - an English professor - decides to attend a poetry conference out of state....
....and on the first night he's gone, Annalee disappears.
An extensive search uncovers a scrap of fabric from Annalee's nightshirt near the Gale River, and the police speculate that she drowned. Annalee's body isn't recovered, however, and the family holds out hope that she'll return. Meanwhile, Warren continues teaching, but drinks himself to sleep in front of the TV every night.
And Lianna takes a leave from her senior year at Amherst College to assist her dad and help her sister Paige - an athletic middle-schooler who swims and skis competitively.
Soon after her mother vanishes, Lianna starts dating Gavin Rikert, a handsome 32-year-old detective assigned to Annalee's case.
Gavin tells Lianna that he's also a sleepwalker, and had met Annalee at the sleep clinic. He also confides that he and Annalee formed a two-person 'support group' and sometimes met for coffee and conversation. Lianna suspects that Gavin slept with Annalee - who was a beautiful, statuesque blonde - but he denies it.
Nevertheless, Lianna remains suspicious of Gavin and Annalee, and becomes even more concerned when she learns that both of them are 'sexsomniacs' - people who crave sex while asleep. Lianna comes to learn that sexsomniacs sometimes leave their homes - while fast asleep - to find sex partners.....and even speculates that Annalee might have sex-slept with her friends' husbands. Because of certain revelations, Annalee wonders if Warren is Paige's father....and comes to conjecture about foul play in Annalee's disappearance.
Lianna is the story's narrator, and we follow her as she smokes pot, buys Mexican wraps for dinner, guides her tipsy dad from the couch to his bed at night, drives Paige to her swimming and ski practices, calls her friends at Amherst, does magic shows for children's birthday parties, gets blind drunk on a date with Gavin - and does 'detective work' (blatantly invading people's privacy) to investigate Gavin's relationship with Annalee. Lianna also keeps an eye on Paige, who compulsively looks for her mother - even to the point of searching the river.
Lianna's narration is interspersed with (what seems like) the diary entries of an unidentified somnambulist, detailing episodes of sleep-sex.
We eventually learn what happened to Annalee, and the book's climax and epilogue are quite a revelation.
I found Lianna's account to be a bit meandering and repetitive, but the story held my attention and I learned a lot about sleepwalking. Some of Lianna's behavior put me off, but I did like the scenes where she practiced and performed magic tricks, which was a nice respite from the darker parts of the story.
I'd categorize the book as a family saga/offbeat mystery and would recommend it to fans of these genres.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
October 2, 2017
Annalee Ahlberg had always been afflicted with sleepwalking. Her sleepwalking activities produced events where she would leave her home and be rescued by family members. Afterwards, Annalee would have no recollection of her night-time activity. Her daughters, Lianna and Paige Ahlberg, thought that their mother’s condition was under control. One morning they awake to find that she is missing from the family home.
Lianna takes a break from her college studies to help run the family household during the investigation of her mother’s disappearance. While the family waits and fears for the worst, Lianna becomes involved with Gavin, the young detective assigned to the case. Lianna learns that Gavin is also a sleepwalker and was good friends with her mother through a sleepwalker support group. Through Gavin, she learns more about her mother’s disorder and is a unsettled about the nature of their friendship. As time passes, Lianna begins to examine her mother’s whereabouts before her disappearance. She questions her friends, doctors and support groups in hopes to understand her mother’s affliction. The family continues to remain hopeful but on edge until Annalee is found.
This story is enhanced by providing great insight into the mystery of sleepwalking. The female characters are very real and you forget that the book is written by a male author. The combination of intrigue, drama, and uncertainty makes this a good read.
Book giveaway on my blog until 12/21 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
Lianna takes a break from her college studies to help run the family household during the investigation of her mother’s disappearance. While the family waits and fears for the worst, Lianna becomes involved with Gavin, the young detective assigned to the case. Lianna learns that Gavin is also a sleepwalker and was good friends with her mother through a sleepwalker support group. Through Gavin, she learns more about her mother’s disorder and is a unsettled about the nature of their friendship. As time passes, Lianna begins to examine her mother’s whereabouts before her disappearance. She questions her friends, doctors and support groups in hopes to understand her mother’s affliction. The family continues to remain hopeful but on edge until Annalee is found.
This story is enhanced by providing great insight into the mystery of sleepwalking. The female characters are very real and you forget that the book is written by a male author. The combination of intrigue, drama, and uncertainty makes this a good read.
Book giveaway on my blog until 12/21 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
February 7, 2017
To see this review with GIFs and all of my other reviews, visit Lit.Wit.Wine.Dine
After reading and enjoying The Guest Room, I was excited to begin reading The Sleepwalker. The disappearance of a woman who sleepwalks is certainly an original concept. I’ve read stories of people who do some pretty outrageous things in their sleep; from making sandwiches to killing a spouse. (Honest, officer, I dreamt I was wrestling a deer!) But nothing could have prepared me for Annalee’s particular brand of parasomnia. Let’s just say she’s not your garden variety sleepwalker.
The pacing of the first 2/3 of this book was slow but steady. The author did a fabulous job of setting up the story in such a way that my head spun with multiple theories about multiple characters. Who is responsible? Was it the husband? The detective who knew too much? The daughter? One of the neighbors? A current or former love interest? Colonel Muster in the library with the candlestick? Who???
And then there was the what and the why… Again, so many scenarios were rolling around in my head!
Though I didn’t grow particularly fond of any of the characters in the this book, save, perhaps, Joe the Barn Cat, I felt they were well-rendered and realistically flawed. It was difficult for me to feel that I was getting to “know” them very well because everyone was on my, if not the police’s, list of suspects. So the very thing that worked well for the book, didn’t work well for me on an individual character basis.
The last 1/3 of the book provided a page-turning experience! I loved that the ending was not one of the many I’d imagined. Though I would guess the events in this book are statistically unlikely, I didn’t find them to be so outlandish as to prevent me from becoming invested in the story.
Having now read two books by Chris Bohjalian, I can see why he has such a loyal fan base. I can’t wait to see what he’ll come up with next.
Thanks to Doubleday via NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After reading and enjoying The Guest Room, I was excited to begin reading The Sleepwalker. The disappearance of a woman who sleepwalks is certainly an original concept. I’ve read stories of people who do some pretty outrageous things in their sleep; from making sandwiches to killing a spouse. (Honest, officer, I dreamt I was wrestling a deer!) But nothing could have prepared me for Annalee’s particular brand of parasomnia. Let’s just say she’s not your garden variety sleepwalker.
The pacing of the first 2/3 of this book was slow but steady. The author did a fabulous job of setting up the story in such a way that my head spun with multiple theories about multiple characters. Who is responsible? Was it the husband? The detective who knew too much? The daughter? One of the neighbors? A current or former love interest? Colonel Muster in the library with the candlestick? Who???
And then there was the what and the why… Again, so many scenarios were rolling around in my head!
Though I didn’t grow particularly fond of any of the characters in the this book, save, perhaps, Joe the Barn Cat, I felt they were well-rendered and realistically flawed. It was difficult for me to feel that I was getting to “know” them very well because everyone was on my, if not the police’s, list of suspects. So the very thing that worked well for the book, didn’t work well for me on an individual character basis.
The last 1/3 of the book provided a page-turning experience! I loved that the ending was not one of the many I’d imagined. Though I would guess the events in this book are statistically unlikely, I didn’t find them to be so outlandish as to prevent me from becoming invested in the story.
Having now read two books by Chris Bohjalian, I can see why he has such a loyal fan base. I can’t wait to see what he’ll come up with next.
Thanks to Doubleday via NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 14, 2017
3.5 stars
You never know what you're going to get with a Chris Bohjalian novel. To date, he has written nineteen of them and every single one is its own unique experience. With The Sleepwalker, his initial thoughts were to write a story about dreams but when he met with the director of a sleep center as part of his research, sleepwalking came up and Mr. Bohjalian was so fascinated with this topic that he incorporated this element instead. I learned so, so much about the subject of parasomnia. I can see why the author himself became so enthralled by it! However, the overall mystery of The Sleepwalker kinda puttered along with moments of intriguing suspicion until the big reveal at the very end...and then the other big reveal at the very, very end. You have to wait for it. The ending had my jaw dropping for sure but I can't say that it had me overlooking the lengthy-feeling journey there. It did warrant an additional 1/2 star from me, bumping up my rating from a 3 to a rounded-up 4 but that's about it. After having the full experience, I would recommend The Sleepwalker to fans of mysteries and definitely to fans of Chris Bohjalian. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Sometimes I’m not sure which hits us harder,” he said, his voice growing wistful, “that relief when we wake up from a nightmare and realize it was just a dream, or the sadness when we wake up from a good dream—a really good dream—and realize that nothing was real.” “And then there are moments like this: you’re wide awake and wish you weren’t. You wish it was just a dream.”
You never know what you're going to get with a Chris Bohjalian novel. To date, he has written nineteen of them and every single one is its own unique experience. With The Sleepwalker, his initial thoughts were to write a story about dreams but when he met with the director of a sleep center as part of his research, sleepwalking came up and Mr. Bohjalian was so fascinated with this topic that he incorporated this element instead. I learned so, so much about the subject of parasomnia. I can see why the author himself became so enthralled by it! However, the overall mystery of The Sleepwalker kinda puttered along with moments of intriguing suspicion until the big reveal at the very end...and then the other big reveal at the very, very end. You have to wait for it. The ending had my jaw dropping for sure but I can't say that it had me overlooking the lengthy-feeling journey there. It did warrant an additional 1/2 star from me, bumping up my rating from a 3 to a rounded-up 4 but that's about it. After having the full experience, I would recommend The Sleepwalker to fans of mysteries and definitely to fans of Chris Bohjalian. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Sometimes I’m not sure which hits us harder,” he said, his voice growing wistful, “that relief when we wake up from a nightmare and realize it was just a dream, or the sadness when we wake up from a good dream—a really good dream—and realize that nothing was real.” “And then there are moments like this: you’re wide awake and wish you weren’t. You wish it was just a dream.”
August 26, 2018
This man is one of my favorite authors. I enjoy everything he writes and have read almost all of his books and I will read all of them. A few of his books are more outstanding than others and this is one of them. i never figured out the surprise ending until I was there. So many twists and turns in this story told by a young girl. He writes very well in her voice. I could not put this book down. I had to keep reading until I was finished. Loved all the characters especially the young girl telling the story. Excellent book. I highly recommend.
February 6, 2017
*3.5 stars. As you might imagine, the plot of Chris Bohjalian's new novel centers around the sleep disorder parasomnia, more commonly known as sleepwalking. Set in Vermont in the year 2000, a mother disappears on a summer night while her two daughters are sleeping and her husband is away on a trip. Annalee Ahlberg has been known to sleepwalk in the past when her husband is not with her and so it is assumed that that is what has happened in this instance and a search party is organized to try to locate her but to no avail.
The story is told through the eyes of the oldest daughter, Lianna, who decides not to return to college in the fall so she can care for her father, Warren, a college professor, and her baby sister, Paige, who is twelve. Not knowing what has happened to their wife and mother is almost worse than the worst-case scenario would be, as the family can have no closure and move on with their lives.
Liana becomes involved with a detective in his thirties working the case (kind of a gray area of ethics here--due to the very real conflict of interest with his job and the huge age difference between them) and slowly but surely family secrets are revealed and lies are uncovered. It's interesting how people can live together as a family and still know very little about each other, isn't it?
Between each chapter are anonymous first-hand accounts of parasomnia which grow darker and darker--more deviant and strange-- as the story goes on. Bohjalian has obviously done a lot of research into the topic of parasomnia for his book and shares his knowledge with his readers through these journal-like entries.
The first two-thirds of the book dragged for me--truthfully, I was a little bored--and I was flirting with the idea of giving this book less than 3 stars at that point. Then the pace picked up in the last one hundred pages and the book redeemed itself somewhat as a suspense novel, although I thought some descriptions were a bit over the top, certainly not for the sensitive.
An annoyance I had with the book had the effect of popping me out of the story every time I noticed it: Lianna frequently refers to her mother by both her first and last names, Annalee Ahlberg, instead of saying my mother or mom or even calling her by just her first name. I cannot imagine referring to my own mother in that way or having my daughters refer to me in that way either! Very strange and somewhat off-putting. I've read several Bohjalian books and admire his writing. This one is good but not a favorite.
The story is told through the eyes of the oldest daughter, Lianna, who decides not to return to college in the fall so she can care for her father, Warren, a college professor, and her baby sister, Paige, who is twelve. Not knowing what has happened to their wife and mother is almost worse than the worst-case scenario would be, as the family can have no closure and move on with their lives.
Liana becomes involved with a detective in his thirties working the case (kind of a gray area of ethics here--due to the very real conflict of interest with his job and the huge age difference between them) and slowly but surely family secrets are revealed and lies are uncovered. It's interesting how people can live together as a family and still know very little about each other, isn't it?
Between each chapter are anonymous first-hand accounts of parasomnia which grow darker and darker--more deviant and strange-- as the story goes on. Bohjalian has obviously done a lot of research into the topic of parasomnia for his book and shares his knowledge with his readers through these journal-like entries.
The first two-thirds of the book dragged for me--truthfully, I was a little bored--and I was flirting with the idea of giving this book less than 3 stars at that point. Then the pace picked up in the last one hundred pages and the book redeemed itself somewhat as a suspense novel, although I thought some descriptions were a bit over the top, certainly not for the sensitive.
An annoyance I had with the book had the effect of popping me out of the story every time I noticed it: Lianna frequently refers to her mother by both her first and last names, Annalee Ahlberg, instead of saying my mother or mom or even calling her by just her first name. I cannot imagine referring to my own mother in that way or having my daughters refer to me in that way either! Very strange and somewhat off-putting. I've read several Bohjalian books and admire his writing. This one is good but not a favorite.
December 19, 2016
I've pretty much decided that Chris Bohjalian could write about the making of a jet engine and make it interesting enough for me to come back for more. Here he gives us a lesson in sleepwalking and other sleep disorders. Some I already knew about; some I did not, such as how sleepwalking can be passed down from one generation to the next.
And there he goes again with his female points of view, always done so well. It really is remarkable.
Annalee, a mother of two girls, has gone missing during a night when her husband was out of town. She has a history of sleepwalking and leaving the house, so it is presumed that got her into some predicament. There are multiple mysteries to be solved: What happened to the woman and where did she end up? Will the two daughters start sleepwalking now too as a result of this event? And who is the mysterious state cop who knows more about Annalee than her family does and is showing an interest in the older daughter?
The various mysteries had me guessing and nail biting until the very end. A great book I would highly recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
And there he goes again with his female points of view, always done so well. It really is remarkable.
Annalee, a mother of two girls, has gone missing during a night when her husband was out of town. She has a history of sleepwalking and leaving the house, so it is presumed that got her into some predicament. There are multiple mysteries to be solved: What happened to the woman and where did she end up? Will the two daughters start sleepwalking now too as a result of this event? And who is the mysterious state cop who knows more about Annalee than her family does and is showing an interest in the older daughter?
The various mysteries had me guessing and nail biting until the very end. A great book I would highly recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
June 4, 2018
"It was like a dream, but it was real..."
Chris Bohjalian is a truly talented author. I love his beautiful and sensual writing style, his portrayal of the characters and his unusual and unsettling stories.
The story revolves around the disappearance of a woman who has Parasomnia (a sleep disorder), leaving her husband and two daughters to deal with the aftermath, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together amid their grief and confusion . The story has an unexpected and shocking conclusion.
"And so when I awoke, I was weeping... at that moment, alone in my bed, I couldn’t imagine anything worse than the sadness we feel when we understand an utterly perfect dream was only a tease. My mother was still dead and I was still a mess."
Chris Bohjalian is a truly talented author. I love his beautiful and sensual writing style, his portrayal of the characters and his unusual and unsettling stories.
The story revolves around the disappearance of a woman who has Parasomnia (a sleep disorder), leaving her husband and two daughters to deal with the aftermath, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together amid their grief and confusion . The story has an unexpected and shocking conclusion.
"And so when I awoke, I was weeping... at that moment, alone in my bed, I couldn’t imagine anything worse than the sadness we feel when we understand an utterly perfect dream was only a tease. My mother was still dead and I was still a mess."
February 7, 2017
If I were judging "The Sleepwalker" entirely on its writing this would be a five star review. Chris Bohjalian is a wordsmith of the highest order. His prose is achingly beautiful. He's one of those writers who clearly treasures language and has that innate gift so few writer's seem to possess these days that allows him to almost write songs with his book, the writing is that musical and the rhythm of his sentences that powerful.
If I were judging "The Sleepwalker" entirely on its characters this would be a five star review. You just don't encounter a cast like this in popular fiction anymore.
Our narrator, Lianna, looks back from the present day to a haunted summer the year she turned 21 when her beloved, beautiful and brilliant mother Annalee vanished into the night without a word. Annalee is a life long sleep walker who had already been rescued from other dangerous night time wanderings and the police are quick to assume she simply wandered into the river and drowned. Lianna is not so convinced.
Lianna is, simply put, a wonderful character. She's a genuinely good person with charming eccentricities and genuine faults that don't define her, they just add to who she is. She smokes too much pot and can't handle alcohol and she may be just a tiny bit lazy. She's an amateur magician who performs at kid's birthday parties as "Lianna the Enchantress" and worries that she doesn't have a prayer of filling the shoes her mother has left behind. She's beautiful and smart and knows it but good looks and intelligence have given her confidence rather than arrogance. She also misses her mother desperately and can't stop herself from investigating every malicious rumor and tawdry bit of gossip if it means learning what's happened to her. She's so believable I started to feel like I was reading a memoir at times.
Lianna's family is equally wonderful and rich with inner life. Her twelve year old sister Paige is a gifted ski racer with more than a small chip on her shoulder about being treated like a baby particularly in the face of such an immense, life changing tragedy. But the sisters clearly adore each other and she leans on Lianna like you expect a child to do. Their father, an English professor who writes mediocre poetry, was clearly deeply in love with their mother but the intimate secrets of their marriage may hold the key to Annalee's disappearance and give the girls a closer, less rosy impression of their father. Even the missing Annalee is a strong, vital presence in the narrative. Her families intense love for her and the treasured times they shared and remember throughout the book made me miss her too in a weird way.
If, however, I were judging "The Sleepwalker" on its story then we have a bit of a problem. Despite a thrilling and heart rending set up populated with amazing characters Bohjalian sadly falls prey to a somewhat hackneyed ending that left me with more questions than answers.
The sleep walking plot device is itself pretty cheesy. But Bohjalian's haunting voice really makes it work. It becomes really just another medical disorder wrecking havoc on the lives of the people its affecting. It becomes this shadowy metaphor for the darker side of his characters, the feral parts that come when the conscience mind is sleeping.
What doesn't work is his frankly pedestrian "the butler did it" style ending. It's not completely disappointing but it calls into question in a pretty big way all the amazing quiet revelations and moments his characters share throughout. Its as if he's saying all the development and character arcs didn't really mean anything because here's this zero hour plot contrivance that explains everything.
Maybe its because I loved these characters so much they more or less became the story for me. I think maybe I started to care less about whodunnit and more about the gentle, sad lives of the family of this much loved missing woman. As an examination of grief and resilience in the face of tragic loss this really is an amazing novel.
Obviously I'm not going to ruin the ending and really its not all bad. But it seriously spoiled my maiden voyage with Mr. Bohjalian though I can safely say it didn't ruin him for me forever.
If I were judging "The Sleepwalker" entirely on its characters this would be a five star review. You just don't encounter a cast like this in popular fiction anymore.
Our narrator, Lianna, looks back from the present day to a haunted summer the year she turned 21 when her beloved, beautiful and brilliant mother Annalee vanished into the night without a word. Annalee is a life long sleep walker who had already been rescued from other dangerous night time wanderings and the police are quick to assume she simply wandered into the river and drowned. Lianna is not so convinced.
Lianna is, simply put, a wonderful character. She's a genuinely good person with charming eccentricities and genuine faults that don't define her, they just add to who she is. She smokes too much pot and can't handle alcohol and she may be just a tiny bit lazy. She's an amateur magician who performs at kid's birthday parties as "Lianna the Enchantress" and worries that she doesn't have a prayer of filling the shoes her mother has left behind. She's beautiful and smart and knows it but good looks and intelligence have given her confidence rather than arrogance. She also misses her mother desperately and can't stop herself from investigating every malicious rumor and tawdry bit of gossip if it means learning what's happened to her. She's so believable I started to feel like I was reading a memoir at times.
Lianna's family is equally wonderful and rich with inner life. Her twelve year old sister Paige is a gifted ski racer with more than a small chip on her shoulder about being treated like a baby particularly in the face of such an immense, life changing tragedy. But the sisters clearly adore each other and she leans on Lianna like you expect a child to do. Their father, an English professor who writes mediocre poetry, was clearly deeply in love with their mother but the intimate secrets of their marriage may hold the key to Annalee's disappearance and give the girls a closer, less rosy impression of their father. Even the missing Annalee is a strong, vital presence in the narrative. Her families intense love for her and the treasured times they shared and remember throughout the book made me miss her too in a weird way.
If, however, I were judging "The Sleepwalker" on its story then we have a bit of a problem. Despite a thrilling and heart rending set up populated with amazing characters Bohjalian sadly falls prey to a somewhat hackneyed ending that left me with more questions than answers.
The sleep walking plot device is itself pretty cheesy. But Bohjalian's haunting voice really makes it work. It becomes really just another medical disorder wrecking havoc on the lives of the people its affecting. It becomes this shadowy metaphor for the darker side of his characters, the feral parts that come when the conscience mind is sleeping.
What doesn't work is his frankly pedestrian "the butler did it" style ending. It's not completely disappointing but it calls into question in a pretty big way all the amazing quiet revelations and moments his characters share throughout. Its as if he's saying all the development and character arcs didn't really mean anything because here's this zero hour plot contrivance that explains everything.
Maybe its because I loved these characters so much they more or less became the story for me. I think maybe I started to care less about whodunnit and more about the gentle, sad lives of the family of this much loved missing woman. As an examination of grief and resilience in the face of tragic loss this really is an amazing novel.
Obviously I'm not going to ruin the ending and really its not all bad. But it seriously spoiled my maiden voyage with Mr. Bohjalian though I can safely say it didn't ruin him for me forever.
February 6, 2017
A sleepwalker goes missing. Mother, wife, friend, architect, a strong woman up and vanishes. Along with the local authorities, and a sleep clinic, her husband and children are left to to solve her disappearance. This gives way to their actions, their thoughts and their doubts as they carry on without her. What has happened to Annalee?
Typical brilliant Bohjalian novel - he leads you to surmise one outcome and then surprises you with a twist - a totally different conclusion. The binding thread between all of Bohjalian novels is their total individuality. Each book is something new, tells a new story, creates new visions. An extremely fulfilling and creative author.
Thank you to Doubleday - the provider of the book.
Typical brilliant Bohjalian novel - he leads you to surmise one outcome and then surprises you with a twist - a totally different conclusion. The binding thread between all of Bohjalian novels is their total individuality. Each book is something new, tells a new story, creates new visions. An extremely fulfilling and creative author.
Thank you to Doubleday - the provider of the book.
February 6, 2017
Master storyteller, Chris Bohjalian returns following The Guest Room landing on my Top Books of 2016 with an intriguing tale of the mysterious world of parasomnia and dark family secrets. Recommend reading the novella, The Premonition, a prequel to THE SLEEPWALKER.
“I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.” – Sylvia Plath
Set in Vermont, a young mother sleepwalks and performs complex behaviors. Now she has gone missing. Annalee is a sleepwalker. A condition, or a state, a sleep behavior somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness
Her daughter Lianna was twenty-one and her sister, Paige was twelve. The husband and father, Warren (English Professor) at the elite New England college--was away on business. They have not recovered.
Annalee embarrassed her husband. They both felt shame, but for different reasons. He because of what people saw and she because of what she could not control. The parents often fought. Annalee was smart and beautiful. She battled depression and took antidepressants.
“They tell you there is no connection between sleepwalking and dreams. Perhaps. After all, you can remember your dreams."
The girls were years apart and there had been five miscarriages between the two births. Seven years later the sleepwalking began. Lianna was in high school and Paige in the second grade.
When the mother was sleepwalking, it seemed she was oblivious, even to the weather, and no recollection of the events the follow day.
"You climb out of bed. You search out a stranger who will satisfy the craving. With any luck, you will wake before you find one. But not always."
The events only occurred when the father was out of town—including the night when she vanished once and for all. It was why the police almost instantly discarded him as a suspect. He had been at a poetry conference in Iowa City.
Both the girls are feeling guilty since neither woke up that night. No body had been found.
“It’s only when the dreams lead you from your bed; from sleep, that the amusements become dangerous.
The next morning, the patient is amnestic. They remember nothing or next to nothing or presumes it was merely a dream.
Detective Gavin Rikert with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Waterbury is on the case. Lilanna is sure her mother did not kill herself and she was not having an affair.
An accident? Did she drown? They found a scrap of nightgown; it was by the river. A concussion. They hoped she was not in the water. The Detective and the mom had attended the same sleep center. He mentioned they had not seen one another for the last several years. Lianna thinks he knows more than he is saying.
The author sprinkles first person notes in italics between chapters. The reader is unsure who is speaking-adding to the mystery.
The novel unfolds surrounding the fallout emotions of the disappearance of Annalee. Warren throws himself in work and drinking; whereas Lianna takes drugs to dull the pain, and Paige swims the river in search of the mother. Everyone handles the guilt and grief in different ways.
People go to the extremes when sleepwalking. From having sex, commit crimes, cook, drive, and drown. It also runs in the family. The ongoing mystery of what really happened to Annalee- to the final conclusion.
If you have read any of Bohjalian’s previous books, you come to expect he tackles highly charged emotional topics with informative and well-researched compelling information. Twisty, slow-burning, and absorbing.
“The earth is as rich with magic as it is with horror and sadness.”
While the subject was fascinating, I will admit this was not my favorite of his books. Felt, it was missing the intensity, suspense, and literary flair of his previous books. Not sure I enjoyed it enough, to read "book two" in the series.
In addition to the reading copy, I also purchased the audiobook, and while I enjoy Cady McClain, the other performer Grace Experience had the most irritating voice. Later discovered Grace is Chris's daughter (sorry); however, a narrator will make or break a book.
There are six common parasomnias that afflict sleepers:
* Sleepwalking. More commonly seen in children, sleepwalking (also called somnambulism) affects about 4 percent of American adults
* REM sleep behavior disorder
* Nightmares.
* Night terrors
* Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder
* Teeth grinding
A special thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
“I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.” – Sylvia Plath
Set in Vermont, a young mother sleepwalks and performs complex behaviors. Now she has gone missing. Annalee is a sleepwalker. A condition, or a state, a sleep behavior somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness
Her daughter Lianna was twenty-one and her sister, Paige was twelve. The husband and father, Warren (English Professor) at the elite New England college--was away on business. They have not recovered.
Annalee embarrassed her husband. They both felt shame, but for different reasons. He because of what people saw and she because of what she could not control. The parents often fought. Annalee was smart and beautiful. She battled depression and took antidepressants.
“They tell you there is no connection between sleepwalking and dreams. Perhaps. After all, you can remember your dreams."
The girls were years apart and there had been five miscarriages between the two births. Seven years later the sleepwalking began. Lianna was in high school and Paige in the second grade.
When the mother was sleepwalking, it seemed she was oblivious, even to the weather, and no recollection of the events the follow day.
"You climb out of bed. You search out a stranger who will satisfy the craving. With any luck, you will wake before you find one. But not always."
The events only occurred when the father was out of town—including the night when she vanished once and for all. It was why the police almost instantly discarded him as a suspect. He had been at a poetry conference in Iowa City.
Both the girls are feeling guilty since neither woke up that night. No body had been found.
“It’s only when the dreams lead you from your bed; from sleep, that the amusements become dangerous.
The next morning, the patient is amnestic. They remember nothing or next to nothing or presumes it was merely a dream.
Detective Gavin Rikert with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Waterbury is on the case. Lilanna is sure her mother did not kill herself and she was not having an affair.
An accident? Did she drown? They found a scrap of nightgown; it was by the river. A concussion. They hoped she was not in the water. The Detective and the mom had attended the same sleep center. He mentioned they had not seen one another for the last several years. Lianna thinks he knows more than he is saying.
The author sprinkles first person notes in italics between chapters. The reader is unsure who is speaking-adding to the mystery.
The novel unfolds surrounding the fallout emotions of the disappearance of Annalee. Warren throws himself in work and drinking; whereas Lianna takes drugs to dull the pain, and Paige swims the river in search of the mother. Everyone handles the guilt and grief in different ways.
People go to the extremes when sleepwalking. From having sex, commit crimes, cook, drive, and drown. It also runs in the family. The ongoing mystery of what really happened to Annalee- to the final conclusion.
If you have read any of Bohjalian’s previous books, you come to expect he tackles highly charged emotional topics with informative and well-researched compelling information. Twisty, slow-burning, and absorbing.
“The earth is as rich with magic as it is with horror and sadness.”
While the subject was fascinating, I will admit this was not my favorite of his books. Felt, it was missing the intensity, suspense, and literary flair of his previous books. Not sure I enjoyed it enough, to read "book two" in the series.
In addition to the reading copy, I also purchased the audiobook, and while I enjoy Cady McClain, the other performer Grace Experience had the most irritating voice. Later discovered Grace is Chris's daughter (sorry); however, a narrator will make or break a book.
There are six common parasomnias that afflict sleepers:
* Sleepwalking. More commonly seen in children, sleepwalking (also called somnambulism) affects about 4 percent of American adults
* REM sleep behavior disorder
* Nightmares.
* Night terrors
* Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder
* Teeth grinding
A special thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
December 11, 2025
This is a very well done mystery about a missing mother, told from the point of view of her oldest daughter, as she and her sister and father navigate life with the possibility that the matriarch of the family walked into the unknown while sleeping.
This is a very slow paced book that worked for me… it’s subtle, and haunting and makes you feel uneasy but in such a quiet way… i just love that
This is a very slow paced book that worked for me… it’s subtle, and haunting and makes you feel uneasy but in such a quiet way… i just love that
January 9, 2017
I have only read one other Chris Bohjalian book, and that was The Guest Room, where he took the oddest approach of something as serious as sex trafficking. I liked the writing style though, and with such a large fan base, I was willing to give him another go, but I think The Sleepwalker is where we part ways.
Now, some of you know that I love unlikable characters. There is so much to be done with them whether it be their own redemption, their undoing, what they teach me about myself when an author is crafty enough to get me to relate to those who I would ordinarily find no common ground with. Then there are just characters who never learn and have nothing to bring to the table for the characters around them, or to their reader. The Sleepwalker was riddled with just such characters. There was not one likeable character, not one with any redeeming quality, and not one who I learned anything from.
The main character, Lianna, from whose perspective the story is being told, is a hot mess. She is desperate for information about her mothers disappearance, desperate enough for a boyfriend, and kinky enough to involve herself with a man who has the oddest connection to her family, has his own serious problems, and is someone that any rational woman would steer clear of, but Lianna goes for him and ends up relishing the perversion, then being pissed about it, going back, etc. I really wish that I could be more clear, but it is a spoiler if I go further.
Then, there is this entire thing about sleep sex. I generally look up things when inspired by my reading, but the way that Bohjalian depicted this condition, I honestly don't want to know. I prefer to go on believing that the majority was a figment of his perverted mind, and it isn't at all how he has told it. If you know otherwise, keep it to yourself.
It was the end that saved this book from being an epic failure. The entire read is moving in a direction that the reader is seeing unfold slowly (very slowly), but it is literally the last three sentences of the book that changed what I thought I was seeing into something entirely different. That left me wowed, it really did. How unfortunate for me that everything that proceeded it, offered little to my liking.
NOTE: I am in the minority here...Again. You should know that as I write this post, there are 196 Goodreads ratings that are averaging 4-stars. Obviously other readers weren't as bothered with some of the things that I was, and you might not be either. Of course, this is a NetGalley offering, so one has to bare in mind that those titles often rate a pinch higher before release.
Now, some of you know that I love unlikable characters. There is so much to be done with them whether it be their own redemption, their undoing, what they teach me about myself when an author is crafty enough to get me to relate to those who I would ordinarily find no common ground with. Then there are just characters who never learn and have nothing to bring to the table for the characters around them, or to their reader. The Sleepwalker was riddled with just such characters. There was not one likeable character, not one with any redeeming quality, and not one who I learned anything from.
The main character, Lianna, from whose perspective the story is being told, is a hot mess. She is desperate for information about her mothers disappearance, desperate enough for a boyfriend, and kinky enough to involve herself with a man who has the oddest connection to her family, has his own serious problems, and is someone that any rational woman would steer clear of, but Lianna goes for him and ends up relishing the perversion, then being pissed about it, going back, etc. I really wish that I could be more clear, but it is a spoiler if I go further.
Then, there is this entire thing about sleep sex. I generally look up things when inspired by my reading, but the way that Bohjalian depicted this condition, I honestly don't want to know. I prefer to go on believing that the majority was a figment of his perverted mind, and it isn't at all how he has told it. If you know otherwise, keep it to yourself.
It was the end that saved this book from being an epic failure. The entire read is moving in a direction that the reader is seeing unfold slowly (very slowly), but it is literally the last three sentences of the book that changed what I thought I was seeing into something entirely different. That left me wowed, it really did. How unfortunate for me that everything that proceeded it, offered little to my liking.
NOTE: I am in the minority here...Again. You should know that as I write this post, there are 196 Goodreads ratings that are averaging 4-stars. Obviously other readers weren't as bothered with some of the things that I was, and you might not be either. Of course, this is a NetGalley offering, so one has to bare in mind that those titles often rate a pinch higher before release.
November 19, 2016
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Annalee goes missing one night. Leaving behind a ripped piece of her sleep shirt behind. Annalee is a sleepwalker (who also engages in sleep sex) and she tends to only leave the house when her huband is not around. When she goes missing, searches comb the woods by her home but most fear she may have walked, or fallen, into the Gale river.
Lianna, her oldest daughter is questioned by a Gavin, a police officer. An officer who has a past with her Mother. A police officer who wants to get to know Lianna better. As her father returns and mourns his wife, her younger sister Paige begins to swim in the river that is believed to have taken her Mother's life in search for clues.
As Lianna begins to question people close to her Mother she begins to learn more about her Mother, Her Mother's sleepwalking and the nature of the relationship the police officer had with her. Family secrets come out as does the truth about Her Mother's whereabouts.
What really happened the night her Mother left the house? Who can be trusted? Who knows the truth?
The premise of this book was very interesting. I found the story to just be Meh. I almost did not give it 3 stars. The reason for 3 stars - the reveal at the end. I really did not care for any of the characters.The twist/reveal at the end is what saved this book for me. I did not pick up on the clues. I'm sure other readers may have. I have read other books by this Author and enjoyed them so much more than this book.
Annalee goes missing one night. Leaving behind a ripped piece of her sleep shirt behind. Annalee is a sleepwalker (who also engages in sleep sex) and she tends to only leave the house when her huband is not around. When she goes missing, searches comb the woods by her home but most fear she may have walked, or fallen, into the Gale river.
Lianna, her oldest daughter is questioned by a Gavin, a police officer. An officer who has a past with her Mother. A police officer who wants to get to know Lianna better. As her father returns and mourns his wife, her younger sister Paige begins to swim in the river that is believed to have taken her Mother's life in search for clues.
As Lianna begins to question people close to her Mother she begins to learn more about her Mother, Her Mother's sleepwalking and the nature of the relationship the police officer had with her. Family secrets come out as does the truth about Her Mother's whereabouts.
What really happened the night her Mother left the house? Who can be trusted? Who knows the truth?
The premise of this book was very interesting. I found the story to just be Meh. I almost did not give it 3 stars. The reason for 3 stars - the reveal at the end. I really did not care for any of the characters.The twist/reveal at the end is what saved this book for me. I did not pick up on the clues. I'm sure other readers may have. I have read other books by this Author and enjoyed them so much more than this book.
March 5, 2020
SUMMARY
Annalee Ahlberg suffers from parasomnia, she's a sleepwalker. She is also an architect, living in rural Vermont in a beautiful red Victorian home right beside the Gale River. She has a history of having been rescued from dangerous activities by her family in the middle of the night while sleepwalking. Most of the time her husband is right there beside her at night. One morning her daughters, Lianna, 21, and Paige, 12, wake up to find that their mother is missing from her bed. Their father, Warren, was not there that night. He was out of town at a conference in Iowa.
A detective from Waterbury Vermont, Gavin Rikert, a friend of Annalee's, inserts himself into the case. Is that even ethical? What exactly was his relationship with Annalee?
Much of the story's focus is on the family's attempt to handle the emotions associated with their missing wife and mother. Warren, a college English professor buries himself in alcohol and work, mentoring several cute young coeds. Lianna withdraws from college in order to take care of her dad and her younger sister. She smokes pot and drinks to dull the pain and gets involved in a secret relationship. Paige, misses her mom so much she swim the river to try to find her. Her grades start to suffer and she begins withdrawing from her favorite after school activities.
What really happened what to Annalee that night? Will this family recover from the grief if there's no closure? What are the police doing to find her?
REVIEW
I love books that truly surprise you at the end. The Sleepwalker most certainly did that for me. It's a well written book with a unique and original story about parasomnia. Parasomnia includes sleepwalking, nightmares, sleep aggression, sleep-related eating disorders and sleep behavior disorders. Before reading this book I had very little insight into sleep disorders so I found this book to be both educational and interesting. Another huge plus for the book for me!
The story is interestingly told from the perspective of the 21-year-old daughter Lianna. (Love Love Love the names Annalee and Lianna) Lianna attempts to find out what might've happened to her mother by talking to various friends and family. Even with all the questions Lianna asks it is hard to figure out who and what to believe, making the book a page-turner.
I listened to the audio version of this book and found the main narrator, Cady McClain to be very good. The second narrator, of short thoughts between chapters could have been better. This was the first Chris Bohjalian book I had ever read, but certainly not the last. I am definitely interested in reading more from him. What a great storyteller!
Annalee Ahlberg suffers from parasomnia, she's a sleepwalker. She is also an architect, living in rural Vermont in a beautiful red Victorian home right beside the Gale River. She has a history of having been rescued from dangerous activities by her family in the middle of the night while sleepwalking. Most of the time her husband is right there beside her at night. One morning her daughters, Lianna, 21, and Paige, 12, wake up to find that their mother is missing from her bed. Their father, Warren, was not there that night. He was out of town at a conference in Iowa.
A detective from Waterbury Vermont, Gavin Rikert, a friend of Annalee's, inserts himself into the case. Is that even ethical? What exactly was his relationship with Annalee?
Much of the story's focus is on the family's attempt to handle the emotions associated with their missing wife and mother. Warren, a college English professor buries himself in alcohol and work, mentoring several cute young coeds. Lianna withdraws from college in order to take care of her dad and her younger sister. She smokes pot and drinks to dull the pain and gets involved in a secret relationship. Paige, misses her mom so much she swim the river to try to find her. Her grades start to suffer and she begins withdrawing from her favorite after school activities.
What really happened what to Annalee that night? Will this family recover from the grief if there's no closure? What are the police doing to find her?
REVIEW
I love books that truly surprise you at the end. The Sleepwalker most certainly did that for me. It's a well written book with a unique and original story about parasomnia. Parasomnia includes sleepwalking, nightmares, sleep aggression, sleep-related eating disorders and sleep behavior disorders. Before reading this book I had very little insight into sleep disorders so I found this book to be both educational and interesting. Another huge plus for the book for me!
The story is interestingly told from the perspective of the 21-year-old daughter Lianna. (Love Love Love the names Annalee and Lianna) Lianna attempts to find out what might've happened to her mother by talking to various friends and family. Even with all the questions Lianna asks it is hard to figure out who and what to believe, making the book a page-turner.
I listened to the audio version of this book and found the main narrator, Cady McClain to be very good. The second narrator, of short thoughts between chapters could have been better. This was the first Chris Bohjalian book I had ever read, but certainly not the last. I am definitely interested in reading more from him. What a great storyteller!
February 7, 2017
I marvel at how prolific a writer Bohjalian is despite the fact that he writes so many different genre of fiction. Just in the past few years I've read historical fiction, social justice fiction and even YA. Now a tight thrilling mystery. What all these have in common is excellent storytelling. I know when I pick up a book of his, I will want to clear my schedule because he'll hook me into his story and never let me go.
This mystery centers around the disappearance of a woman who has a history of sleepwalking. Told primarily from the perspective of her 21 year-old daughter as she tries to piece together bits and pieces about what happened, Bohjalian also throws in chapter dividers from the perspective of a sleepwalker, who becomes increasingly disturbing.
Even though I figured out the who-done-it before I was supposed to, I was enthralled to the end. First, because I was learning about a very unusual medical condition, but even more so because I felt the confusion and despair of this family.
I was reminded, in all good ways, of my favorite Bohjalian, Midwives. What appears to be a "normal" high functioning family, is ripped at the seems by a crisis. We can never really know how we'll react to a crisis situation and I didn't believe all the plot twists in this one, but it's a great story told by a great writer.
This mystery centers around the disappearance of a woman who has a history of sleepwalking. Told primarily from the perspective of her 21 year-old daughter as she tries to piece together bits and pieces about what happened, Bohjalian also throws in chapter dividers from the perspective of a sleepwalker, who becomes increasingly disturbing.
Even though I figured out the who-done-it before I was supposed to, I was enthralled to the end. First, because I was learning about a very unusual medical condition, but even more so because I felt the confusion and despair of this family.
I was reminded, in all good ways, of my favorite Bohjalian, Midwives. What appears to be a "normal" high functioning family, is ripped at the seems by a crisis. We can never really know how we'll react to a crisis situation and I didn't believe all the plot twists in this one, but it's a great story told by a great writer.
February 7, 2017
I have read a number of books by Chris Bohjalian. His novels normally focus on a specific and compelling issue. In The Sleepwalker, Chris delves into the world of the sleep disorder parasomnia, particularly sexsomnia. This was a good character-driven story with the bonus of a unique learning experience.
Annalee, wife and mother of Lianna and Paige is a sleepwalker who also has sexsomnia, searching for sex in her sleep even wandering from her own bed when her husband Gavin is traveling. When she goes missing, Annalee’s family is in turmoil. A search ensues, the body is not found and the questions begin. Elder daughter Lianna makes it her mission to investigate the mystery of her mother’s disappearance which will change the lives of her family forever. As events unfold, there are some great twists and turns. Chris Bohjalian can sure craft a story and although this mystery had a few slow bits, it was compelling and had a great plot; one that kept me guessing to the end.
Annalee, wife and mother of Lianna and Paige is a sleepwalker who also has sexsomnia, searching for sex in her sleep even wandering from her own bed when her husband Gavin is traveling. When she goes missing, Annalee’s family is in turmoil. A search ensues, the body is not found and the questions begin. Elder daughter Lianna makes it her mission to investigate the mystery of her mother’s disappearance which will change the lives of her family forever. As events unfold, there are some great twists and turns. Chris Bohjalian can sure craft a story and although this mystery had a few slow bits, it was compelling and had a great plot; one that kept me guessing to the end.
July 27, 2017
3-1/2 stars
As you might expect, I learned a lot about sleepwalking reading this book. This author has done his research and it shows. I was amazed to learn what a person can do while sleeping and it made for a very interesting and unique storyline.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the disappearance of Annalee, the sleepwalker. The story is told from the perspective of Annalee's daughter interspersed with mysterious diary entries. I found this to be an intriguing way to move the story along.
Suspenseful and interesting, especially the last 100 or so pages.
As you might expect, I learned a lot about sleepwalking reading this book. This author has done his research and it shows. I was amazed to learn what a person can do while sleeping and it made for a very interesting and unique storyline.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the disappearance of Annalee, the sleepwalker. The story is told from the perspective of Annalee's daughter interspersed with mysterious diary entries. I found this to be an intriguing way to move the story along.
Suspenseful and interesting, especially the last 100 or so pages.
December 26, 2016
http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/12...
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Sleepwalker By: Chris Bohjalian in exchange for an honest review.
Short Review Summary:
A compelling mystery with a great ending!
The Sleepwalker is my first read by Chris Bohjalian and I'll definitely be reading more of his books! I loved this novel and the fantastic twists and turns. I did not guess the ending right away which is always a plus! By the time I had it all figured out it was starting to be revealed to the reader. This is the most important thing in a mystery/thriller in my opinion so I'm glad it ended well!
#AngelErinLovedIt
One of the things I liked best about The Sleepwalker is the characters. Lianna, Paige, and Gavin are extremely well done and they are very likeable. I particularly love the spectacular writing of Lianna and Paige dealing with their missing mother. Their grief and emotions are very palpable and that made me really care about what happened to them and their mother. Also, in general I'm fascinated by sleepwalking so the subject matter alone held my interest. Plus I really wanted to know the answers to all my questions. Like, why does Annalee only sleepwalk when her husband is gone? You'll have to read it to find out!
#SpectacularCharactersAndWriting
Overall I enjoyed The Sleepwalker and I don't have any complaints about it. It's a top notch mystery/thriller. I've really been in the mood for those for MONTHS now and I'm happy I found another great one. This novel is such a compelling read and I can't wait to read more by the author. I own another one by him (The Guest Room) and hopefully I'll get to read it early 2017 sometime!
#ACompellingRead
I recommend The Sleepwalker for all mystery/thriller fans. It's that well written and fascinating!
#HIGHLYRecommend
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Sleepwalker By: Chris Bohjalian in exchange for an honest review.
Short Review Summary:
A compelling mystery with a great ending!
The Sleepwalker is my first read by Chris Bohjalian and I'll definitely be reading more of his books! I loved this novel and the fantastic twists and turns. I did not guess the ending right away which is always a plus! By the time I had it all figured out it was starting to be revealed to the reader. This is the most important thing in a mystery/thriller in my opinion so I'm glad it ended well!
#AngelErinLovedIt
One of the things I liked best about The Sleepwalker is the characters. Lianna, Paige, and Gavin are extremely well done and they are very likeable. I particularly love the spectacular writing of Lianna and Paige dealing with their missing mother. Their grief and emotions are very palpable and that made me really care about what happened to them and their mother. Also, in general I'm fascinated by sleepwalking so the subject matter alone held my interest. Plus I really wanted to know the answers to all my questions. Like, why does Annalee only sleepwalk when her husband is gone? You'll have to read it to find out!
#SpectacularCharactersAndWriting
Overall I enjoyed The Sleepwalker and I don't have any complaints about it. It's a top notch mystery/thriller. I've really been in the mood for those for MONTHS now and I'm happy I found another great one. This novel is such a compelling read and I can't wait to read more by the author. I own another one by him (The Guest Room) and hopefully I'll get to read it early 2017 sometime!
#ACompellingRead
I recommend The Sleepwalker for all mystery/thriller fans. It's that well written and fascinating!
#HIGHLYRecommend
February 7, 2017
I have a love/hate relationship with Chris Bohjalian. I either love his novels or I just don't get them. This one was a bit in the middle for me. I liked it but I didn't love it. I loved the concept of the novel - the description sounded fascinating. My primary issues with the novel are two-fold. One thing is the pacing of the novel overall. It felt like a slow burn ... it unfolded very quietly. Which isn't always a bad thing but it didn't work for me in this novel. In some ways, it almost felt like I was sleepwalking through the book. It felt sleepy and hazy in some way. Secondly, the big mystery wasn't such a mystery to me. I suspected 'who done it' long before it was revealed. And it wasn't a far jump to identify the perpetrator. It didn't feel as intricate as it could have been to make the reader feel something about what happened. If you have any interest in sleep disorders, this might be an interesting read for you. I think the exploration of sleep issues was one of the bright spots in this novel. If you're a big Bohjalian fan, I also think this one is worth picking up. However, if you need a ton of action and fast pacing, this might not work as well for you.
NOTE: I received a galley of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.
NOTE: I received a galley of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.
April 29, 2017
Another captivating read from Chris Bohjalian!
He is a master at creating a fascinating mystery using subject matter not commonly utilized.
He is a master at creating a fascinating mystery using subject matter not commonly utilized.
September 28, 2016
I always look forward to a new book from Chris Bohjalian because I know that I am going to get a real reading experience and The Sleepwalker was another fantastic book by this author. It's a fantastic story full of twists and turns that will keep you turning pages to get to the end while, at the same time, you are savoring the story and hoping that it won't end. Once I started, I couldn't put it down and I am sure that I'll be sleepwalking through my day today because I was up most of the night finishing it.
Annalee has gone missing and her family fears the worst. Leanna and Paige, her two daughters, and her husband were aware that she was a sleepwalker and that she had left the house in the past when she was sleepwalking. The daughters call their father, who is away on a business trip, and the police when they realize that she isn't in the house. The police immediately start a search of the nearby woods and river. They don't find Annalee but they also don't find her body so no one knows if she is dead or alive. I can't say much about the plot because I don't want to give any spoilers.
I thought that the best part of the book were the characters of Leanna and Paige. The girls were very real in their grief and confusion and their need to make sense out of their mother's disappearance. As with Chris's earlier books, he is one of the few male authors who writes fantastic and very real female characters.
This is another fantastic book by a terrific author. Clear your calendar when you start this book because you won't want to put it down.
Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Annalee has gone missing and her family fears the worst. Leanna and Paige, her two daughters, and her husband were aware that she was a sleepwalker and that she had left the house in the past when she was sleepwalking. The daughters call their father, who is away on a business trip, and the police when they realize that she isn't in the house. The police immediately start a search of the nearby woods and river. They don't find Annalee but they also don't find her body so no one knows if she is dead or alive. I can't say much about the plot because I don't want to give any spoilers.
I thought that the best part of the book were the characters of Leanna and Paige. The girls were very real in their grief and confusion and their need to make sense out of their mother's disappearance. As with Chris's earlier books, he is one of the few male authors who writes fantastic and very real female characters.
This is another fantastic book by a terrific author. Clear your calendar when you start this book because you won't want to put it down.
Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2017
Well, I read every word.
Bohjalian has written some good novels. IMHO, this was not one of them.
It's not the writing. Maybe a combination of the subject matter with these parcel of characters.
I didn't become embedded. Not to worry about the Nordic queen mother nor to even dither of interest to fall for the "stranger" father for the youngest daughter because of the raven black hair ruse. (Mentioned a couple of dozen times, at least.) Nor did I have or feel that I received any depth of information or instruction for/to the mental or physical definitions of the sleepwalking practices. Nor to the condition itself or the medications used to combat it. It was all in "aside" any core of understanding these afflicted. Half information given to create a mystery or a sense of tension?
Yes, people do sleepwalk. Yes, there are categorizes of behavior that have been observed.
He's a good writer. This one disappointed me. These characters were also, to me, off-putting. Especially the father.
Bohjalian has written some good novels. IMHO, this was not one of them.
It's not the writing. Maybe a combination of the subject matter with these parcel of characters.
I didn't become embedded. Not to worry about the Nordic queen mother nor to even dither of interest to fall for the "stranger" father for the youngest daughter because of the raven black hair ruse. (Mentioned a couple of dozen times, at least.) Nor did I have or feel that I received any depth of information or instruction for/to the mental or physical definitions of the sleepwalking practices. Nor to the condition itself or the medications used to combat it. It was all in "aside" any core of understanding these afflicted. Half information given to create a mystery or a sense of tension?
Yes, people do sleepwalk. Yes, there are categorizes of behavior that have been observed.
He's a good writer. This one disappointed me. These characters were also, to me, off-putting. Especially the father.
June 16, 2018
I'm stuck between 3 and 4 stars. If I could give it 3 1/2 I would. I enjoyed the book and loved the ending twist, but the middle was slow. Even though I enjoyed the end, it was a little fast and confusing-not enough of the details to wrap it up nicely, I was still left with questions. But the twist was good, I would never have guessed. So if you're ok with slow burners then you should definitely read this book!
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