The Night Child by Anna Quinn

The Night Child by Anna  Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Night Child by Anna Quinn

January 2018

I received this digital ARC from publisher, Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Brown is a high school English teacher who begins to experience debilitating headaches and visions around the time of her daughter, Fiona's 6th birthday. These symptoms bring her to neurologists and psychiatrists to assess the cause of her visions and the raw terror she experiences as a result.
As the story unfolds, Nora uncovers past regressed memories from her childhood in therapy. Her story explores the ability within to rival against the experiences of the past and forge a new reality.
When the book seemed to end in an unusual fashion, I was taken back to the beginning of the book where Nora is discussing Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" with her students. She cites how it takes daring writers to veer from the traditional story of beginning, middle and end. There are some interesting correlations between Nora and Virginia which I could only realize upon completion of the novel. Consequently, what appeared to be an abrupt ending suddenly became more thought provoking.

I agree with other reviewers that the book description does not portray an accurate picture of what to expect from this book. Honestly, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would based on he description. When I started reading It felt oddly like a "paranormal" story which is not my preferred genre. After a few chapters I was beginning to see how the story would come together. I don't like giving spoilers but given that many reviewers have already disclosed certain aspects of the story, I shall add my opinion on the book description.


The description mentions "split consciousness" and a "deeper psychological breakdown". I believe that it makes sense to disclose the history of sexual abuse. Because I'm a tune to these issues, I immediately considered abuse as the root of her visions and trauma which would make this book difficult to read for some people. What made this story unique was how it used split consciousness and psychological support to delve into how people handle trauma differently.





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