I've just finished a good book. I requested The Night Child from NetGalley so thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to it.

The Night Child tells the story of Nora, in third person and how she thinks she's going crazy cause of a vision and a voice in her head. We see Nora visit her councillor a lot to try and sort out these wild imaginings. We also see her in hospital for a large proportion of the book.

2.5 Stars (3 on Goodreads).

If you're in any way sensitive to mental illness, physical abuse, or suicide then I don't think this would be the story for you. I'd say The Night Child is an adult read or at least a 16+ read.

Spoilers Below...

When we first see Nora, she's at work. She's a high school teacher in the USA. That's when she gets her first vision.

"Am I so tired that I'm hallucinating?"

The use of italics here, show Nora is shocked and doesn't know what to think.
The vision is of this girl with "startling blue eyes". When this vision keeps recurring for Nora, her husband thinks it best for her to go to a psychiatric specialist. This specialist is called David.

"He is reading her medical history form and she is impatient for him to finish reading"

Nora just wants to get back to her normal, every day life, with her husband and daughter. She wants a quick solution to her problem. She doesn't want to be sat in a psychiatric doctor's office.

"You can't get me. You can't get me"

This phrase is what starts the headaches for Nora. It's just her daughter saying the phrase here, as a fun game but Nora was sexually abused by her father when she was younger it is later revealed. The "You can't get me" is similar to something he used to say when he was having sex with her. He repeated the phrase too. Obviously Fiona, her little girl doesn't mean to cause Nora and distress but she does.

"In that moment Nora's heart has brimmed"

before Fiona had uttered those words above, Nora had been having a great time celebrating her little girl's birthday. Six is the age Nora was when her father started the abuse so I believe, this is a trigger too. Again, this isn't Fiona's fault.

"And you rate your marriage a three out of ten".

This is another sore spot for Nora throughout the novel. She hardly gets any support from her husband, Paul. She doesn't know why she rates it so low, though. "It's just that ... I don't know" she's at a loss for words, clearly. She's very unsure about what's happening to her, and what Paul would think about her seeing a psychiatrist, I think, at first.

What Nora doesn't know at this point, really early on in the novel is that her husband is having an affair. This also puts stress on Nora to add to everything else.

"She's more convinced, now than ever that he's having an affair"

shows that Nora, even if she is going slightly crazy, knows her own mind enough to see her husband drifting away from her. This continues throughout the novel.

The big reveal or key in The Night Child is Nora's abuse from her father, I think. Otherwise, it would be quite a boring novel just of someone suffering from an unknown mental illness. Margaret, or the recurring vision is a way to cope with the abuse.

"Valentines day is in two days and something bad is going to happen. I know it. I just know it"

is something Margaret, the other half of Nora says to David. This is because the first time Nora's father abused her was Valentine's Day. I, however don't know what it is about the Valentine's Day coming up in the novel that turns out bad, though. This just skipped by me. I think we're meant to be a little unsure as to how Margaret knows something bad will happen on Valentine's Day. She's an unreliable narrator and this plays into that.

A minor character also commits suicide. This minor character is also getting abused by her father. I believe this event is what clicks everything into place for Nora.

"And I knew—I knew her father was molesting her, I knew it, and—and—I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything, I—"

This is obviously shocking and upsetting for Nora. If she had just done something then things might have worked out for Elizabeth, the character that commits suicide.

There are only a few characters bought into The Night Child. We have Nora, Margaret, David, Paul, the woman Paul is having an affair with, who's never present in the story, Fiona and Nora's brother, as well as Nora's father who is never actually present in the story, either. He's just spoken about. There are a few minor characters such as nurses and people/students at the school too, but that's it. The settings are Nora's house for a few scenes, the school where Nora works for one or two scenes, David's appointment room and the hospital. The setting that's present the most is the hospital as Nora spends most of the story here.

We see events in the past and present. Scenes in the past include ones where Nora's father abuses her and certain events with her husband. I thought this format worked well for The Night Child. The simple story, with minimal characters and settings was easy to follow.

What I liked about The Night Child:

* I liked not having many characters to follow as I didn't get confused or feel like I forgot anyone of significance.

* The abuse parts were handled sensitively.

What I didn't like about The Night Child:

* I didn't like how the novel seemed to solely focus on Nora's recovery. It would have been good if we'd seen some other aspects of her life as well.

* I didn't like how the story was told from 3rd person narrative. It would have been better if it had had a 1st person narrative, or at least alternating perspective chapters. We would have been able to experience the story as Nora then.

* I would have liked the story to cover Elizabeth's abuse as well as Nora's. The story could have been longer and more fleshed out if this was the case.

I'm giving The Night Child, 2.5 Stars (3 on Goodreads) because while I found it interesting finding out about Nora's past that and the effects of her abuse was really the only thing that the story focused on. Margaret was an interesting character too but we didn't see very much from her. I thought the story tackled the abuse well, though. It would have helped if the story had focused on more than just Nora's abuse. If it had focused on Elizabeth's abuse too then we might have gotten the answer for exactly why she committed suicide. Instead of just formulating our theories on what the other characters felt.

Nora Brown undergoes a psychological breakdown, and with the help of her psychiatrist David, discovers repressed memories that need to be processed. Anna Quinn has done an AMAZING job with this crux. In every chapter, Nora discovers/remembers something new from her past, showing how childhood memories really do scar an adult. With each reveal, the reader will definitely despise the perpetrator more and more, and therein lies the beauty of this book. It’s the kind of book that you can’t put down, because you need to know how it ends.

I would’ve been more comfortable if the book had come with a trigger warning. It explores some topics that could be uncomfortable, to put it lightly, for some people. I’m assuming the label was avoided because it’s also a plot point. Putting this oversight aside, The Night Child is a book that I can definitely see becoming a bestseller.

This book is about one woman’s journey to save herself. As David says, the healing should come from within–this is portrayed brilliantly by Quinn in this book. This is a completely plot-driven book and you should definitely read it if you like fast-paced novels!

Wow wow wow!!!! My favourite read so far this year. Firstly, thanks for the advanced copy. What a surprise this book was. It took me down a road I was not expecting!

I don't like putting spoilers in my reviews but in order for me to indicate why I loved this book so much, I will probably have a spoiler or two in here. Being a person who has experienced a dysfunctional and abusive childhood, I appreciate the accuracy in which Quinn has woven a story around this subject matter in a very relatable sense. Although I have experienced abuse, I don't know if I could have done such a good job in describing the way in which abusers weave a believable explanation for their despicable behaviour and the shame attached to abuse.

Nora is a teacher that loves her job and has a compassion for students that seem to struggle. Her love of her job and her nuclear family is what brings her the most joy and what she lives for. However, out of the blue, things start to unravel. Her happy existence starts to slip and Nora can't understand what is happening.

I believe that this book most likely depicts what very commonly is happening nowadays. When past secrets come to the surface or are triggered, if these demons have not been addressed or worked through, at some point, I believe we have our time of reckoning. This novel gives an account of exactly this. Confronting, disturbing, raw and believable.

This book I believe will give an insight to those that have not encountered abuse, what it is like to be a survivor. The character development in this novel is breathtaking and so believable. I just wish I knew what happens in relation to John the Principal!!!

Well done on a gripping page turner from start to finish. Thoroughly recommend!

Ever read a book and are totally floored by the end of the book? Well, The Night Child did that to me. I honestly went into this book thinking that it was going to take a supernatural or paranormal bend. Well, I was 100% wrong. The Night Child is neither. Instead, what I got, was a taut thriller that had me 100% completely hooked. Put it this way, I started The Night Child as my nightly before bed read and I ended staying up until almost 12 am because I couldn't go to sleep without finding out what happens to Nora.

How do I describe Nora? Well in the beginning of the book, she was barely hanging on to her marriage but loved her 6-year-old with a passion and enjoyed teaching English. When she first saw the face, she did the right thing and went to the doctor, who referred her to a therapist. Slowly, I could see her sanity unraveling as she was forced to face some pretty intense memories from her past....her mother's death and her father's abandonment. But there were more to her memories and when Margaret made an appearance in the middle of the book, I knew that something horrible happened to her.

I really wish I could go more into the plot or the characters in this book. But if I do, that would be giving away major spoilers and I really don't want to do that. Trust me when I say that what I write here doesn't even begin to scratch what this book is about.

How many stars will I give The Night Child: 5

Why: A truly thrilling read with great characters and a plotline that will keep you guessing until the end

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning for triggers

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and some mild violence. Also some pretty intense child abuse scenes

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Nora and Margaret are one and the same. Or are they? Nora is the face the world sees. A mother a wife, a sister. Margaret is a warrior child that helped Nora survive the abuse caused by her father.
This is a very well written book. You can feel the emotions of both Nora and Margaret. You want to just hold both of them and help them feel better. That they are loved and appreciated. The pain that both are feeling is real. One losing her cheating husband, the other losing her place in the psyche of the child she protected.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It deals with a subject that was made known by the personalities of Sybel. A documented case of multiple personalities.
Spectacular! 5 Stars

What a fantastic debut novel.

Nora is married with a six year old daughter and teaching English in a high school in Seattle and she enjoys the challenges this presents with some of the pupils. Nora loves her life until one day after class she sees a disembodied face of a child and she is terrorised. When this event is repeated the following day Nora seeks help from a neurologist and then a psychiatrist as she tries to understand why she is hallucinating.

What follows is an incredible journey in which Nora undertakes to discover what has led up to this and the manner in which the mind hides the past in order to protect the individual in the present. The content is dark and disturbing and I found myself totally enthralled by the idea of split-consciousness and horrified by Nora’s background/past and shocked by the outcome of her breakdown.

I was so scared for Nora and concerned for her daughter Fiona – how could she understand what was happening to her mummy? Her colleague John was a diamond and her husband, well say no more.

This is a powerful novel, well-written and great characterisation and the opening doesn’t even hint at how fascinating it is. The descriptions of the terror that took over Nora’s body were inspired. Thank you Ms Quinn. More please.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I haven't read a book from Ms. Quinn I don't know why when this book was so well written a must read

Beautifully and intricately written. I was transported fully into this book. A unique read that I would thoroughly recommend.

Pacy and well written. The main story seemed very well research although some details of the Irish background didn't ring true for me

The Night Child is a remarkable debut novel that will leave readers hanging on the edge of their seats. It's a story so unique that it gave me chills all across my body. The writing is superb- Anna Quinn writes like a seasoned pro- and the plot is actually terrifying! I highly- and I mean VERY highly- recommend this book!

Gripping story, interesting to learn about split consciousness. Nice debut novel

While THE NIGHT CHILD has an interesting premise, the novel is awkward and doesn't feel fully formed. It could have benefited from some further editing to smooth out some clumsy transitions and to flesh out some of the characters. But Quinn shows talent and I would certainly try another of her books when they appear.

The Night Child, A Novel, Anna Quinn

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction.

What an extraordinary read this proved to be. I really wasn't sure what to expect but just went along with the story as it unfolded. 
I felt so sorry for Nora, she thinks she's like most of us, home and family, job she enjoys and life is good. Until it isn't. It turns out her past is connected to her present, and to her future.

Everything is normal until she she's the face of a child, one who seems to know here. Nora doesn't know what to think, probably passes it off as stress, tiredness, all the usual excuses we make when something out of the ordinary happens. We're geared up to Normal, conditioned to think that way and its incredible how contorted our minds can get to keep that, what lies we tell ourselves.  

As the story moves on Nora has consulted specialists, to check her health, physically at first and then she meets with David, psychiatrist, who in his quiet way lets her inner thoughts have free rein.
Its heartbreaking the way the story unfolds, and for that little child I could have cried. sadly its something that happens too often and as individuals we all have ways of dealing, some work permanently, some just for a time. 

Sadly for Nora the more that gets revealed the deeper her issues are seen to be. I loved the support she got from John, her teacher friend but she ought to have got that from husband Paul, but sadly he was already making his own way and this doesn't help her. I hated him, hated him. He could have put his own feelings aside, just for a while, supported the woman he married for love, tried to at least keep things together for their daughter Fiona. she's only 6 and it must have been traumatising for her having mummy away and daddy...well, lets say daddy wasn't the responsible parent he could have been, involving her in his other life. a rsehole!
I've no patience with people like him, sort out your marriage, end it if need be, before moving on. 

Nora has such a struggle, she can't believe herself, so how can she expect others to believe her, and the more we learn the stronger that little child seems, to have overcome such trauma and yet let Nora grow up into a person that fits in with the rest of society, has a family, a job she is well respected in, looked up to. I was so glad she found David.
Then the cracks start, the crumples and rifts deepen and I was wondering - how could/would it all end?

And on that note, the ending...well, its one of those arty, popular, ambiguous endings, where we're led to really put our own inferences on what happens next, and that's what kept this off five star for me.
It works well for others, but for me I want my endings written, I need to know what the author thought would happen, not put my own ideas there. I'm a reader not a writer so though I could mentally imagine what *might* happen next, I really want it laid out there in front of me. 

Excellently written and paced story, that kept me reading til the end. I just wish that end had been more concrete, more solid.  

Stars: four, a great debut read

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Brilliantly captivating, this book is going to be the next buzz in the literary world!

I enjoyed this book so much. I usually don't read books like this but I'm glad I made an exception. I loved all the characters in this book. Nora, Fiona, Margaret, James, John, David. They were all amazing. I was hoping for a little romance with John. He clearly loves her. But the ending was much more realistic and less simplistic than that. It's just the romantic in me. This book was short but packed a big punch. I was really moved when Fiona gave that hummingbird to the girl in the meeting room. I actually teared up. I think this book showed great love and sensitivity regarding an issue that is so horrible. It really snuck up on me. Just like it did for Nora.

Read all of my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com
Read all about me at: http://www.kristielizabeth.com

Nora Brown is a high school English teacher, a wife, and the mother to an adorable 6 year old girl, Fiona. One day she sees a face with blue eyes staring at her. Trying to shake the image away, she moves on with her day and her life. The face reappears the next day and whispers about a Valentines Day dress. Nora is completely shaken which brings her to psychologist David who is able to find out the meaning of the face and the dress. Something terrible has happened to Nora many years ago and her subconscious has been able to suppress it for all these years. This book is a sad tale of how deeply childhood events can scar a person, no matter how strong they are. It made me both mad at the perpetrator and sad for the victim and her family. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Nora’s brother, James, who is there for her every step of the way. This book has a very sensitive subject matter. Anna Quinn did a wonderful job in portraying the hurt felt by all the characters and emphasizing the consequences of this hurt in a very realistic manner.

Thank you to Netgalley, , Anna Quinn, and Blackstone Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A touching,poignant story of a woman coming to terms with her past. The story is charmingly told as we, and Nora, uncover the past she's tried to forget. The book deals in difficult topics but does so in thoughtful way. Mental health is so often stigmatized, and this story was a beautiful testimony to those who work hard through past trauma to heal.

As a psychologist, I have an issue with much of the depictions of multiple personalities and repressed memories. With that said, some may find this story of a woman battling to come to grips with childhood abuse touching.

As an avid reader (and English teacher), I am often leary of debut novels as they tend to lack in depth and development. However, The Night Child managed to intrigue enough, in the first ten pages, to promise that nothing else of value would be accomplished until I finished the twisting tale.

This novel slowly began....narrating the thoughts of an English teacher in desperate need of a break, but quickly escalated into a schema on repressed memories. But, the question is who's memories are accurate?

The exploration of familial and societal roles is central to this text. Quinn delves into the confines of daughter, sister, wife, patient, teacher, student, mother and lastly, self. Through the process, the reader is offered very few boundaries as the lines between are not simply hesitant, they are often erased.

The pacing of the novel is brilliant; as Nora's awareness is heightened, the text too becomes quite fractured and is often composed through her narrative stream of consciousness. Ever present, in Nora's realm is the notion of her own sanity and its reflection upon others.

Although some aspects of character development were lacking; overall, The Night Child was an immensely thought provoking text which allows readers to enter a mind of repressed memories.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this tect.

Nora Brown is an ordinary everyday english teacher in a slightly stagnant marriage with a wonderful six year old daughter, Fiona. However everyday life starts to fall to pieces when Nora discovers she has to face her past in order to have a future.
I very much enjoyed this book. It would be tempting to disregard this as yet another book about past abuse coming to the surface. However, I felt that this book was better than that. The author approached the subject in a very sensitive manner enabling the reader to empathise with Nora. It made total sense as to why these issues were coming to the surface now and how hard Nora was trying to hold everything together. Little Fiona was a real beacon in this book, a real symbol of hope.
The only issue I had with this book was the ending. It wasn't that it left things unresolved as I could construct the future for most of the characters. It was the abruptness. It was almost as if the author couldn't think of where to take Nora next so ended it rather abruptly in a slightly ambiguous manner.
The book flowed well with a good storyline which made sense. The characters were very three dimensional & believable. None of the characters was particularly nasty, they were just people like everyone else.
I would definitely search out other books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.