Sleep is a story about families and the loss of innocence. The story centers on Margaret, who is trying to come to terms with her past and the complicated relationship she has with Elizabeth, her mother, while also trying to be a mother to her own daughters. Margaret reflects on events from her past that were confusing and at times traumatizing in order to try to better understand the brittle and aloof Elizabeth. At the same time, Margaret is trying to move on from her past and the expectations of her family after divorcing her husband and beginning to see someone new. This book examines the way that events from childhood can have ripples that effect people and their relationships for their entire lives.

Sleep was really beautifully written and it told a very emotional story without the prose itself being overwrought. I found Margaret to be a really deep and compelling character. She has a lot of issues that she was trying to handle by herself and that she had been dealing with for a long time, which I think is something that some readers will be able to relate to. Elizabeth was also a fascinating character. She was not very likable, but she did have some moments where the reader caught a glimpse of why she was the way she was. I would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy books about relationships, especially complicated family dynamics.

Included in this roundup for ELLE. https://www.elle.com/culture/books/g64274824/best-books-spring-2025/

This novel was like a breath of fresh air in a midst of a few of the books I’m currently reading or listening to. Don’t get me wrong, the themes it explores are far from joyful, but the writing is wonderful, the characters are believable, and the trauma is something too many women can relate to.

Sleep explores childhood SA in a way that is not graphic or jarring but it is scary nevertheless. The reactions of adults to the possibility of it, (in the past and the now) the desire of the children to protect their parents from the truth - it is all written so well, it’s devastating. The relationship between Margaret and her mother throughout the years is the main one in the book, and the author does a wonderful job exploring it.

A great read that can be a touch triggering to some with history of SA.

Thank you, NetGalley and Riverhead books, for sharing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sleep by Honor Jones is a difficult but beautifully-rendered read. The book takes on the themes of childhood trauma and how it echoes throughout individuals' lives in very different ways. The prose in Sleep is somehow both sparse and lushly-layered, and I often found myself marveling at the author's skill in finding just the right way to convey complicated relationships and emotions. Clearly, the heart of this novel is the ways in which family relationships can damage us in barely-describable ways but are also sustained over the years. This isn't a book I'll recommend to everyone, but for readers interested in books that take on complex family themes, it's a must-read.

Sleep is one of those books where I settled in to read and hours went by without me noticing. The narrator's voice is just so realistic and honest - I was so pulled into her world and thoughts. The author perfectly explores that time when adults are in the middle of their aging parents and their young kids. The narrator, Margaret, bounces in time between her own childhood memories with a complicated family and her current experience with a fresh divorce and two young kids. I will definitely buy a copy of this book to share with friends and underline passages. Honor Jones just gets it.

Fans of Curtis Sittenfeld and J. Courtney Sullivan will like this book.

This is slow and ambiguous. It picks up speed and heft at the end. Some readers might find a few threads resolve too easily, but I found it true to life. A strong debut. Would recommend to readers of Lynn Steger Strong, Paul Auster, and Ann Patchett.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

This is a beautifully rendered, thought-provoking debut that lingers long after the final page. With prose that is both razor-sharp and lyrically introspective, Jones captures the quiet turbulence of a woman navigating the spaces between longing and liberation.
What makes Sleep so compelling is its unflinching honesty. Jones doesn't shy away from the discomfort of emotional ambiguity, and yet the novel never feels heavy-handed. Instead, it moves with the precision of a dream — disjointed in moments, but always building toward something powerfully real.
The protagonist, Margaret, is deeply relatable, drawn with such clarity and nuance that her internal world becomes as vivid as the one around her. Jones’s observations on domestic life, ambition, and the subtle erosion of self are arresting and precise. Every chapter feels like a revelation, not in its drama, but in its quiet truths.
This is not just a novel about sleep in the literal sense, but about the waking moments between identities — woman, mother, writer, partner — and the courage it takes to question who we’ve become.
Sleep is a triumph of form and feeling. A quiet storm of a novel, and an unforgettable debut from a truly exciting voice in contemporary fiction.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this digital e-arc.*

A story of a divorced mother of two young girls processing childhood trauma that has directly affected her relationships with her mother, brother, and ex-husband. I went back and forth on how to rate this because the book made me uncomfortable, but I think that's the point. This might be a good pick for book clubs.

Elegantly written with sparse prose this is an uncomfortable but beautiful piece of literary fiction/family drama. It quietly tells a story of family, friendship, secrets and a longing to be seen and valued by those you love.

The characters are well developed and as the book progresses our understanding of each of them grows. At first, I disliked Margaret but partway through the book I learned more about the events that formed the adult Margaret and my feelings for her changed. Margaret’s lifelong best friend Biddy is a treasure and I believe we all should have a friend like her in our lives.

Highly recommend for literary fiction/family drama fans with a trigger warning regarding non graphic childhood sexual abuse and suicide attempt. 4 1/2out of 5 stars. Beautiful debut and I hope to see more from Honor Jones in the future.

Sleep is a beautifully written character-driven novel centered around what it means to exist in two families simultaneously – as a daughter and as a mother.

Margaret has a difficult relationship with her domineering mother Elizabeth, whose high expectations make Margaret feel like she’s never enough. Recently divorced, Margaret feels liberated for what feels like the first time, but this only adds to her mother’s disappointment. Her past sexual abuse was never dealt with or acknowledged by her family, which leads Margaret to make several bad relationship decisions. Despite struggles with her mother, Margaret is a nurturing mother to her two girls.

I found this book hard to put down and am still thinking about it days after finishing. Jones’ use of language and character development had me feeling frustration toward Margaret at times and then commiserating with her as she navigated her relationship with Elizabeth. It was very well done and I’m eager to read her next.

Thank you to Honor Jones, Penguin Group Riverhead and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

I adored this. Very emotional and moving, I found myself thinking so much about what family means. Really beautiful and honest book from Honor Jones - I can't wait to see what she does next!

I read about half way through this book which I expected to love given some of the early press reviews. I just found the story difficult to get into and just not that interesting. She is a good writer but the material didn't really grab me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young mother has memories of sexual abuse from her childhood and has to find a way to deal with them in her present life.

This was different from my usual taste, though I found it hard to put down. I particularly enjoyed the set up in the beginning of her time as a child, though I think that might be a hot take.

I'm not sure if this was the right book for me at the right time. The characters story was well told and it's clear that the author has a way with words. The main character was very well worked out, but something just didn't hit. It certainly wasn't a bad book, my style of reading didn't jive well with this style of writing. For other readers, I hope that won't be the case because I know it is a book that many readers will enjoy.
One of the things I struggled with was how disconnected it felt at times. One moment the story would be focusing on what was happening in the now and suddenly the character's thought or action would be thrown to something else, and not always in a reflective or nostalgic way. Disjointed. But that could also be considered the point of some of the story.
The main character, Margaret, could certainly be called an overthinker, but I think that's a common trait for a lot of moms. It's clear that she's trying to raise her children in a way that is different from her own experience. This becomes quite the challenge when she is faced with overcoming her own traumas and trying to keep them from manifesting in ways that affect her kids. I found myself incredibly frustrated by some parts of the story, I wanted more resolution in some aspects. But on the other hand, I think it's true to life that sometimes we just don't get that. Again, maybe that's the point.
Overall, a good book, just not what I expected.
My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Though the plot was a bit sparse, I still really enjoyed this novel, mostly due to the great characterization and insight into motherhood. I thought the author had a very unique voice that really set this book apart from other stories about motherhood. It reminded me a bit of Madwoman, but more literary in style. it was also very easy to read and compelling in its own way.

It would be hard to say I liked Sleep, by Honor Jones, but I think the subject matter of childhood trauma was artfully covered in many ways. The characters were well developed and multi-layered. Motherhood pulls women between being both daughters, and mothers, and who we are as mothers is created by our past as daughters.

Sleep was at times hard to read, as the main character was understandably conflicted and for us the readers it was easy to say she should have spoken up, but understandable why she didn't. I was engaged with the story, but the writing didn't flow for me, which had me losing interest at times. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

*3.5 stars*

This is an emotional take on one individual's trauma surrounding consent, motherhood, and familial relationships. These characters and their interactions with each other felt genuine, which made many scenes in the novel that much more intense. I was invested. Like our main character, Margaret, I worried for her children whenever they disappeared from the page. It was upsetting to see how many times she should have said something to another character and never did, but it makes this story realistic. I wanted confrontation and restorative justice, and I can't say that that is what I got. However, by the end, Margaret is own her own restorative path, which seems fitting for who she is as a character.

A character-driven debut novel by magazine editor/article writer Jones. Underlying the life of Margaret, a divorced mother of two girls, is her undisclosed childhood sexual abuse by her brother, Neal. Elizabeth, Margaret’s perfectionist mother, functions from a core of anger, stemming from her husband’s affair; her rageful behavior intensifies after a series of strokes. Ex-husband Ezra was a bland husband, but is an attentive father. Current partner, Duncan, provides sexual adventure, but no deep emotional connection. Some good, flowing prose and imagery here, but awkward, choppy transitions between Margaret’s childhood and current-day life plague the novel. Not the most satisfying read, but the author’s potential is certainly apparent.