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.

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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.

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.

Great book! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Kate Quinn does not disappoint! I love to read a book that allows the reader to feel real emotion! This book does it! I felt as I was right in the book with the main character. A great story of a mother, wife, teacher, it told the story in a way that a lot if us who where molested as children could relate to. Her dress was the Valentine's Dress mine was the birthday dress. I highly recommend this book to everyone to read, whether or not you experienced childhood abuse or not. I also liked how Kate developed each character in this novel. For me it was very healing to read I hope it will be the same for others. Hopefully it also shows people what survivors go through. This is a must read

Thank you to Anna Quinn (the author), Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Night Child. I rated a solid 4 stars.

First off, this book needs a trigger warning. It contains sexual violence and child abuse, including fairly graphic descriptions of both. If this is not your type of book, make sure to pass on it given its content.

When I read the premise of the book, I thought it sounded unique (and I had no idea it involved sexual violence/child abuse from the description, which reveals part of the plot I suppose). I decided to try it out because of the unusual description - a high school English teacher named Nora starts suffering from debilitating headaches and seeing the face of a disembodied child. She thinks she's losing it, or suffering from a severe medical issue. Her home life is likewise falling apart; her spouse is disengaged and impatient with her, and doesn't seem to really care at all about her health issues. The most important people in Nora's life are the students she teaches, and her young daughter Fiona, who she adores.

Scared of what is going on in her head (literally and metaphorically), Nora seeks out a psychiatrist. Her sessions slowly reveal her tragic childhood, one that is coming back to haunt her in the present. Secrets are revealed, and the mystery of Nora's mental and physical health is unraveled as the plot unfolds.

I read this book in a day and a half during a really busy couple of days. The writing is excellent, and while the subject matter isn't something I would usually read (especially a story dealing with child abuse), I was able to tolerate the subject matter because the story was compelling and seemed real. I identified with the characters and wanted to know how the story resolves.

To summarize: a quick but terrifying read through a damaged human psyche.

This book really pulls you in. It is very relatable in an unexpected way. Great story!

Wow. What an incredible debut novel. I'm going to be thinking about this one for months...

Nora Brown is a teacher. A floating face appears in her classroom one afternoon and then again at home the following day. Filled with terror, she meets with neurologists and then psychologists to try and work out why she is hallucinating. Her sessions with the psychologist help her to uncover a deep, dark secret which she has managed to force herself to forget.

The characters in this book are so well written. I found myself completely able to identify with Nora, despite having absolutely nothing in common with her. I really did find myself on the edge of my seat whilst I was reading - I'm not sure I've really sympathised or cared as much about a character before.

I'll admit that from the blurb given, I wasn't especially excited about this book, but it really has got to me. I was beyond gripped right from the beginning of the story, and completely shocked by the route it actually took. I found myself researching 'split consciousness,' something I was fairly unaware of before. I'll take my hat off to Quinn for writing so well about such a complex topic and tying it in so well to such a gripping story.

An absolute page turner - suspenseful, dark and also quite heartbreaking - as I said before, this one will actually stay with me for a while. I can't stop thinking about it. Well done Anna Quinn - I would LOVE to see more from you!

Thank You Net Galley for the free ARC.

Nora is an English teacher who starts seeing visions of a blue eyed child. She is frightened by her hallucinations and starts seeing a psychiatrist to look for an explanation. Many things hidden come out during her sessions.