Honestly, this was not a book that was really for me. The story felt a bit over the top, and overly predictable. It dragged on to long, and rehashed the same plot arc over and over. The mystery and trauma and the way it all unfolded was well done, but I found myself skimming more than I would have liked, and sludging through a good part of it.

This is an emotionally tough book about mental health, suppressed memories and abuse. Although these are very hard subjects to read about, this is a beautifully written story about a strong woman who works hard to deal with her demons.

I am a huge fan of Anna Quinn and couldn't wait to read this one, but wow, it's a seriously difficult topic dealing with sexual abuse of a child. The author beautifully developed Nora and I found myself completely immersed in her experiences and fears. I felt that it started a bit slow and then seemed to end abruptly, however, I am very happy that I read this one and found it to be an incredible novel despite the sensitive subject matter.

The synopsis is SUPER compelling. The story itself? Equally so. I was on the edge of my seat (or rather, bed) the whole time I read. Awesome book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing and Anna Quinn for sharing a copy of this novel with me for review. All opinions are my own.

Language Content: Mild
Explicit Content: See Triggers Below
Sexual Content: See Triggers
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense, Mystery
RECOMMEND: Depends on the reader. See Triggers Below.

TRIGGERS:
Child Molestation/Abuse
Mild Homophobia
Mild Racism
Abortion
Teen Suicide
Religion
Mental Instability

The Night Child follows Nora during the end of year 1996 through the beginning of 1997, with flashbacks to her childhood past. The book begins with Nora witnessing an apparition whilst at school (she is a teacher). Thinking this was just an odd occurrence and nothing to worry about, Nora lets it go until the apparition appears to her again.

Thinking she is seeing things, Nora seeks professional help. It is then that the apparition re-appears and unfolds a story of a dark past.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

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Spoiler Reviews are not usually my way, but it is pretty difficult to do that with this book. There are a lot of things that have to be addressed for my review, and I am unable to skirt around them. If you plan to read this novel and do not want spoilers, take a second to look at my TRIGGERS above and use that to help with what to expect. If you do not care about spoilers, please read on!

Starting with Nora, a mother of a 6-year-old girl; Fiona, and wife to Paul. Nora is the daughter of Mave, an Irish woman who was sent away when she fell pregnant. Her father is Carl, a devoted father who abandons her and her brother James after Mave’s accidental death.

After seeing doctors about witnessing the apparition twice and being spoken to by it, Nora is sent to a psychiatrist to see why/what could be causing this. Nora tells her psychiatrist that her headaches started at Fionas 6th birthday. Trying to figure out why this sudden change happened and what could be the cause of it all, they dig into Noras past/childhood. It is during a session with Dr. David that Margaret appears to him and speaks. Margaret is the little girl (apparition) that Nora claimed to have seen. The last time Nora saw the apparition, it said to her “remember the Valentines dress“.

Before I get more into THAT, I have to say, as Paul was introduced, Nora immediately stated that she believed he was having an affair. This immediately set me up to not like Paul, and be suspect of his actions, BUT honestly I found no point at all for this in the storyline. It did nothing for it, and it took nothing away from it, this made it feel like a character filler in my opinion. Why is it that authors of psychological novels go to the affair? It’s the easy/safe way for drama, but I wish just once I can read a psychological suspense, thriller what have you, when the female is losing her head that the husband is SUPPORTIVE and there for her instead of having an affair! If an affair has to be included in the storyline, at least let it have a purpose. There was no purpose in Pauls affair in the storyline. I’m so sick of reading “we didn’t have sex in however long” as a reason. moving on..

Noras’ mother and her family are religious Irish people, so when Mave fell pregnant out-of-wedlock she was sent to have an abortion. After this, Mave left Ireland and moved to America, where she met Carl and they had Nora and James. Mave is characterized as the ‘wild child’ of her siblings, and later becomes an abusive alcoholic mother. There is a brief point when the family is moving from one area to another that Mave makes a racist comment as to the kind of people who live there, and how she does not want to be around them. Later on, when Nora was older, Mave fell down a flight of stairs whilst intoxicated and dies. Carl leaves his children after the funeral. Nora and James are sent to Ireland to be raised by their grandparents. Her grandmother is very religious but Nora has abandoned her faith. Though, when she was at school in America Sister Rosa told her to pray to Saint Margaret for protection. I truly did not like Mave at all, at any point in this book and was hoping that Carl or Nora actually murdered her and her death was not an accident. That would have been a great twist, but alas, she just drunkenly died.

Trigger scene – When Margaret appears to Dr. David in present day, she tells him that Nora is a liar. (Margaret and Nora are the same people. Nora created a second personality to protect her traumatic memories without realizing it). Nora is floored when this is revealed to her, and more so for being accused as a liar. The only person to have ever called her a Liar before was her mother when she was a child. Claiming she lied about eating cookies in bed, spitting at a priest in confessional and such. Nora has always denied these because she believed that she did no such thing. Margaret revealed to Dr. David that it was in fact Margaret that ate the cookies in bed and spit at the priest in confessional. Why? Why did Margaret do these things, and why does Margaret exist? Margaret is 6 years old, so when Nora takes on that personality, she has no idea what is being said and how her voice and demeanor changes. Margaret, scared, tells Dr. David that she ate the cookies in bed because she “didn’t like how daddy tastes”. Following that disturbing revelation, Margaret revealed that she spit at the Priest because when at confession she told him that she was a bad girl and he said she was too young to be a bad girl and to tell him why she believes that. Margaret then walks through the story of how daddy makes her touch his “hard thing” and rub it. The priest tells her she should not accuse her father of such things but at the same time he was breathing hard behind the mesh “just like daddy” when she touches the hard thing. So she spat at the screen and left the confessional booth.

Back to present day, Nora learns this information from Dr. David and she does not want to believe it, but Margaret told him about an orange Nike box that she hides in the closet with money and it is not until Nora finds this box that she accepts what is happening/what happened to her. As the month progress, little things start to trigger memories for Nora. When Valentines Day nears, Fiona shows her the candy hearts that she received from their neighbor (Paul’s mistress). With joy, Fiona show Nora the “kiss me” candy heart and chants “kiss me kiss me mommy, kiss me”, Nora snaps and smacks the candy heart to the ground, frightening Fiona. This was a bit intense, and at the moment of reading I assumed this was Noras reaction to Fiona getting candy hearts from her husband’s mistress. But, I was wrong. As I’ve stated above, this affair seriously had no point to the story, Nora barely even cared.

Present day Nora back at school has a student conference with parents of a withdrawn goth girl. Having read some of the students dark free writing assignments, Nora realized that she was being molested/abused by her father and proceeds to punch the parent in the meeting after having said epiphany. Nora demands help for the student and to have her removed from the father but without evidence, there was not much she or the school could do. The following day Nora received a phone call that the student committed suicide without a note. It then dawned on Nora that she didn’t have too, she was writing for help for months now in her class, but being wrapped up in her own self discovery, Nora did not take them seriously. This part really resonated with me because teachers are a great outlet for students when they are having trouble at home, and yes it is absolutely understandable that in this particular scenario the teacher was not processing these cries for help, but this happens in real life. There is only so much a teacher can do, there’s only hope that the message gets through in time.

Lastly, the big trigger…

Nora remembers the Valentine Dress.

Okay, listen, I have read some pretty twisted books in my day, and the more twisted the better right? But reading this, as a mother, really broke my heart and made me angry. I know I know, It really happens. I’m not putting down the writing or the scene, It was actually really well written and it did what it was supposed to, which was make the reader uncomfortable with this unfortunate reality. As a reader, I felt like a fly on the wall in the scene and it troubled me enough that my husband looked over at me and asked what was wrong. This scene is not for just anyone, if you CANNOT handle graphic scenes involving abuse, molestation, and children, this book is NOT for you. Please do not proceed reading…

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At this point in the book, when Nora remembered the Valentines Dress, I was under the impression that what was done to her by her father, and the abuse from her mother as well as the gross interaction with the priest was what caused Margaret to present herself, and ‘protect’ Nora from the bad things.

The Valentine Dress

Nora’s grandmother sent her a red dress for valentine’s day. Being six, she loved it so much and was excited to show it to her father when he got home. When he sees her he says she looks like his beautiful princess and proceeds to give her, her gifts from him, which was candy hearts with words on them. Carl then tells Nora to read him one of the hearts that he handed to her. She read it out loud to him, “Kiss me”. Carl then takes 6-year-old Nora onto his lap and … you know where this is going, I can’t write it. Whilst doing what he was, he has her repeat to him “kiss me kiss me kiss me”. This explains her trigger and reaction to Fiona and the ‘Kiss me’ candy heart. Remembering this memory messes with Nora in present day and she can barely deal with him. BUT it is not until one day whilst at home that she gets a missed call from James telling her that he found ‘dad’ and she hears his voice that Nora breaks. Nora reacts by running out of the house without thinking and runs and runs until a car hits her. Waking up in a hospital, alive, Nora goes through things with Dr. David by her side and tries to get back to normal, but it is a struggle. She is then admitted to the psych ward after have manic episodes. There is more that happens whilst she is in the hospital, but at the end of the book, she writes a note “I love you Fiona” and escapes from the hospital. The way in which she was heading for the bridge, I thought Nora was about to commit suicide, but then Margaret appears to her and so she goes to her and hugs her….

the end.

WHAT!?!??! This was my BIGGEST PROBLEM with this book. I could have looked past some stuff and the unnecessary affair, but ending the book like that infuriated me. What was the point of this book? Did Nora accept her past by hugging Margaret? Is she mentally stable again? Will she go on to kill herself? What? what? I dislike this. Honestly, this was just one long story about what happened to a child with no real repercussions to the abusers, other than Nora losing her mind and then…well I couldn’t answer that because im still waiting for the ‘and then’ part.

Writing wise, this book was well written, I have no issues with the actual writing. Having done some research on the author and knowing that she wrote this and drew from her personal life, this makes it feel even more real. It’s a hard book to read, especially during the flashbacks, but it definitely shows how a childhood trauma can affect someone later in life and/or mentally. In Noras case, she created Margaret to deal with what was happening to her. In the students case, she was not able to find a safe outlet or help, so she resorted to suicide.

That’s all from me, If this is something you would feel comfortable reading, go for it!

This book touches on every woman's inner feelings - and has some pretty heavy themes at times. Rape, murder, infedility .
Not for the faint of heart. I enjoyed stepping out of my book comfort zone. Would definitely read another book by Anna quinn.

After seeing a young girl who isn't there, Nora Brown seeks help from a neurologist and a psychologist. I read through this one quickly and didn't love it because the dark secrets Nora finally uncovers weren't the impossible stuff I'm used to seeing in suspense fiction. And that makes sense -- this novel started out as a memoir. If I'd known that up front, I probably would've gone into the book with a different set of expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the story, but I'm trying to read more adult fiction.

The Night Child was much more of an intense read than I first expected, I think this is partly because I thought the secret in Nora's life would revolve around a murder. But that's not the case at all. I'm not going to say much about what it actually is because I don't want to give away any of the plot, but I will say that this book needs a trigger warning for sexual abuse and trauma.  So please do be wary of that when deciding if you want to read it or not. 

I liked The Night Child much more than I thought it would. I liked the writing style and the characters. Even though it took me a little while to like Nora's character.  It's very interesting how bland she is in the first few chapters, but that's the point. It's like she's forgotten how to be a person. I also really enjoyed the character of Nora's therapist, he was really great. Very respectful and such a good representation for therapists. I really disliked Nora's husband.  He was so wrapped up in himself that he couldn't see how troubled Nora was, and that really pissed me off. 

In the end I gave this book 4 stars. Once I actually started reading it, I read it in less than 48 hours. I was swept into the story, and easily sympathized with the main character.

Nora lives a quiet life with her husband and six year old daughter but one day, after dismissing her high school class she is confronted by the apparition of a young girls face. Terrified but hopeful it's a strange one off she tries to continue with life but within a day the girl is back. Nora seeks medical attention and then eventually sees a psychiatrist. It's at that stage secrets from her past unknown even to her begin to be revealed by the mysterious blue eyed girl.

This is a very affecting and impossibly sad novel. It's not much of a spoiler, but perhaps a warning, that child abuse is part of this story and the abuse is directly described rather than been alluded to. It's done sensitively but was for me, incredibly hard to read. For that reason I'd find it difficult to recommend this to anyone which is a shame because it is very well written with well rounded and sympathetic characters (hence the stars) It's just not an easy subject to read so despite all of its positive attributes it was really not a happy reading experience. Had I realised before requesting the novel I would have avoided it like the plague. Stories like this do need to be told I suppose - I just prefer to avoid them.

I really enjoyed reading this book. My only qualm with it is that it ended too soon. I wanted to know more of what happens to Nora at the end.

The last thing Nora would have thought the face meant was a breakdown. A brain tumor? Sure. Cancer? Bring it on. A breakdown? But I'm not crazy! The one thing that Nora feels will cripple people's opinions of her.

Once she figures out the reason behind the breakdowns she becomes even more stubborn. Especially when it comes time to tell her family what is going on. She's so afraid of their reactions that she will risk making progress in her own treatment.

An emotional ride that will have you looking at mental health from a different angle.

‘The Night Child’ by Anna Quinn caught me by surprise and took off racing from the first page so that I read half the book at my first sitting. But it is not a thriller, it was simply that I didn’t want to stop reading. I confess to selecting the book on my Kindle having forgotten the book blurb; perhaps I should do that more often.
Nora Brown teaches teenagers about Shakespeare and poetry; so she knows about the imagination, imagery and dreams. Then one day at work, floating in front of her she sees the face of a blue-eyed girl, a face without a body. Quinn writes about Nora’s fear, panic, guilt, shame, with an insight into the private mind and this made me believe Nora from page one. Seeking answers, she talks to a psychiatrist and so starts an unravelling of Nora’s past, a past buried so deep she had no idea of its existence. As the revelations pick up pace, she must deal with a damaged teenager at school, decide whether to confront her unfaithful husband Paul, and reassure her six-year-old daughter Fiona. Stress layered on top of stress, which makes the child’s face appear more often. Soon she hears the accompanying voice too.
Why have Nora’s difficulties started now? Is there a connection with Fiona, who has just celebrated her sixth birthday? Is the trigger to do with Nora’s own sixth birthday? At the root of it all, perhaps not surprisingly, is the death of her mother and the subsequent abandonment by her father. The only constant in her life is her younger brother James. Raised by their grandfather in Ireland, Irish myths and Catholic saints are woven throughout Nora’s story. The present day action takes place between Thanksgiving in November 1996 and February 1997.
This is the sort of book which makes you think ‘please not that’ and turn the page to see if you have guessed correctly. The subject is not new but Quinn approaches it from a fresh angle which shows how the impact of childhood unhappiness can be repressed only to reappear with a vengeance decades later. I liked Nora. She is not a victim. At first she is afraid she is going ‘crazy’. Her primal instinct is to protect her own child, she constantly reassures Fiona that she loves her ‘beyond the stars and back’. But as the memories begin to return thick and fast in her sessions with psychiatrist David, things also unravel at home as Paul accuses her of being ‘a zombie’. David reminds her that she is in control but to ‘be careful not to scare yourself’. Where will the memories lead her and will she be able to cope?
I really enjoyed this book. It came as a bolt out of the blue after having read a series of historical novels. It is a powerful and sensitive portrayal of emotional damage and a person’s capacity to face it and recover. This is a debut, but I would never have guessed, it is written with a steady hand and full heart. The juxtaposition of Quinn’s beautiful prose, and her subject matter, is startling.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Night Child.
When Nora Brown, a high school English teacher, unexpectedly sees a child's face floating in her high school classroom, I was hooked to this thrill ride of a novel by Anna Quinn. After another visit from this ghostly child, Nora seeks the help of a psychiatrist who assists her as she delves into secrets that she has kept even from herself. The discovery of these long buried secrets and the impact this has on Nora and her family are heartbreaking. Readers experience this painful discovery along with Nora in and out of the psychiatrist's office as the past and present collide and fracture life as Nora knew it. The Night Child is a powerful and heartbreaking story that will leave readers thinking long after they have finished reading.

“The arms and legs, hips and hands, neck and mouth of her mother crashing down the basement stairs, the glass shattering. And now a green olive—the green olive alive, moving fast and wild, announcing the falling body, bouncing and coming next to the black part of Nora’s left shoe. And then, a final thud. For a long while, Nora waits stock-still in the dead silence , staring at the motionless body, the belly and breasts flattened, the head turned unnaturally to the side, tangled auburn hair obscuring eyes, nothing moving at all. Finally, Nora stands up and steps over the green olive and walks to the phone and dials “O”. She gasps to the operator, “My mother, it’s my mother.”
The text above speaks for itself. The novel is full of deep rich text which pries emotion both out of the character and the reader. The author’s finger hooked, motioning, come on, keep reading, its going to get even better. A gripping novel you will not be able to put down.

Well written and fast paced. Slightly disturbing subject matter and definitely not for everyone! Thanks for the Advanced readers copy!

How much can the mind overcome to get over childhood traumas? This book will have you questioning everything your brain is capable of.

This book was very personal to me, and I won't go into too many details, but suffice it to say that I *AM* Nora Brown, right down to having taught high school English. When she began to see the little girl, and agonized over why, I felt my own heart racing in sympathy. Absolutely must include trigger warnings for anyone struggling with mental health and/or who've suffered abuse, but definitely one for my shelves, to be read over and over, simply so Nora will not suffer alone.

The Night Child captivated me from start to end. I was super intrigued by the issues faced by Nora, a high school English teacher, and she deals with apparitions and issues from her past. The character was well-developed, as Quinn examines her role as a wife, mother, teacher, friend, daughter, and sister. I look forward to reading more works by Anna Quinn.

This powerful fictional book focuses on traumatic childhood experiences and the suppressed psychological impact that can emerge as a result of these at any time. It is articulated so well, so that the story captures you and holds you to the end, even when some parts are difficult to read. Yes it is a candid, no holds bar description of the abuse endured – because frankly it is what happens, but this is balanced by the beautifully woven, nuances that are poignant, moving and inspiring.

It centres on Nora Brown a teacher of high school English, who lives a quiet life in Seattle with her husband and six-year-old daughter. One day, a girl’s face appears above the students’ desks; a luminous face with startling blue eyes. Nora quickly dismisses the vision and attempts to disregard it. But it doesn’t really go away and is the start of a dissociation that transforms the way she lives; one which forces her to face up to her life and her past in order to be able to continue to move forward.

Whilst traumatic it has an underlying message of hope, endurance and the ability to heal – even if this may be a slow and unpredictable journey. It also embodies a story of resilience, hope, and the capacity of the mind, body, and spirit to save itself despite all odds. Emotional and bold, it deals with the experience of sexual abuse in a unique and insightful way. It will make you challenge how you feel about Nora as she traverses a roller-coaster of emotions and reactions and indeed it will make you stop and think long after the denouement. Definitely one to read.

Incredible book, page turner; very well written. A journey into the dark recesses of an abused woman's mind. Highly recommended!

I wasn’t sure what I was going to think about this book. The description made me think it might be a little too supernatural for my tastes, but I ended up like it. It was a fairly fast read and the author had a nice writing style. Probably a 3.5 from me.