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

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.

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

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

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.

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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.

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.

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!

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

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!

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

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.

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

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**

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!

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!

Fast, gripping read. My heart aches for Nora Brown. The author did an amazing job portraying the painful, horrific issues Nora survived with great care.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a tough and heavy read. This book deals with sexual abuse and does it well. However, it may be difficult for some to read. Nora is a high school teacher who suddenly feels her life unraveling. As the memories come forward, Nora struggles to stay in the present. Reading this was heartbreaking. The author did a good job telling this story and dealing with some very difficult issues.

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!

The Night Child by Anna Quinn is a unique novel. A woman suddenly starts seeing a looming child with blue eyes everywhere she goes. The eyes linger and loom and the body is formless. Is this a hallucination? Is it something supernatural? Or is the calling out of a fractured mind?

An interesting and creatively done book. The subject matter will not be for everyone. Read with caution.

This is another book that I expected to be different. From the title, I was expecting some kind of missing persons story, set up like a thriller. That is not what it was, but it was still pretty good.

The plot delves into psychology, and how our brains can protect us from trauma. It was incredibly interesting and uncomfortable at the same time. I really felt sympathy for Nora, and wanted to see her get better. The only thing I wish was different was that I thought the ending was kind of abrupt. I would have loved to read more follow up on Nora's journey.

Quinn has an engaging and engrossing prose that keeps you turning each page.
You feel like you know Nora and would recognise her if she walked past you in the street. I was completely swept away and attached to every word Quinn had to say.

Nora has just finished teaching a high school English class when a face with startling blue eyes appears above the desks. She’s not sure if she’s losing her mind or has seen a ghost. In a sense both possibilities are true and as the story continues readers begin to understand why. William Faulkner said, “The past isn’t dead, it isn’t even past” and that statement definitely applies to Quinn’s debut novel. It’s not an easy book because of the subject matter—sexual abuse, mental illness, alcoholism, suicide—and it’s not for everyone. I’m grateful to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Child portrays Nora with sensitivity and gave me a real sense of her interior struggles. The writing itself is good and the pacing is fairly quick. However, I would have liked to get a better understanding of some of the other characters. There seemed to be a contrast between the flashbacks—which were quite vivid—and the 1990s events. This may have been intentional on the part of the author and was effective in conveying the devastating effect the past had on her life. But I still would have liked to know more about her husband, her principal, her daughter and a particular student. Toward the end there were a few scenes that did develop the characters in greater depth, especially her husband, but I would have liked more of that earlier on. That said, I’m glad I had the chance to read this disturbing yet honest book

A fractured mind. Old scars. Emotional trauma. This book's synopsis pretty much gives the entire story away, but this book was nicely written and flowed easily. Some of the content was difficult to read about but this author made each scene plausible and believable without glorifying it. None of the characters (including the narrator) were particularly likable but this story firmly held my attention.

▣ Overall, this was a very sad, tragic, and disturbing story. Kudos to the author for writing so eloquently about the themes broached in this book. The ending threw me for a loop because it felt unfinished and yet hinted at new possibilities--an alternate reality in which Nora would ultimately embrace. I wasn't certain how to interpret it, exactly, but definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
“The Night Child” by Anna Quinn begins with Nora, a high school English teacher living in Seattle with her husband and six year old daughter, Fiona. During class one day, Nora begins to see the image of a young child’s face hovering in the back of her classroom, chilling Nora to her core. The face continues to haunt her dreams and her waking life, and when it begins to speak to her, Nora finally seeks out professional help. With the help of a therapist, Nora uncovers some deep secrets from her past that she has been hiding from for years. As Nora begins to examine these feelings and experiences, she begins to realize that she must face her demons or suffer the consequences.
This novel was not what I expected. I’m not sure if I was anticipating a paranormal novel, or maybe a suspense/mystery novel, but “The Night Child” was none of those things. Provocative and uncomfortable, “The Night Child” deals with dissociative identity disorder, suicidal thoughts and actions, and incest and abuse. It is definitely a disturbing novel that is not for a reader looking for a light-hearted escape.
Nora is a complex character, but she is one that is relatable and honest, and a bond develops quickly between her and the reader. As the plot went on, I ran through many possible options of where the book could go (I pondered many things from David’s influence on Nora, to Nora’s husbands’ behaviour and its impact, to a “Catcher in the Rye” type plot line) and I struck out on all three. This novel is not hiding anything, there are no surprises or twists and turns. It is exactly what it is. David is just a therapist, Nora is a troubled woman dealing with many demons, and Nora’s husband is (albeit kind of a jackass), simply a man struggling to keep his family together.
This novel was a good read, overall. The plot line was relatively developed and the characters (as few as there were) were not particularly irritating or brash. It is definitely an intense novel that cannot be taken lightly, and will have an impact on a lot of readers. The psychological part of it held my interest (Again, psychology degree over here) and it was certainly unlike anything I have ever read before. The ending was unexpected and not defined (one of those “did this happen? Or maybe this…?” kind of endings) but still, I trudged on through as I was definitely interested in the outcome of Nora and Margaret. It is a novel worth investigating for anyone with an interest in psychology or mental illness (specifically dissociative identity disorder).

This was an interesting but disturbing story. The journey taken by Nora is make for uncomfortable reading but is ultimately uplifting

There are some major, major trigger warning on this one. I wish there had been some hint that the “big secret” was that her father sexually abused her and I also wish that it hadn’t been so graphic. I’m not sure if I’ve just gotten so used to young adult and middle grade books that handle the subject more delicately, and even though, there was a little hint of what was to come right before the secret was revealed, it was still a huge shock that it was so graphic. Even more shocking was what happened when she told the priest what happened. If you decide to read this, please keep in mind that there is nothing glossed over about the abuse Nora endured.

I can’t speak on the split consciousness rep because that’s not something I have experienced, but I did feel like the mental health rep as far as the therapist and the hospitalization felt pretty real. I’m not sure that they would have allowed Nora to be alone with anyone but other than that once incident, it was fairly accurate.

I also enjoyed Nora’s utter devotion to her daughter, even when she was going through her mental breakdown. I’ve read a lot of novels where the parent gives up caring about their child when things happen and it was interesting to see Nora working very hard to break the cycle of mother/daughter neglect that she had experienced with her own mother.

The one thing I didn’t like in this book was the continued assessment that sex = a sound marriage. I think this story would have been a 5 star for me if Paul and Nora had pulled through this together and if the author hadn’t insisted that if a married couple aren’t having sex, it means one of them are cheating. There are many, many reasons why couples stop having sex and it doesn’t mean they lack love and trust in one another or that one partner is going to cheat.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I would not, however, recommend this to anyone who is easily hurt by sexual abuse.

I'm still trying to process this book, a deeply disturbing read. Nora is struggling emotionally and feels she is losing her mind. We are taken into her therapy sessions and witness to the unveiling of her split personality and deep dark secret. We are treated to a well written account of what is is like to be in this state of mind. There wasn't a linear plot to this one, rather a slow unveiling of the event that caused the trauma. A deeply sad and dark read for me.

Nora Brown is a married High School English teacher with a six year old daughter. One day after class she sees a young girl's luminous face floating above a desk. She is alarmed and scared as most people would be. Questions go through her mind: Is she crazy? Is this from stress? Is this even real? She attempts to continue with her life and then, while away with her husband and daughter, she sees the face again but this time the girl tells her to "Remember the Valentine's Dress". Now she is really alarmed and decides to see medial advice and and eventually meets with a therapist/psychiatrist.

As the story unfolds, it is obvious that Nora is an unhappy woman. Her husband is distant and working long hours. She suspects he is lying but is reluctant to question him directly his true whereabouts. She is worried about a student in her class and her therapy sessions are bringing up a lot of issues for her.

This is a quiet book with BIG issues at play. This book touches on infidelity, secrets, sexual molestation, death, mental illness and suicide. This book will not be for everyone as it touches on some really heavy issues. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book. It is a view into one woman's inner turmoil and downward spiral that occurs when her past no longer wants remain buried. Having to face her traumatic childhood, while watching her marriage fall apart, pushes this woman over the edge.

This is a short novel which packs a punch. I enjoyed the characters of Nora, David and Margaret. This book is really character driven - more so a character study of one woman's' life as everything unravels at once. This is a well written dark book. It was definitely hard to put down. I put this on my currently reading list the end of July but I actually read the entire book today in one sitting. I had to keep reading to learn how this story would unfold.

I received an ARC of this book from Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good book about a very tough subject! It is not a long book, but it is a powerful story! The more you read, the more you are drawn into the story! Highly recommend!

Nora sees a disemodied head floating about the desks in her classroom. No one else sees it. She puts it down to stress, although that really is stress. She sees it again and starts to become a bit discombobulated. She starts to see a counselor but discusses nothing of any consequence until he hears a small child's voice during one of their sessions. Nora is totally unaware of anything. I do not want to give anything away, but the book is a real page-turner, and the end................well, the end is most interesting. . I certainly would recommend it to anyone.

Anna Quinn takes on several sensitive subjects (child abuse, mental illness, alcoholism, teenage suicide) and she does an outstanding job of it. This book is very difficult to read due to the subject matter, yet it is a book we all need to read. These things are far more common than most of us care to admit. This is an exceptional debut novel. My only complaint is that the story ended very abruptly. I wanted to know the rest of Nora's story.

A harrowing and heart breaking read which doesn't sugar coat anything.
Nora is a teacher of English literature and mother to Fiona. As her last class before her Thanksgiving break comes to a close an intense and terrifying event takes place whereby a child's face appears before her and then disappears. She sees this as a sign she needs a break from work and keeping this to herself she sets off on her holiday with husband and daughter. However, this is just the start of things as Nora begins to experience utterly terrifying moments when she sees the vision of the child. Nora begins to meet with David, a psychiatrist who begins very carefully to explore what memories are buried deeply in Nora's mind. As these memories flood over into her present life she begins to unravel and this shows what a fragile line exists with regard to mental health and well being.
The novel focuses on some harrowingly hard to read events Nora endured as a child and moves seamlessly between present day and that time.
I read with ferocity to reach the end and outcome. I found the content very moving and felt great empathy for Nora. In a nutshell it's a story of how resilient children can become and how they might manage situations beyond their control. Later it becomes a story of how an adult addresses this and finds the strength to go forward. Quite amazing!

I would have loved to give this book a 5 star rating as the whole story was so raw, so heartbreaking, so terribly sad that I truly wanted a happy ending, and I suppose hope and the knowledge that she has started to resolve her issues are a happy ending but I just wanted more from the ending. I couldn't put this book down, it gripped me, it was compelling. The writing was sound and the build up of the characters were great, apart from Paul - I just could not connect with him, but perhaps that was the point? For me the let down was the ending, what happened to Nora? Fiona? between Nora and John? It must seemed to leave a lot of loose ends! Other than that it was great!!!

In a short 200 pages, The Night Child offers a thrilling story about Nora Brown, who teachers high school English and lives a quiet life in Seattle with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. On one November day, a girl's face appears above the student's desks and she is left with terror. The Night Child is Anna Quinn's debut novel, examining the impact of traumatic childhood experiences. There were some difficult topics in this novel that should be noted for those who are considering reading this because it maybe difficult for some people, or those who want to avoid situations involving childhood trauma. The writing in this is incredible, and Anna Quinn did a great job as creating this world that grasps the reader and pulls them in. The emotions are genuine, characters are relatable and you feel for them. While at times a very difficult read, it was a powerful journey and story to read.

The Night Child by Anna Quinn is written passionately. I was glued from the first page, and could not put down my Kindle. Nora, the main character, is faced with something many people fear. The Night Child is an emotional, heartbreaking yet hopeful read that will have you calling into work so you can take a day to process your own emotions!

This is a fascinating look at one woman's traumatic childhood and her attempt to block out the past. When Nora begins seeing faces and can't reconcile them with reality, she begins working with a therapist who believes she is suffering from PTSD. Helping her unlock her family's secrets is a difficult process and it takes its toll on her six-year-old daughter and her inattentive husband. Fortunately, she finds inner strength and resilience that allow her to confront her demons and begin to repair the damage that her memories have been guarding all this time. Suspenseful and realistic!

4.5 STARS......This is a wonderful debut novel, Ms Quinn is an extraordinarily storyteller who has done her research well. Fast paced and full of details, the Night Child takes us on an incredible journey not soon to be forgotten.

Nora is a high school English teacher who experiences severe trauma as a child (trauma left vague here purposely to avoid spoilers). Nora begins to experience visions of a six year old child with startling blue eyes. These visions lead her to undergo psychotherapy. Luckily she finds a remarkable therapist who is non judgmental and excellent in his field, he helps Nora get to the core of her struggle.

As the story unfolds, we begin to see the power of the human brain. It never ceases to amaze me how effectively the brain will take over and protect the physical body from what it can't endure. The story goes into detail about Nora's current family life, work life, childhood, her tough road to recovery and finally healing.

The other characters, Nora's daughter, husband, mother, principal of her high school and her brother are all key players and each brought important light and relevance to the story. Her daughter now six years old, a key age, probably triggering the trauma to resurface after being buried for so long. Her husband who is unhappy with her and complains she's cold, only makes sense. Her brother who was there with her in her childhood and triggers some of the events by trying to locate their long lost father.

Excellent read. Well done Ms Quinn.

Many thanks to a Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exquisitely written. Take a deep breath and then plow head long into this psychological thriller. The author details how a secret kept can tear apart a life. I could not put this book down. I can't even say that much about it, because it will have spoilers. Two thumbs way up!

This was a really creepy, strange sort of story, but once I got into it, I found it hard to put down. Nora has very unsettling experiences, which make her doubt her own sanity. The unraveling of the mystery is artfully done, and the I truly felt for Nora and was anxious to hear what in her past had brought this nightmare back into her pesent. Hard to believe this is a debut as it was so skillful!

Saying this book touched me on a very deep level doesn’t even come close to the impact I felt. It twisted my insides…rattled my brain…tore my emotions asunder. Nora’s destructive clash of past and present are mind-bending—not only for her, but for any reader who possesses even an ounce of empathy and/or humanity. Some scenes are more than a little hard to read, but the book is extraordinary, if one can endure those moments of helpless, emotional drowning. Any writer who can draw readers so thoroughly into a scene that all sense of self is lost, to merge completely with a character, has my vote. Any book that can make me lose myself, steal hours of sleep, and take me to the edges of my own sanity—that book deserves eight out of five stars. I’d give The Night Child at least that many. Sensational to the nth degree.

I think this is a great story told in a truthful heartfelt manner about a woman coming face to face with her buried memories and her struggles to survive and conquer her demons. I really am enjoying the writer's words and the way she brings the past alive.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Anna Quinn, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

THE NIGHT CHILD tells the story of a middle-aged high school teacher who believes she's losing her mind when she suddenly starts hallucinating, seeing flashes of a young girl. She decides to see a therapist, and together, they unveil the many layers of protection formed around her mind and soul.

Disturbing and sad, this book was difficult to read, but the writer's style made it easier. In fact, Quinn's writing was quite beautiful at times. The book's synopsis explicitly states the plot, which can be frustrating for readers, but this isn't a book you'd read for mysterious intrigue. Readers should be warned that the writer explores both incest and child molestation, but that's all part of the main themes: the impact of traumatic childhood experiences and the fragile line between past and present. One line of the book's synopsis beautifully describes this entire book: The Night Child is a story of resilience, hope, and the capacity of the mind, body, and spirit to save itself despite all odds.

This was a tough read due to the graphic and descriptive abuse. It was a very good story and well written. It's difficult to say too much without giving the plot away. This is a real page turner albeit gut wrenching, at times.

Thanks to Blackstone and Netgalley for a copy of this. I loved this one. Some of the phrasing is fantastic, heart-wrenching. I felt Nora so deep down in my core. My only hope is that it will go through another round of editing.

This book was creepy and chilling which scores points with me. As I try to review this book I am realizing I cant say enough good things about it. This book was a book that made me lose sleep and trust me I like my sleep. Highly recommend

What a wonderful book. Life experiences remain with us, some forever and this was a beautifully told tale of one. Great debut!

Excellent novel. The characters are believable and their emotions are raw. Well-written.

A story filled with marital turmoil, seeing things that MAY all be in your head, and a mystery of what's really happened in a past you can't remember? Sign me up!

While the themes in this book can be a little tough (i.e. sexual abuse, child abuse, etc.) the book does a great job of not glorifying the heinous acts and you can tell that the author took the time to be considerate of people's emotional capacity while reading.

For a debut novel, this one came out swinging and I LOVED it! Great job with writing in a way that grabbed my attention from the start and I can't wait to read more of your novels!

The Night Child by Anna Quinn was a heart-wrenching and tragic story. This book definitely needs a trigger warning.

Nora Brown is a High School English teacher. She has a young daughter and husband. Her life is generally normal and uneventful. Until one day, she's teaching her class and she sees a ghostly figure of a young girl in the window. She thinks she is completely going crazy and begins seeing a Psychiatrist. And thus begins a journey into Nora's fractured mind.

The best part about the book is Quinn's writing style. Not only is the writing beautiful and well-flowing, but Quinn's story-telling ability made the story so real. This subject matter is hard to read about but I flew through this book in just under 2 days. I really cared for Nora and liked her relationship with the psychiatrist.

Thank you to Anna Quinn, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for the chance to read this novel in advance! I would highly recommend to people able to handle the subject matter.

This was a quick read (finished in one sitting), but memorable, nonetheless.

Nora, a high school AP English teacher, is eager to finish her last day of school before the Thanksgiving break so she can start her traditional holiday vacation by the Washington coast with her husband and daughter, Fiona. Just after she releases the class and is getting ready to go she hears a whisper and movement in the empty classroom. Suddenly she sees a child’s face with wild blue eyes appear floating in front of her. A moment later, the child’s face is gone.
Not sure whether she is dreaming or hallucinating Nora meets with neurologists and psychiatrists to help her determine what is going on. Through work with her doctors they discover that there is a very dark and deep secret that she has been hiding all these years, even from herself.
This book has a few trigger warnings for child abuse and sexual violence. I appreciate when I hear trigger warnings for a book, not because I am generally turned off by them, but because it allows me to prepare for the context of what I am about to experience and not be caught off guard. This book has fairly graphic depictions of both of the aforementioned warnings.
The Night Child is a well written and suspenseful debut novel by Anna Quinn. It is dark novel that is sad, disturbing, and hard to read at times, but Quinn did a really good job making it believable and not over the top.
The most impactful parts of the book for me were the flashback because they really make you understand what has happened to Nora, though they were the most difficult parts to read. I rated this book a 4.0/5.0 mostly because the ending seemed a bit abrupt and I found myself wanting a bit more.
The Night Child is a book that will stay on your mind long after you finish. I would recommend it and am looking forward to more from her in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy.

I started this book on Monday night and read it whenever I had a minute at work yesterday, stayed up late last night to finish because I couldn't put it down!!

Nora is a high school English teacher, married for 15 years to Paul and they have a 6 year old daughter Fiona. Nora starts having hallucinations, of a girls face, the first time happening in her classroom. Over the next couple of weeks she has a couple more finally leading her to seek help. She ends up seeing a psychiatrist and over the next few months discovers some deeply hidden traumatic experiences she had while growing up.

I was not expecting the twists in this novel! You will have a hard time putting it down, you might as well just plan on losing a weekend over this one. Great debut novel! Can't wait for more from this talented author!

Suppressed memories made for a compelling novel. Will be an excellent book for book club discussions.

The Night Child leaps into action, with the protagonist, Nora, seeing an apparition of a little girl. Her mental state, marriage, and relationship with her daughter and brother head into a downward spiral as she comes to grips with memories of her horrifying past. The book's cover, title, and opening scene led me to believe it was a contemporary ghost story or paranormal fiction, and I debated abandoning it altogether. Within a few pages, I was sucked into Nora's story. While it is a page-turner, I would have liked to have gotten to know more about the kind of woman Nora was before her psychotic break. The ending of Night Child is subject to interpretation, which will make it popular with book clubs with members who are willing to explore topics of sexual abuse, suicide, mental illness, and alcoholism.

I am grateful to Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Night Child provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Anna Quinn's novel took me on a path of pain and discovery. Quinn's main character, Nora, has a vision one day after her last English class leaves the classroom. She sees the face of a young girl hovering in front of her. This begins a story that grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go. I used all of my own experiences in life to imagine why Nora would have a hallucination. My first thought was a brain tumor as that is a source of pain and grief in my family. I suppose that was my fear, but I couldn't square this with heavy emotional pain Nora seemed to carry with her.

Nora is a good teacher, an empathetic adult in a world of high school teenagers. Nora lives in Seattle with her husband, Paul, and their six-year-old daughter, Fiona. Nora's closest friend and supporter is John, her principal. He is one of the few people Nora trusts with her emotions and concerns. But her visions remain a secret that she tells no one. The girl's face appears again and then more frequently. Nora sees doctors and goes through a barrage of tests. I waited and read and kept reading.

Eventually, Nora must confide in John after her behavior changes in class and she is becoming worn down physically and emotionally with her secret. I understand the toll that keeping a secret has on people. Nora's secret is something she is cognitively aware of and must seek help from a psychiatrist. I hoped David, the doctor, could help Nora. I wanted her to get to the bottom of all her questions and fears. I wanted her to be healed so that she could be with her loving daughter and make a decision about her relationship with her husband.

I took this painful journey with Anna Quinn's character. I am impressed that this is a first novel, knowing it must have been extremely difficult to write. Often, this book was difficult to read. It was intense and filled with suspense, with bogeymen around every corner. If anyone wants to know what some people suffer in their lifetime and the price they must pay to save themselves, this is an important book to read. I recommend it unconditionally.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Publish date January 30, 2018.

This book was both creepy and heartbreaking. Excellent debut novel

This was a powerful story about a very difficult topic. I thought the evolution was described very well. I am glad I read it but I fear it may be triggering for many.

This book was not what I expected. Nora's vision in her classroom made me think the story would be about ghosts and hauntings. Instead, it's a powerful story about Nora's own personal ghosts and her journey to process repressed memories of her childhood.

In every chapter, Nora remembers new details from her past. Her secrets come to the surface and she struggles to face the demons. I loved Nora and felt such heartache for her with each battle she faced. Anna Quinn's account gives a very real and raw insight into Nora's trauma. I also liked her psychiatrist David, her friend John and her brother James. They were well developed and they gave the story hope.

Anna Quinn's writing is excellent and flows easily through Nora's story. The content becomes difficult to read as the story unfolds, but Quinn proves exceptional at handling such a tender subject and the damage that child abuse can do to the young psyche. I was so invested in Nora that I held my breath and kept reading. I finished this in one afternoon but the story will stay with me for a long time.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

This is an atmospheric and chilling read. Great attention to detail from the author and a wonderful premise that definitely did not disappoint. If you enjoy a chilling read rather than scream out loud horror, you'll enjoy this book. Anna Quinn has crafted a pageturner that never hints too heavily about what is coming next and simmers gently with menace. This was a perfect Halloween read that kept me turning the pages long into the night and had me checking the landing before going upstairs to bed. Thoroughly recommended if you like chills rather than gore.

I enjoyed this novel. I found it easy to connect with each of the characters. I appreciated the way 5he story was told, because it offered insights from each of the characters without getting repetitive.

Even though this book is a challenging read because of the subject matter - child abuse and sexual violence - the author masterfully highlights the main character's fragile state and the ways her mind went to protect her. It was a captivating read. Thank you to Anna Quinn for an extremely well-written novel. I would highly recommend that Night Child be on anyone's must read list.

Right off I knew this was going to be an emotional read. We are told in the description that “ a terrible secret is discovered -- a secret that pushes Nora toward an even deeper psychological breakdown .”

Nora has noticed that she’s not as happy with teaching as she used to be. It used to energize her and she felt lucky to be able to do what she did. However, now the large class sizes and government requirements have left her feeling worn-out. After class one day she suddenly feels a headache coming on but then feels like someone is whispering or breathing near her and suddenly….

“In front of her, a girl’s face, a wild numinous face with startling blue eyes, a face floating on top of shapeless drapes of purples and blues where arms and legs should have been"

When Nora locks eyes with the girl she feels a terror rush through her like she’s never felt before. But as quick as the face appeared it disappears. She tells herself she’s just tired, that it must be her imagination, that it must have been a hallucination. The next day she goes on vacation with her husband and six-year-old daughter, Fiona. She’s convinced herself that what happened was brought on by exhaustion. But then it happens again, and this time she doesn’t just see the girl’s face…she hears her voice.

“Remember the Valentine’s dress”

She feels like she’s going crazy….

Sometimes memories start to resurface when we least expect it and in ways we never would have anticipated.

“It’s the secrets that make us sick; it’s the telling that heals”

I was pulled in to the story, invested in the characters and anxious to know how things would turn out. However, this book was even more emotional than I expected. It deals with many very important issues but readers should be aware that the subject matter may be triggering for some. It's quite descriptive and I did find some parts very difficult to read.

Although I wouldn’t classify this as a suspense novel, it’s definitely an interesting psychological read about the strength and resilience of the human mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is just the reviews in the summary says, beautiful and remarkable. It kept me on the edge of my seat and left me wondering what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this book so much, but at times it could be very slow! I would give it 10/5 stars if I could!

A child's face floats in front of you speaking only one short sentence..."Remember the Valentine's dress." You've lost your mind, surely you've gone crazy. This is what Nora believes to be the case first at her school then secondly on her holiday vacation. Little does she know this warning will awake in her more than she ever deemed possible.

Mother of a six-year-old and wife of a big time commercial realtor, Nora begins to hear and see the face of this young girl desperate to share a message. With the help of a psychiatrist, Nora uncovers happenings from her past which match with this girl's message only surfacing now as her daughter, Fiona, reaches the age in which she as a child faced the occurrences.

After a hit and run accident puts Nora in a hospital forced to face these issues, the truth must be told from her therapist to her husband and brother. How will she deal with this from a psychiatric ward of the hospital? How will her husband and brother feel once they've heard these truths? How will she help her poor little Fiona who she fears is in imminent danger?

First book under her belt, Anna does a superb job of the feels here. I was grabbed by the story and felt so compelled to finish. I wanted Nora to be a strong character and was not disappointed. Very well written.

NIGHT CHILD WRITTEN BY ANNA QUINN

i was utterly blown away by how Anna Quinn could take the disturbing themes of sexual child abuse, severe neglect, Alcoholism and turn them into a masterpiece of literature. This debut novel NIGHT CHILD took ten years to write. While heartbreaking and painful to read at times, I compulsively read this masterful narrative in one sitting. Nora, Margaret and David are richly constructed character development at it's ultimate best. I usually avoid books dealing with such tough subject matter and didn't realize when requesting this that the subject matter dealt with the tough issues this creative author uniquely explores.

In Anna Quinn's capable hands this book is written in stunning prose that illuminates the protagonist's Nora and Margaret's fragile psyche stemming from childhood. The events that mold and shape us psychologically early in life can be repressed and wreak havoc on us later on as an adult. This emotional story is told in vivid prose. I was captivated by how realistically Nora, Margaret and the compassionate David's character development was depicted.

Nora has been married many years to the emotionally distant Paul. They have a six year old daughter Fiona. Nora is an English teacher who one day sees a vision of a blue eyed apparition. Nora think's that she hallucinated this vision, but she sees it again and begins to question her sanity. Like peeling back the layers of an onion Nora begins to slowly uncover with her psychiatrist fragments of long repressed memories of her childhood. David is a character that I liked and admired for his empathetic style while working with Nora and Margaret. I really liked John's character. While this amazing debut may not be for everybody due to the issues it tackles, I think Author Anna Quinn handles this difficult subject matter in a highly sensitive and unique matter. I will be watching and anticipating anything she writes in the future.

A huge amount of gratitude is owed to Net Galley, the talented Anna Quinn and Blackstone for providing me with my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I am not sure if anyone can say that they really loved this book because the content is hard to read, but I couldn't put it down and I really wanted to finish! The best character in my opinion was little Fiona she was so sweet. I couldn't stand Paul (the husband) and felt as though he treated Nora horribly on her road to uncover the past. This book starts with Nora seeing an apparition of a little girl and her search to find out why she is seeing her. This book is a must read for everyone even though it has triggers for abuse and rape.

I liked this book because it's not your ordinary childhood drama novel. It deals with a woman's struggle, Nora, the main character, to block what happened to her in her childhood. It's cruel and harsh, but it exude compassion.

I didn't feel like I got "to know" any character very well. I wish Elizabeth, Nora's student had been focused on more. I was more interested in how the author was to present the course of Nora's therapy and her psychiatrist's intervention. I didn't find it difficult to follow the progression of the story and of the unfolding of the problem.

What intrigued me was how in a relatively short period of time Nora could go from leading a perfectly mundane life to a totally uncontrallable one. For someone interested in the going-ons of the mind and psychiatry, this is a gripping novel. Yes, gripping. I might be easily impressed, but it kept me interested until the last pages. Sure, some things were to be expected; sure, there could have been more depth of characters; but overall it was a good novel, dealing with a tough subject.

What could have been left aside were the graphic descriptions. The novel deals with child abuse and the clear depictions were, in my opinion, unnecessary, as one can get the idea of the root of the whole issue Nora is facing.

I think there was more to this novel than the mere desire to tell a story. The choice to pack so much into a short time span, the choice to set the story in Seattle in the mid 1990s are elements I don't understand, but it sets the story apart.

I wouldn't recommend this novel to just anyone, and I would certainly warn of the difficult subject matter and the graphic aspect of it.

This is the story of how the impact of traumatic childhood experiences can have on every day life. We know that olfactory, auditory and visual experiences can trigger memories and blur the lines between past and present. This story evokes hope, and the power of the mind and spirit to save itself.

The Night Child

It didn’t take me long to read this book, I couldn’t put it down. It’s almost an oxymoron of a book; it’s a beautifully written prose about a not so beautiful subject.

An impacting and intense novel that will stay with you long after you’ve finished. Four stars from purplebookstand.

Wow! What an incredible novel!
Nora, a high school English teacher, starts down a long and painful journey when she sees a floating face in front of her one afternoon at school. It is a journey that has not so much been forgotten as it’s been suppressed over the years.
Revisiting the darkness, that she buried so long ago, brings risk that she didn’t see coming. Is uncovering the truth about yourself worth loosing your family?
Anna Quinn’s novel touches on some hard topics that may be triggers to some. I, however, thought it was well written and very believable. I felt myself drawn to a lot of the characters and hoped that Nora would finally get her happy ending.
The Night Child was a quick, and enjoyable, read. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing (and NetGalley) for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was intense, powerful, emotional and raw. That being said it was wonderfully written and I am happy that I read it even if it was quite disturbing at times and left me emotionally drained.
I would read more from this author for sure. She is a talented storyteller.

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

Content warning: child abuse, rape, mental illness, and alcoholism. This book dealt with a lot of very heavy issues that I didn't anticipate from the description, but the author did a great job of discussing them in a healing way. The protagonist, Nora, begins seeing the eyes and hearing the voice of a small girl that leads her to see a therapist, where she delves into her traumatic childhood. This was a heavy and heart wrenching read, but it's certainly a story that needs to be told.

3.5 stars. Very well written story about a difficult subject.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Thank you to Anna Quinn and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Night Child. This novel tugged at my heart strings..I read this book in a day and a half I couldn't put it down. I have read many books on the topic of child abuse, but the author of The Night Child did such a wonderful job on describing the damage that it can do to you physically and emotionally.

The Night Child is an emotional journey into the main character Nora Brown's life, the secrets that she has kept not only from herself but the loved ones around her, the state of her mental and well being. This journey was nothing but heartbreaking for me, i felt for every character, even Nora's husband who i was not a fan of.

Nora Brown is a High School English teacher with a six year old daughter named Fiona. One day Nora sees a girl's face floating. She is alarmed and wondering if she has gone crazy. With multiple fears going through her mind she attempts to go on like normal, but while away on a trip with her husband and daughter, she sees the little girl's face again. The girl speaks to her on this occasion about a Valentine dress.Now even more alarmed, fearing she might be having a mental breakdown, she decides to seek medial advice and eventually meets with a psychiatrist. Together they slowly work out that Nora had been abused as a little girl and the girl in her vision is a character Nora has invented in a way with dealing with this tragedy.

Kudos to Anna Quinn on writing this beautifully well written story. A definite page-turner, this books will have you thinking even after you have finished it. Thanks again!

Anna Quinn is a brave writer. This wrenching debut novel occupies a place in literature that has lain dormant for decades; kudos to Quinn for bringing dark business out into the light of day for a good airing. I received my review copy free and early thanks to Net Galley and Blackstone Publishers. It will be available to the public January 30, 2018.

Nora is a high school teacher and the mother of a small child; her marriage is coming undone. Her mental health is a little on the shaky side, and she’s seeing a therapist to help her understand a terrifying vision that came to her in her classroom. A “wild numinous” face, the disembodied face of a child, floats over her students’ desks one day after school, and Nora panics. This face represents the core of Nora’s story, and once the layers of her outer self are peeled away, it makes for a deeply absorbing read.

Quinn takes some time to lay her groundwork. The first part of the story is unremarkable, and I briefly considered abandoning it. Character development seems limited to marital issues and time spent in therapy, and Nora lacks depth and originality until about the thirty percent mark. I tell you this lest you abandon the story yourself. It’s worth the wait, because once the story takes wing, it is hypnotic.

It’s tempting to say this novel is the twenty-first century’s answer to Sybil, but that doesn’t do it justice. Nora’s struggle to find the self that is held beneath layers and layers of emotional scar tissue, to heal herself so that she can be a good mother to Fiona, is one that we carry with us long after the book is over. Those that face serious mental health issues themselves will see vindication. Those that have family members or other loved ones working to unify a personality fragmented by trauma may see themselves as Paul, who’s juggling his own needs, those of his daughter, his love for Nora, and the crushing burnout that comes of living with a partner facing all-absorbing mental illness over a lengthy period of time.

Recommended to those interested in reading about mental health issues through the approachable medium of literary fiction.

The Night Child tells the story of Nora, a gifted high school English teacher (I can tell this by her teaching style, not because we are told this in the book, but we are shown, and always better to show than tell ...) who fears she’s losing her mind when she begins seeing what appear to be an apparition of a young girl in a red dress.

Disturbed by these visions, which occur with increasing frequency, Nora finds David, a caring therapist, who one day out of the blue finds himself speaking to a young child, essentially one of Nora’s shadow selves, who reveals herself as Nora’s protector. He explains to Nora that when subjected to repeated trauma as children, some children find a way to dissociate themselves from abuse or whatever terrible thing happens to them as a way to minimize the horrific experience. By speaking to this protector, conveying her conversations with Nora, and prodding Nora to access her long-buried traumatic memories, Nora eventually learns and remembers what happened to her as a child, rid herself of inappropriate guilt, and reconnect with herself and her family, who have literally been caught in the crossfire of Nora’s disintegration.

Reading what I’ve just written, it sounds like a pretty trite and run-of-the-mill repressed memories story, but The Night Child is neither trite nor ordinary. I felt a strong connection to each character and a genuine desire for Nora to figure herself out. It’s a story of courage and humanity. I recommend it highly.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
A carefully nuanced dive inside the mind of a woman who is suffering from PTSD as the result of childhood sexual abuse. It is an emotionally intense read but it is very short. Probably this is a good thing since I don't think the author or the reader could sustain this much longer. None of the characters are particularly likable but I had great sympathy for Nora and found the unfolding of her story very engaging. An interesting look at how one woman dealt with sexual abuse as very young child. This is the theme of the book and it deals with other young women who were not able to cope. I liked that the end of the book left one with HOPE.

THE NIGHT CHILD is an intense, thought-provoking, and, at times, disturbing novel. The main character, Nora, is suffering from hallucinations and a mental breakdown, as memories of her childhood traumas begin to surface thanks to a little girl named Margaret that begins appearing as a hallucination to her. Margaret later takes over Nora’s body so that she can tell Nora’s therapist that about how her father molested her as a child. With the help of her therapist, Nora is able to confront these past traumas.
Anna Quinn’s debut novel is beautifully written. She conveys Nora’s mental breakdown in a haunting manner. Quinn also takes us into Nora’s everyday life as a middle-school teacher, mother, and wife. Pressures from her home life and her job also play a role in what is going on in Nora’s life, and her family and coworkers also get swept up in her mental illness.
Overall, THE NIGHT CHILD is an emotional journey for not only Nora, but for the reader as well. It is easy to get swept up in the story. The main plot of Nora dealing with her mental illness and her past traumas keeps the reader turning the page, and the secondary plots are interesting as well.

The Night Child by Anna Quinn

This book was not what I had expected from reading all of the reviews. The story is told by Nora, an English teacher, she has a passion for her career and a real interest in her students. She has been married to Paul for 15 years, and they have a 6 year old daughter. She was raised in a very dysfunctional family and has many scars that have recessed in her mind. This is the story of how her subconscious helps her remember and try to overcome her anxieties, and other inadequacies she experiences. She has also had several very traumatic experiences throughout her lifetime which have made a profound impact on her. I found several sections of the book to be kind of creepy and unsettling, but the author does show how resilient human nature can be with the will to survive and overcome in order to have a full life filled with love and hope. I think this book would be geared to anyone interested in reading about the debilitating effect of past experiences and how your mind copes.
I want to thank Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review. Thank you.

I received “The Night Child” as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Right away, I must acknowledge that I didn’t have the appropriate expectations when I picked up this book. From its description, I anticipated a psychological thriller from a somewhat unreliable narrator. This was partially accurate. What I did not expect, was the type and degree of childhood trauma lurking in the protagonist’s memories.

SPOILER ALERT: Triggers abound in “The Night Child.” If you are a reader that likes to know these up front then keep reading. If not, just be aware that Nora’s childhood made me weep and ache inside, particularly imagining that her story is a reality for many children.

If I had known “The Night Child” centered on childhood sexual abuse and incest I would not have chosen to read it. I consider myself a reader that dives into hard topics willingly (and quite often); however, in Nora’s case, readers are given a glimpse into the abuse firsthand through the eyes of a child. That’s not the kind of bedtime reading I enjoy.

However, I appreciated the tact used by Anna Quinn in describing the abuse. She did not sensationalize or attribute any emotions to it that might have distorted the abuse into something it wasn’t. The aftermath of Nora’s split personality seemed entirely plausible, and merciful, as a coping mechanism; Margaret cared for her and protected her when no one else could. While I have heard about this split personality disorder before, I have never seen it painted in a way that explains its usefulness in enduring trauma.

In addition to Nora’s childhood abuse, there are additional triggers, including: infidelity, suicide, alcoholism, and a particularly disturbing priest that acted completely inappropriately.

Overall, “The Night Child” was emotionally difficult to read, yet the themes were treated with respect by the author; her writing captivated me and kept me reading even when I didn’t want to.

In this haunting, personal novel, Anna Quinn introduces us to Nora Brown, a teacher, mother, and wife, who experiences a sudden and terrifying break with reality. Following Nora through breakdown and discovery, hallucination and memory, Quinn crafts THE NIGHT CHILD deftly with a sense of detachment that allows surreptitious, raw emotion to fill the spaces. As a reader, I found myself pulled into a world--Nora's world--that felt like the one between wakefulness and dreams, where colors have different dimensions, time it twisted, and reality and dreams and nightmares intertwine. Where Quinn shines is using the backdrop of reality--because there is nothing unreal about this story--to sharpen the sense of foreboding that pulls at both Nora and the reader until the very end.

I have not experienced sexual abuse, but some of my friends have and I feel like I understand them much better having read this beautiful novel. It is written with elegant yet deeply impact-full and emotional prose that brings the reader directly into the mind and heart of the main character, Nora. The main theme here, for me, is the story of one woman's journey back to herself after a lifetime of living in denial about what happened to her when she was 6 years old. It is a long, arduous journey, but fortunately Nora is not alone. She has her own loving 6 year old daughter, Fiona, and a longtime friend named John who is also the principal at the high school where she teaches. Also by her side is her deeply compassionate, thoroughly realistic therapist, David. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to deal with the aftermath of childhood trauma of any kind. It drew me in from the very first page and I couldn't stop reading until the very end.

Wow - This story about a mother, wife dealing with repressed memories was written so beautifully. At first it was a little disconnected for me, but as the story got into its stride it came together beautifully. The topic is such a hard one, abuse from those we trust most, and the reckoning of it from an adult with the memories of the abuse from a child's intellectuals ability to understand it. I really think Anna Quinn is wonderful writer, her writing not overwrought and yet captures the emotions of the characters. It is sparse in descriptions of others motivations, you wonder about various characters, but stays true to the inner story of her emergence to her whole self.
Thank you Net Galley for this first look into Anna Quinn's novel the Night Child. I look forward to new works from this very talented author.

Anna Quinn does an outstanding job with her debut novel, The Night Child. After a bit of a slow start, her writing soon had me engrossed in the story and I read right through until the end.

Nora, a young teacher and mother, sees a vision of a small child and from there, she embarks on an emotional rollercoaster as past events from her childhood come to light.
We all have those moments when a smell, a song or a situation will churn up a memory from our childhood. Just imagine if those memories caused intense fear. This is just part of what Nora endured as she discovered the truth from her past.

I thought it was a bit frightening in relation to Nora’s post traumatic stress and split personality and I felt such empathy for her as she worked through these issues.

Readers should be warned there is sensitive subject matter relating to child abuse and references to suicide.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Not for the fainthearted reader, but what a powerful, tragic, heart-wrenching, yet hopeful story written by a Pacific Northwest writer. Anna Quinn knows Seattle and places her story in a realistic time back in the 1990's, when the trauma of sexual abuse was starting to make it more and more into the public eye. As a former public school teacher myself, I was impressed with her depth of knowledge of both setting and career. Quinn's main character, Nora, is fully developed as a high school teacher who sees for herself the outcome of students' home lives and the impact on their school lives. Nora, however, also has demons of her own as her young daughter is soon to turn six. As the author slowly and insidiously pulls secrets out of Nora, through visits with her therapists, moments with students, and an unhappy marital life, the true tragedy unfolds. This is a powerful tale of mental illness, childhood trauma, and abusive parenting that will rivet you, make you turn pages, cry a few tears, and cheer for the heroes found in the end. I look forward to Quinn's next book after this powerful debut.

I received this as an ARC from net galley - thank you!

This was s quick, page turner little novel. I initially thought it was going to have supernatural elements but it turned out be a psychological portrayal of a woman who has been abused as a child and has developed a dissociative disorder as a result.

I felt that the book portrayed her mental illness fairly accurately and without I over dramatizing it. It was a good insight into the trauma as well as the treatment.

There were no crazy twists I this book but it was interesting and good to read.

This is a well-written book that begins slowly and builds in complexity until it suddenly goes off in a totally unexpected direction! It was fascinating to feel Nora's emotions as she tried to make sense of her sudden visions. Where did they come from? What caused them? And why now? The journey with Nora as she discovered answers to her questions was at times painful and horrifying. The thought that there are many adults harboring these secret feelings is sobering

This is an excellent portrayal of a serious issue.

A good debut novel from Anna Quinn. Nora is a high school teacher, married for 16 years, not entirely happily, and has a 6 year old daughter who she adores. All, however, is not as it seems when she starts hallucinating. Is she going mad, as she fears she may be. This is a painful journey deep into her past. She fears she may lose her daughter and may be losing her mind but has a therapist who is determined she will uncover the truth from her past, however painful, as the only way she can face the future. It is a hard read at times, but very well done.

*Links to review will be added closer to release day. *

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this novel.

Just look at this cover! I'll admit, I was totally judging this book by its gorgeous cover, hoping the story inside would be as exciting as it sounded from the blurb. I was not disappointed in the least. The Night Child has everything I look for in books - twisty, deeply emotional, and boasting a strong storyline.

Though this is Anna Quinn's debut novel, she is no novice. Come to find out she is the owner The Writers' Workshoppe and Imprint Bookstore in Port Townsend, Washington. This explains her sharp writing, emotional storytelling, and well-paced plotting.

The Night Child begins in the classroom of Nora Brown, a high school English teacher in Seattle. Unexpectedly, Nora sees a young girl's face, with bright blue eyes floating toward her after class. Deeply shaken and haunted, she tries to write off the incident as a side effect of stress. However, hours later, while on vacation with her family for Thanksgiving, Nora sees the face again. She can no longer deny the importance of these moments and decides to meet with doctors and a psychiatrist to delve into why this could be happening. Nora never expects to unearth decades worth of memories in the process.

My first thought upon reading the synopsis of this story was that it would be a terrifying read. In some ways, it was, but not in the ways most might expect. It is not what I would consider paranormal, though readers may get that impression from the blurb. Rather, this is a deeply moving story about the lengths human minds can go to protect themselves from trauma. This was an emotional tale that sucks readers in from beginning to end. I picked this book up in the morning, hoping to read a few chapters, and ended up reading much of the day, finishing the entire novel in less than 12 hours time.

The writing was emotional, dark, and exciting. I was reminded of my favorite author, Tarryn Fisher's writing as I read, who ironically happens to be a Seattle resident with one of her own books set in Port Townsend, Washington. I'm not sure if the two authors are connected in any way, but I loved the similarities I found between the two. I think readers of Tarryn's work would be drawn to this novel and find it appealing to their tastes.

With this story, readers are taken back to childhood through an unexpected avenue. I was impressed with the author's ability to convey the voice of a child with the accuracy she managed. As a mother, some of these parts were difficult to read but were vital to the message of the story. I was drawn the psychological theme of The Night Child, the ties between past and present, and the Washington setting. Overall, this book was so much more than I expected. It was emotional, heartbreaking, and interesting. I highly recommend this to readers are keen to learn about the mind's inner workings. Many thanks to Anna Quinn for starting my year with a great 5-star read.
Be sure to pick up a copy of The Night Child upon its release on January 30th.

NOTE: Sensitive readers may want to explore further reviews for trigger warnings, if needed.

Nora is a high school teacher with a knack for connecting with at risk students. She’s also the mother of a 5 year old daughter, and has a husband who is cheating on her, a fact which she is aware of but not wanting to deal with. One afternoon, sitting in her classroom after school, she sees a vision of a young girl with blue eyes. It leaves her rattled and confused. Then, a day later, she sees the face again, and this time it speaks, telling her to remember the Valentine’s dress.

Her husband is dismissive and doesn’t really want to hear about it. Nora goes to doctors; when they find nothing physically wrong, she sees a psychiatrist. During the session, she suddenly starts speaking in a little girl voice, and says she is Margaret. This is when stuff gets really serious. Nora’s –Margaret’s- past starts coming back to her, and it’s not pretty. Not only is it ugly, but she begins to see how it’s affected her entire adult life.

When I requested this book from Net Galley, I thought it was a supernatural horror story rather than what it is. This is kind of a hard book to read because of what Nora went through as a child. People who have undergone sexual abuse may find it very triggering. But for all the bad, there is signs of growth and renewal. This is a very well written book, but not one I would have picked up knowing what it was about. Most of the characters aren’t very well developed; they are very secondary to Nora and Margaret and what they are going through. Four and a half stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher and the altar for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

When I request at this book, I thought it was Something different. That being said, this was a fantastic book. I was on the edge of my seat, right with Nora, trying to discover what the terrible secret in her past was. Why was she being haunted by this face, I was right with her as her mind was tearing her apart.

Great book. It was very touchy subject, but so well done. I think everyone should read this book, it was really good and tough to read, but in a good way. Seeing the process of a person trying to deal with trauma and make themselves whole again was heart breaking and uplifting.

This book is for anyone who has had child abuse in their past. It helps you realize that you are not the only person who has faced this. The feelings that you feel are discussed.
I flew through this book. It was so on point to how the victim feels.
This would be an excellent book for adults to be able to coop with their emotions from the past.

*Somewhere on the spectrum between 3 and 4 stars. Another book that is hard to rate because it hits hard where it hurts--in your heart. This book should come with a warning label that states it deals with disturbing topics in a frank and graphic manner. I was not aware of the uncomfortable subject matter when I requested an arc from NetGalley and began reading. Even the publisher's synopsis does not really reveal what lies in store. So be forewarned....

Having said all that, I think Anna Quinn should be praised for her fine writing in this her debut novel. She tackles an important topic that is all too frequently in the headlines or worse, covered up: the sexual abuse of a child and the lifelong damage that can inflict.

The main character is Nora Brown, a high-school English teacher living in Seattle with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. She is preparing to leave school for the Thanksgiving break when she has an hallucination that shakes her to the core: she sees the disembodied face of a little blue-eyed girl. Later, while dressing to go out for dinner with her family, the hallucination is repeated, but this time the apparition speaks to her: "Remember the Valentine's dress." What in the world is going on?

Fearing she's having a nervous breakdown, Nora undergoes a series of neurological tests that show nothing physically wrong with her so it is suggested she see a psychiatrist, Dr. David Forrester. In these sessions, Nora reveals details about her childhood--how her mother fell to her death on the basement stairs, after which she and her younger brother were sent to live with grandparents in Ireland, and never saw their father again.

After several sessions, there is a shocking breakthrough and David begins to think she is suffering from some form of PTSD. But what was the traumatic episode that caused the damage?

As she makes some progress in her sessions, matters in her personal life seem to be devolving: her once neat home is a mess; she thinks her husband is being unfaithful; an angry snit frightens her little daughter; she punches out a parent at school. Would everyone be better off without her?

The mental health procedures are interesting--I don't know how realistic they are or how quickly a patient like this would progress. Some have suggested that this story is somewhat autobiographical but the author does not reveal that in her acknowledgments--just that it took a decade-long effort to write the story. I would be interested in reading more from this talented author and look forward to more opportunities.

This was a heartbreaking journey that was beautifully written by Anna Quinn. Not knowing where this story was headed by the synopsis, I do think it needs a warning label. Dark and intense, Quinn does finally bring her character out the other side, but left me wishing for a more resolute ending.

Shades of Tana French's Into the Woods. I was intrigued from the very beginning. Would recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Page-turning novel that was not yet another Gone Girl,Girl On Train read-alike! Here the suspense comes from the protagonist's own dark place of abuse. Powerful and insightful, and with an ending that gives hope. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

The cover and blurb on this are a tad disingenuous and I suspect some casual readers will put this down but Quinn has tackled a difficult and challenging subject- child sexual abuse- in a sensitive and thoughtful way. Nora has been toodling along in her life as a mom, teacher, wife until things start to go cockeyed. Nothing seems quite right. Wisely, she begins to work with David, a therapist, to untangle what's going on in her head. This is not an easy read because of the themes but it's a worthwhile one. There are undoubtedly many more Noras out there and if this book can help, then that's deserving of 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Anna Quinn manages to tell a story about what appears to be an average, young mother, wife, teacher, and friend. She is someone you can meet at the store or sit next to in church. What you don't know is that Nora harbors secrets from her past that just becomes more and more difficult to suppress. She tries to hold herself together at home for her family, at school for her students, and in her head for herself. But as she gets older, her daughter grows bigger, and the relationship between her and her husband suffers, her past begins to surface. She begins learning things about her childhood that she would much rather never know. Nora is real. Her life experience matters. Everyone should learn from Nora. As difficult as it was to read this book at times, it was one I refused to put down.

This debut novel grabbed my attention and didn't let go. Nora Brown, wife, mother of a six year old girl, and high school English teacher and Department head, is disturbed one day, sitting in her classroom after the students have gone, by the appearance of a young girl's face in the air before her. Two days later, a similar event occurs, but there is also a child's voice.

Needless to say, Nora is worried, has various medical and neurological exams and ultimately is advised to see a psychiatrist. It is there that tension continues to increase and the story continues to spool out. There are also issues in her marriage driving Nora and her husband apart. So many sources of tension.

This is a very effective psychological novel that I do recommend. We see Nora's therapeutic process in up close, interesting ways that feel very real. It brings us into this woman's worst nightmares as we live her struggle with her present and her past, all she has known. It's a gripping read.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Anna Quinn for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel. I read it in one sitting!

This is the story of Nora, a married high school English teacher with a 6-year-old child. One day at school, she sees an illusion of a young girl. She begins to think she is crazy and can't share her vision with anyone. When things get worse for her, she ends up seeing a therapist who helps uncover buried secrets.

This is a powerful book of strength on the other side of trauma. Well written - the author takes good care of the subject of this book. Certainly not an easy subject matter but so important and such a wonderful way of unspooling this story.

I really enjoyed reading this very accomplished debut novel exploring the mind of a middle-aged woman who has been secrets from herself about trauma experienced in childhood.
The main character, Nora Brown is a high school English teacher in Seattle, married to a successful businessman and mother to a six year old daughter. Her path to mental breakdown starts at the end of a tiring day in the classroom, with a vision of a young girl floating in the air. After a second vision of the same child, and as her life starts to fall to pieces, Nora starts consulting a psychologist who helps her uncover the trauma she has been keeping locked away in her mind.
I thought this was a fascinating account of a woman struggling with her inner demons and an interesting depiction of how the mind can work to shield and protect itself from unpleasant and harmful truths. It's an emotional journey for both Nora and the reader (and may be disturbing for those who have suffered similar issues). Of the other main characters, Nora's husband is cold and not at all supportive but her psychologist is a warm and gentle man who carefully accompanies her a step at a time through her memories. I loved the ending of the novel as Nora finally finds her inner strength and there is hope and light ahead for her.

“Minds are like flowers, they only open when the time is right.”
― Stephen Richards

Nora Brown, a teacher of English literature finds herself having visions about a six-year-old girl, with blue eyes. Considering it as an outcome of stress and lack of sleep, Nora continues with her life, with her husband Paul and daughter, Fiona. When the visions keep coming and the little girl tells her about a ‘Valentine’s day dress’, she freaks out and decides to seek medical attention. That’s when she starts seeing the tiny details of her life- Paul getting detached and spending more time at work, and Fiona feeling like there’ something wrong with her mum and dad.

A woman who rates her marriage 3 out of 10, finds out that her true enemies lie in her mind. This little girl, Margaret, is a part of her six-year-old self and in the due course of time, grave secrets are revealed. Nora has had a very rough childhood and now it has come back to haunt her and reveal the secrets she was forced to bury years ago.

A story about abuse and how our mind tries to cope up in order to keep us away from the trauma. It’s all the tricks our brain has up its sleeves. I love the fact that this book wasn’t pretentious and there wasn’t anything forced or out of the way. The theme and the concept the book is based on is fairly common. Yet the message is loud and clear.

Overall, a compelling take on mental health and traumatic childhood experiences, The Night Child is a story about hope, and strength, and the fragile yet capable nature of our mind to protect us from all things bad.

This book....I've had far too little sleep in the last two days as a result of this book. Once from devouring it into the wee hours, and once from lying awake pondering the horror and far-reaching effects of damage done to a child.

I can't summon enough coherent speech to aptly describe this book, except to say that it is brilliantly written, painfully heart-breaking, and will stay with you for a long time after reading.

Wow, this book was really, really hard to read. In that I mean it was emotionally taxing. The writing is so heart felt and delves so deep into the psyche of the topic you will be exhausted. I would definitely recommend this book but it is not for the faint at heart. Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley!

A very emotional read. It was hard to read about the things that had happened to Nora when she was a child. How she had to live with a molesting father and a mentally ill mother. Nobody helped her, not even the pastor she confided in and in the end Nora locked it all away and never thought about it again. When her daughter is six years old and it’s Valentin's Day Nora’s world falls apart and she might loose everything - Paul, her husband, her daughter and her sanity. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing!

Absolutely an incredible read. Emotional, beautiful, touching.

And here’s another truth— ultimately, you are the one who will save you. Not me. You. You’ll have to work hard . Harder than you’ve ever worked on anything in your life. I can support you, advise you, but in the end, you are the one who will reconstruct the broken pieces, patch the cracks. You will make the choice to transcend this—whatever it is.”

“And for the record, most of what I know comes from my life, not school. Don’t you think for a moment I haven’t had my share of hell.”

“You’ve been guarding this secret for a lifetime, Nora,” he says gently. “You don’t have to anymore. You don’t need to. It’s the secrets that make us sick; it’s the telling that heals.”

Anna Quinn has done an Amazing job with this book. It is a beautifully written story about some not so beautiful things. A story of strength, recovery, and accepting your past and everything inside of you.

The Night Child is about Nora; wife, mother, teacher. Despite watching her mother die as a young girl and being left by her father, she doesn’t feel broken. She has accepted everything… Or so she thought. The first time she sees the girls face she convinces herself she imagined it, but when it happens again she decides she needs to talk to someone. However talking is bringing up things she never imagined. She soon finds herself torn apart and her world falling to pieces, until she faces it she can’t heal.

I’ll admit that this book was a little bit of a challenge for me personally. I never wanted to stop reading but I had to put in down a few times. The way the author discussed the subjects was appropriate as well as feeling completely real in the way flashbacks can happen at times, with seemingly meaningless objects or phrases as triggers. This is a book everyone should read but not everyone will be able to read. I absolutely loved this book!

Nora lives and teaches in Seattle with her husband and six-year old daughter. Though things have been a little strained in her marriage recently, that alone doesn't explain how unsettled she's been feeling. When she starts seeing the ghostly face of a young girl, she fears she is coming apart at the seams. After visiting her doctor and a neurologist, she finally seeks the help of a psychiatrist, fearing that she is losing her mind. What she discovers in her therapy sessions will change her life forever.

The beauty of not familiarizing myself with a book's summary prior to starting it is I go in not quite knowing what to expect. Having had the book for a while before starting it, I made assumptions about the genre based on the cover and title: a thriller, maybe a paranormal thriller. But I couldn't have been more wrong.

Very much a character driven story, this is about Nora coming to terms with childhood trauma that she had suppressed for decades. Facing her demons is necessary to her healing, and that healing leads to upheavals in her life that she doesn't think she can bear. But through the process, she learns more about herself, giving herself to let go of things in her life that she doesn't really want after all, opening herself up to new possibilities, and becoming more whole.

The journey is a painful one, and I felt all along the way. The story is beautifully written, and empathizing with Nora took no effort whatsoever. From the first chapter, I was pulled fully into her world, and putting it down was my only struggle.

Note: For those who might be intensely affected by themes of child abuse (in any form), I will say that this book is emotional, but not overly graphic. This is NOT A Little Life or Sybil or When Rabbit Howls (all books I've read that wrung me out, agonizingly painful). None of the very short scenes of her recollecting her childhood trauma are gratuitous, just informative enough to get across what happened to her. Still, I think it's important that people know about these kinds of things going in.

In a nutshell, an exceptionally emotional and well-written book that I'd recommend wholeheartedly.

Intricate and delicate, this novel took me a bit to get into but held on tightly once I was in there. I'd recommend it to friends, particularly those that like thrillers.

Nora Brown lives a quiet life in Seattle. She teaches high school English and lives with her husband and six-year-old daughter. Their lives are routine, normal. Then one day she sees a girl’s face hovering in the air, wild blue eyes surrounded by shadows. Terror fills Nora’s body.

A day later, on a family vacation, Nora sees the face again, and her whole life starts to feel off-kilter.

Nora sees a doctor, then a psychiatrist. There, she starts to realize that everything in her life and her memories is not as she always thought, but the hidden darkness may be too much for Nora to defeat.

This book was not what I expected at all. Nora is an intriguing character, happy with her life and her family, despite the tragedy in her past. But when she sees the girl’s face, her whole life comes unraveled, leaving her grasping at broken threads, trying to make sense of the knotted mess that hides the truth.

(Galley provided by Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

The Night Child should come with a warning label. This is not only because Anna Quinn's debut novel deals with repressed memories and the reasons for them. It is also because Ms. Quinn's writing is so hauntingly beautiful that it is as emotionally dangerous as anything else the novel holds. In fact, many scenes are almost poetic in their sentence structure and ability to convey so much in a few short words. This is especially true of later scenes as Nora begins to question her sanity.

The Night Child is a tough novel to read. The subject matter is very sensitive and will be a trigger read for some readers. Ms. Quinn is more explicit than anyone will feel comfortable with reading, but she does this so that we can understand Nora's frame of mind throughout the novel. For if we are uncomfortable merely reading about these scenes, what must the mental trauma be like for someone living them, even if she is a fictional character. Throughout it all, in even the worst scenes, Ms. Quinn still finds a way to be delicate and careful in her verbiage. This too is important if only because she maintains the horror of the situation without delving into the grotesque or vulgar.

In addition to those very difficult scenes, the novel is emotionally exhausting. Ms. Quinn's writing lures you into the story so that you are emotionally invested in Nora's well-being. Even if you may not like her as a character, which may be the case as she is not the most enjoyable of characters, her emotions are your emotions. The roller coaster ride she lands on is brutal. With virtually no moments of calm to collect yourself, it is an unceasing barrage of the rawest of emotions, leaving you drained after each reading session.

Throughout it all though, there is remarkable resilience and beauty in Nora's story and thus in the novel, making it a gorgeous read. The human mind is a marvelous instrument that finds amazing ways to protect itself during the most traumatizing horrors, and it is capable of the most astounding healing. It is this healing which is truly remarkable and makes for some of the most poignant scenes, filling you with hope. After all, if someone can survive what Nora experiences we can survive anything, which means The Night Child is the perfect reminder that not only can things be worse but that things will get better.

The Night Child A Novel by Anna Quinn published by Blackstone Publishing was a great read. I was given an arc through Netgalley for an honest review.
The story is centered around Nora as she finishes teaching a high school English class, when something unexpected occurs she sees the face of a girl with startling blue eyes above the desks. She has yet to figure out if she has lost her minds or if she is seeing a ghost. As the author continues to unfold the story for us we realize that the past has finally caught up with Nora and the future is not on solid ground. This novel is well written but the topic makes it hard to read. Poor Nora needs to fix her fractured past in order to bloom in her future. A thriller with dark topics that everyone who wants to read something different should try this book. This is a 4 star read for me.

This novel was not what I expected it to be; it was so much more! I imagined it would be somewhat of a ghost story, when in fact it's about a woman finding and coming to terms with her own haunted past. This book teaches us what we're capable of if we're brace enough to confront the most painful parts of ourselves.

Wow what a debut novel by Anna Quinn! She really went there in this book! The Night Child is disturbing at time but had such a message of hope and resilience that was so wonderful. I can not wait to read more from Anna Quinn.
Nora is an English high school teacher and has a happy life in Seattle with her husband and young daughter. But one scary day in November a girl’s face appeared above the desk….yup a floating face!!! Nora is paralyzed by sheer terror of what she is “seeing”. She tires her hardest to shake it off but while on Thanksgiving break the face appears again. After that Nora meets with a neurologist and then a psychiatrist to see what is causing these “sightings” but she gets a lot more ….the secrets that is uncovered are unspeakable!
One paragraph was so hard to write as I didn’t want to give anything away…..but with saying that I feel I should give a little disclaimer….its dark and might container some triggers for some people.

This book was psychologically intriguing and ultimately very sad.

One normal day, everything changes for Nora. She sees a floating face, a little girl, who tells her to "remember the Valentine's Day dress". From there, Nora continues to see this girl and is forced to piece together her own past to explain this sudden appearance.

I rushed through this short novel in one day. I enjoyed it while I was reading it and was interested in reaching the end. Anna Quinn's writing is great. I think there are several aspects that were not explored fully and the book suffered for it. I would like to understand what Nora's mother and the rest of her family knew and how they coped with what they knew. I think it's completely insane that several characters in the book knew children were in danger and did nothing to help them, including Nora herself. That doesn't feel realistic to me. I don't feel like I knew John, Nora's boss, very well and he appears that he will play a major role in her life going forward. Other than those issues, it is a solid debut novel which I enjoyed reading.

A riveting and realistic read about the trauma and triumph of a victim of sexual abuse.

A powerful story, regarding a woman who is a high school teacher who suddenly has visions. These continue to return, causing a long, and upsetting path of mental illness.
This book is graphic in her terrible suffering- both physical and emotional as well as her family and those close to her.
The psychiatrist is helpful and empathetic, but ultimately the solution rests chiefly on the patient. "The secrets make us sick, it's the telling that heals." says the Doctor.
An interesting and intriguing novel!

Nora is visited by a child that isn't there, or is she? When she continues to have these visits she starts to doubt herself. She later finds the child is a key to her past, a past she has hidden from herself and from others for years. As bits and pieces are revealed, the reader is pulled on to learn the truth. Night Child offers insight to mental illness and to possible roots of its existence. One must be ever mindful of the power they have over others, the power their actions have against the futures of the developing psyche of our youth. Tread carefully, as you are molding our youth.

When I finished reading, I felt areas of this book could have been better developed, though it may have made it too lengthy. There were parts introduced that just seemed to fall to the wayside without further development, almost like an outline, left incomplete. The over all book was very good and after a few weeks, those gaps have disappeared from my memory. The story and more importantly, the overall theme is all that remains.

Review
Last updated on 26 Jul 2017

THE NIGHT CHILD is a masterfully written journey into the dark recesses of an abused woman's mind. It is a page turner...until it isn't due to the need to take a break from the intensity of the storyline. The literary writing is lyrical and beautiful, in sharp contrast to the awful and ugly story, which is no easy feat. Quinn writes with such aplomb; she delicately expounds on this sensitive subject as she exposes the protagonist's heart, mind, and soul. The characters are rich, multi dimensional and I felt honored to read their story. This is a difficult read, but a very important one. The denouement is especially masterful, as the author does not leave the reader in despair, but instead, turns that darkness into light. Highly recommended. Richly deserved 5 stars.

I want to thank Anna Quinn, the publisher, and NetGalley for the honor and opportunity to read and review THE NIGHT CHILD.

It is absolutely incredible to me that The Night Child is Anna Quinn's debut novel. She writes so smoothly and in such a polished way, that it is hard to believe she has not been writing for decades.

The Night Child is an excellent book; the beautifully told and powerful story of Nora Brown and her struggle to survive what she assumes is mental-illness. A high-school English teacher, Nora is married to Paul, and together they have a young daughter Fiona who is about to turn six.

At the end of school one day, Nora sees the floating face of a child. This terrifies her. She sees it again, and yet again when the child tells her to "remember the Valentine's dress". Panicked, and fearful that she might be mentally ill like her mother, she immediately seeks help. It begins a journey of self-discovery that she never imagined.

Quinn shows much psychological sensitivity to the subject she presents and the reader is spellbound as we learn what Nora's story is. Watching her discover, and deal with the truth, gaining the support of some and losing the support of others as they also come to terms with it is heart-wrenching.

This is a riveting and important read. Anna Quinn gives a voice to the children who survived this nightmare, to those trying to survive, and to those who couldn't stop believing it was their fault, couldn't continue, and are forever lost to us.

Many, many thanks to the author for writing this, and to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this most memorable book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

A detailed insight into the life of a family when the wife discovers she has a multiple personality, which has been hidden for many years...to escape the pain in her childhood. Very well written, sad but worth the read. The physiatrist character provides the reader with an account of how to deal with and reconcile, or at least accept the fact that her father abused her, and to try and get on with her life..

I cannot review this book properly without a spoiler flag.

A poignant read by an author who spent a decade working on this, her debut. Powerful stuff. I could hardly put it down. An excellent book club read. So many questions to explore.

Spoilers below the cut...

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This is a very poignant story about the terrible damage that child abuse and child sexual abuse can cause. Major trigger warning for those with a history of abuse, though the final moments of this book can only be described as uplifting. As someone who spent years doing work within the child welfare system, I can definitely state that the extreme reaction to the abuse shown in this book is not an exaggeration. Children do what they can to survive their experiences and while what is shown here is a rarer solution, compartmentalization can go this far.

I enjoyed this story. I did not expect it to end the way it did but it was interesting.

THE NIGHT CHILD is the dark and moving debut novel from Anna Quinn. I feel like I should include a trigger warning, but on the other hand, a trigger warning gives you a heads up as to what is going to happen and I think it's best to let the author tell the story as she intended. Just be aware that there are very disturbing elements within.

I'm not going to run down the entire plot for you, but it begins with Nora, a high school English teacher, seeing an hallucination of a face with startling blue eyes. Here begins Nora's decline. Whose face it and what does it mean? You'll have to read this to find out!

Being a seasoned reader of dark fiction, I pretty much knew where this story was going as soon as I began reading. Anna Quinn does a good job at depicting all the different psychological aspects of this situation, including the reactions of other family members and coworkers. My only problem was this: I didn't care for any of the characters. I felt pity for Nora and for her immediate family, but maybe that's what the author intended? Perhaps Nora's coldness was yet another symptom of her underlying issues and partially the result of her husband being such a jerk?

That said, this was a touching and disturbing story dealing with heartbreaking situations and I believe that it deals with mental illness, (or coming to terms with difficult, horrendous circumstances) in a stark, but believable way. For that reason, I recommend this book to those who think they can handle the worst of humanity.

*Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

This story is beautifully written and a very emotional read. Although this book deals with child molestation and mental health issues, it does so with great insight and compassion as one woman deals with her childhood demons.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this! I want to start this review by giving a trigger warning: this novel deals with child abuse and may be disturbing for some readers.

I thought that this novel would be a terrifying read based on the synopsis, but I did not expect it to be as emotionally evocative as it was. This is a book that deals with the way the human mind deals with trauma, and how it protects you from your own memories. This was a dark and gripping story, and you would be hard-pressed to not be affected by the things you read. The author did an absolutely fantastic job of weaving the past and the present together, and illustrating how memories can be distorted. This novel delivers on so many levels, and it took me by surprise from the start. If anything, I would want the story to be a little longer to explore the issues mentioned in the book further. This is a solid 4/5 star book and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a dark and emotional psychological story (but keep in mind the trigger warning)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well, not really something you would read on Valentine's Day on purpose, it was a little different, especially considering the day.

I knew it would be emotional as per the hint in the blurb on the website. And the blurb was totally correct. A remembrance of what happened back in Nora's childhood that was affecting her was cray, cray. And I mean that in a good way. Not the event, but how she stowed it away and lived her life. That is, until her daughter reached a certain age.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I did not see the ending coming.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Debut novelist Anna Quinn does a fantastic job of presenting an engaging and realistic narrative of an adult coming to terms with the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and has repressed. Characterizations are strong, including the two children featured in the plot. I hope to see more from this author.

When a little girl in a red dress appears in her empty classroom, Nora doesn’t know what to think. But this first appearance is just the beginning of what becomes an endless battle with insomnia and nightmares–episodes that Nora’s husband isn’t sure how to handle. To try and figure out what’s wrong, Nora begins to see a therapist who begins to take her back through her childhood in hopes of unraveling the mystery of Nora’s visions. Something deeper, more sinister must be at play here. She can’t just be going crazy. Right?

But what Nora has to handle is more than just trying to navigate this new onset of symptoms. Questions about her own family–about her husband–soon converge with the work Nora is doing with her therapist. Anna Quinn has carefully crafted the narrative of this story so that it leaves the reader guessing whether or not they can trust Nora, or any other character. Especially Nora’s husband: a man who has the power to take away Nora’s home, her daughter, and her freedom if her symptoms keep getting worse.

Quinn balances elements of Women’s Fiction with Domestic Thrillers, following a woman through a terrible experience while keeping the reader on the edge of their seats. Combined with beautiful, anxious prose that gives a unique look into Nora’s splintered mind, The Night Child is a must-read for fans of Mary Kubica and Karen Perry.

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

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.

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 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.

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

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

The Night Child was an emotional psychological thriller that gripped me right from the beginning. I was invested in the unique storyline, and sympathized with Nora and her difficult past and current mental health issues she worked to overcome throughout the story. The plot dealt with difficult topics surrounding mental health, sexual abuse, death, and more, which made this an emotional, dark read. It was a page-turner, as I was anxious to discover what would happen with Nora and the developments that continued to unravel throughout this short page-turner. It really made me think about how we handle mental health and treat those who have been affected by abuse.