The debut novel where one woman trembles on the precipice of the unknown.
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"A coming-of-age story, exploring those intense relationships which form on the cusp between childhood and adulthood."
Synopsis
Influenced by Gothic literature, Helen Salsbury’s novel takes us on a coming-of-age story, exploring those intense relationships which form on the cusp between childhood and adulthood.
For Harriet, Eden university is a chance to escape the shadows of a family tragedy and reinvent herself, even though she doesn’t know exactly who she is or where she belongs.
She’s grown up hiding from curious eyes, and seeking refuge in the music of Dark Island, who appear to be the only ones who have words for her hidden traumas. Spurred by a promise from Dark Island that she’s leaving the shadows, Harriet is convinced that university will be the place where all this changes. And yet, finding where she belongs is not easy.
As the structures which have kept Harriet safe start to crumble, she comes to believe she has found a soulmate in the mysterious and compelling Iquis. But neither girl is telling everything, perhaps not even to themselves.
Hampshire-based author Helen explains: "Fundamentally, Sometimes When I Sleep is a novel about the things that haunt us, the things that have bent us out of shape, and what it takes to recover. I started writing it a couple of years after I completed my training as a psychodynamic counsellor, and that intense experience – which requires you not just to learn about psychological disturbance and how to work with it, but also to face your own buried demons – coloured my writing.
I was also drawn to the literature of psychological disturbance, and in particular Victorian Gothic novels such as The Yellow Wallpaper and Frankenstein. I loved the symbolism and metaphors within these works, and I knew I wanted this to be a part of my novel."
My Review
This a story that just gets under your skin, here we meet Harriet fresh off to university but running from so much trauma and the tragic loss of her brother, as her family who are in turmoil try to cope. Harriet hopes the new start will bring a fresh start to the horror and grief she feels at this moment.
But as us all at this stage in your life its about coming of age about finding yourself but mostly its about realising that everyone else is almost just as lost as you are hiding behind drink teenage angst and drama .
Add new love, obsession, secrets, gothic musical influence and compelling emotions here you have a story that is as much about life after loss as its is about discovery and this makes for the most intense an beautiful journey that has a dark and almost fearful vibe bubbling under the surface.
Its so difficult to review this book as a no spoiler blog at the characters and the plot are so complexly weaved that I don't want to give anything away but safe to say that so many of my assumptions were tuned on there head, this read its one of those stories that crossed so many genres, physiological thriller meet romance meets teen life with dark gothic elements, its a read like I said that gets under your skin and lingers long after you have finished.
Author Bio
Helen Salsbury is a published short story writer, spoken word performer and community journalist, who has been longlisted for the Mslexia novel competition and shortlisted for the Impress Prize for New Writers. She’s the founder of environmental writing project www.pensoftheearth.co.uk and a director of the Portsmouth Writers Hub. www.helensalsbury.com
Blog Tour
Thank you to the Publisher and Author for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel and for the opportunity to review these works.
All reviews are my own unbiased opinion.
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