Nora Brown teaches high school English and lives a quiet life in Seattle with her husband and six-year-old daughter. But one November day, moments after dismissing her class, a girl's face appears above the students' desks - 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. Terror rushes through Nora's body - the kind of raw terror you feel when there's no way out, when every cell in your body, your entire body, is on fire - when you think you might die.

Twenty-four hours later, while on Thanksgiving vacation, the face appears again. Shaken and unsteady, Nora meets with neurologists and eventually a psychiatrist. As the story progresses, a terrible secret is discovered - a secret that pushes Nora toward an even deeper psychological breakdown.

This breathtaking debut novel examines the impact of traumatic childhood experiences and the fragile line between past and present. Exquisitely nuanced and profoundly intimate, The Night Child is a story of resilience, hope, and the capacity of the mind, body, and spirit to save itself despite all odds. An Elite Daily Pick for 2018 book releases that'll make listening more your New Year's resolution.

Listening Length

6 hours and 51 minutes
Author

Anna Quinn
Narrator

Cassandra Campbell
Audible release date

Jan. 30 2018
Language

English
Publisher

Blackstone Audio, Inc.
ASIN

B0797XQWDK
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	6 hours and 51 minutes
Author	Anna Quinn
Narrator	Cassandra Campbell
Audible.ca Release Date	January 30 2018
Publisher	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0797XQWDK
Best Sellers Rank	#186,347 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1,703 in Psychological Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #3,452 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) #6,138 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		24%
3 star		14%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Darcy

ZERO STARS

Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2019

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ZERO STARS

Zero stars!

This book is not AT ALL what I thought it was going to be about from the synopsis… ‘Exquisitely nuanced and profoundly intimate’ it was absolutely not!

It's a darn good thing that this book was a fast read because the writing is ghastly... It's almost impossible to get immersed in the story because of all the brackets!! ‘for Fiona’s sixth birthday she took her, three girls and two boys (because Fiona wanted it to be an even six people) to the beach’. ‘… looked up at her house with its red door. She remembered the first time she entered the house when Paul carried her through that brown door (they’d painted it a week later)….’

Seriously? These are not details that add to the book and adding stuff in brackets reminds you that you’re reading a book…

The author seems to also try using repetition to try and… what she’s trying to do I’m not sure but it’s very annoying… ‘zip, unzip, zip, unzip’ ‘bang, bang, bang’ ‘tick tick tick’. You get some of that seemingly every other page…

The author is in over her head in the subject matter – Disassociation is a very real thing but the author seems to have not done much research on the subject and it’s quite evident by the dialogue between Nora and her therapist as well as the changing tenses as the episodes go on.

This book feels very much like a memory that a person was trying to write down as fast as they remembered it and there is no development of feelings or emotions because the person remembering it already knows it... know what I mean? Basically it never should have been a book... maybe a poorly written journal entry at best.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Gwendy P.

Sybil for Beginners

Reviewed in Canada on April 21, 2018

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This subject matter has been written about a zillion times and in books far better written than this. For this subject to have an impact, to jar my emotions it needs to be grittier and deeper. I don't want detailed scenes of abuse for the sake of it, but it has to make me feel the darkness. It needs to make me uncomfortable and angry. This was like "Sybil 101" or the gentle cousin of "Bastard out of Carolina". It didn't bring anything new to the table, the writing was a bit flat.

Helpful

Catherine Robinson

A page turner

Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2018

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I wanted to know the outcome and it did seem realistic, sad situation tough. It make the reader aware of how awful it must be to be in a situation like that as a child...trying hard not to give much away. A good read!

Helpful

dilly bear

Let light in

Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2021

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How the evils of childhood abuse stay with us. How it is always there,just under the skin,and the long road back to normal.If we can ever get to normal.

Helpful

Kristine

Unsettling

Reviewed in Canada on February 2, 2018

** I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

The Night Child was about a woman who's personal and professional life were on shaky ground and she began to see a face. After exploring different medical routes she ended up in front of a psychiatrist. It was at this point that the story started to get interesting.

Without saying too much I will say that things from Nora's past began to emerge. Things that Nora had blocked out and couldn't remember. A journey of self discovery and a haunting look at her past pushed her to the edge. The Night Child showcased her journey to overcome the terrors of her past and her journey of strength and healing.

As difficult as the subject matter was, I felt that as the reader that I needed more of Nora's story from her childhood when the trauma occurred. In order to fully comprehend the emotional scars that it had on her, I needed more from her childhood. I don't necessarily mean the trauma itself but the family dynamic, the relationships between them in the good times as well as the bad. The story focused primarily on the discovery and healing process versus the story that brought her to the point she was at when she was introduced to us. I guess I felt that the back story was too fleeting and glazed over to give it the impact that was really needed for Nora's journey. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that it wasn't horrible and that her scars weren't warranted. I'm saying that I found the book moved too quickly and the discoveries of her past would have had more of an impact if the reader got a bit more of her back story.

There were some great moments in this book and I enjoyed Nora's journey however I didn't particularly like Nora or any of the characters in this book. None of them were overly likeable. I also struggled with something that Nora was going to do at the end of the book before the twist? Cliffhanger? or whatever it was that happened at the end. The ending felt unfinished and I'm not sure if that was intentional and meant to infer that Nora's struggled would never be finished or if it was a way to set up a sequel. Whichever it was left me feeling like I wasn't finished the book and not necessarily in a good way.

6 people found this helpful

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Kinda Sassy Books

The Night Child Review

Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2020

This beautifully penned novel talks of the darkness of child abuse and the havoc it creates in the survivor’s life.
Nora is a married mother of one, a high school English teacher who begins to experience vivid hallucinations of a little girl with bright blue eyes. She writes this off as tension and exhaustion from work and the issues she is refusing to acknowledge in her marriage to Paul. But the visions keep reoccurring and Nora begins to unravel emotionally. Encouraged by a work colleague, Nora begins therapy with David, expecting to get results quickly and expel the hallucinations from her experience, but as anyone with even minor experience in counselling knows, things tend to get worse before they get better and this is true for Nora.
The writing is painterly and poetic, with Quinn never once overplaying the use of similes to express an emotion or situation. It is perfectly paced, with easy-going scenes and action-packed drama coming rapid-fire taking the reader into a descent into a kind of madness that occurs with flashbacks and recollection of horrors enacted upon the innocent.
This is a glorious story that has a high emotional impact. There is no happily ever after ending, but one that is hopeful and positive none the less. Exquisitely written, it leaves the reader wanting more

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Bethany

Difficult read, but gripping and well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2022

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This was a heartbreaking read but the author did a great job and handled these tough topics with care.

Kindle Customer

Very Difficult Subject

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

I hate to reveal spoilers, but I feel people need to understand what this book is about before they decide to buy it. This story is about an incest survivor. There are scenes of descriptive child molestation. If this troubles you, don't read this book. That being said, the story is well told. It is very raw. For the majority of people who have never had to experience this, it is unfathomable how a person you love and trust to protect you can destroy you. This is completely incomprehensible to me, yet it happens everyday. It was heart-wrenching to read how the main character broke down and had to face her demons. A powerful and raw story.

218 people found this helpful

Jamie

Trigger Warning

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Folks, I live in a world of denial and a lot of other people do too. I think it needs to be said that this book is severely triggering. I was very interested in this story until almost exactly halfway through, then I *stopped* reading very abruptly to write this review, to remove this book from my Kindle, and to attempt to distract myself. I just hope I can move on. And I'm not saying that as a ringing endorsement. That is, the book is good. It's engrossing. But if you have experienced any type of abuse in your childhood, this one will probably hit too close. I would say don't read it. I would say trust me. It seems like it's just a good story and then all the sudden, it's hitting way too close. If you have abuse in your background, if that's your situation, I would say don't read it. I have been through a lot of treatment and I have dealt with it, but bang! All the sudden I couldn't deal with it anymore. That's all I'll say. Just don't read it. It's nothing special if you've been there already anyway - just another trip into the darkness.

155 people found this helpful

A. Jorgensen

making my decision easy. It wasn’t so much the story (that happened ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

I had two books I was choosing between when I sat down with The Night Child. Cliché as it sounds, the book really did hook me from page one, making my decision easy. It wasn’t so much the story (that happened on page three), but the writing. I was immediately impressed with the author’s confidence and lovely turns of phrase. Ms. Quinn’s prose is melodic and, at times, even edgy without being ostentatious. I immediately connected with the main character, Nora, and felt my heart break for her time and time again throughout the book. Seldom does a story stir so many conflicting emotions—hope, despair, outrage, surprise, suspense. There are books that stick with you long after you read the last page and tuck it away on your shelf. The Night Child is definitely one of those books.

50 people found this helpful

K.L. Laughlin

Feeling the overwhelming pain of a child abused

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

I found this book hard to read because of the content but also hard to put down. Ms. Quinn does a beautiful job introducing Margaret and integrating her into Nora's character. As a nurse, I've cared for too many small ones who had been abused in horrific ways. That even a little healing can be done says a lot for our will to survive. Great book.

24 people found this helpful

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The Night Child: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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