REVIEW of THE SLEEPWALKERS by SCARLETT THOMAS

 

 

 Published: April 9, 2024
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Psychological Thriller

 

A DISTURBINGLY DELICIOUS FEAST FOR THE MIND

Evelyn is far from leading her best life. An impetuous marriage and a honeymoon in the Greek isles are the recent additions to her growing list of regrets. Ditto the accommodations at something called the Villa Rosa.  The stay at the hotel a wedding gift from her husband Richard’s mother, the property is owned by Isabelle, a woman who only has eyes for the husband that Evelyn may or may not keep. Even though undecided, it’s outrageously impolite for a seducer of men to crash in on a marriage until Simon says she can. And it’s not the only thing annoying. There are Isabelle’s insane notions about how it’s safe to leave doors unlocked and okay to leave purses filled with IDs, credit cards, and money in unprotected hallways. Then there’s Isabelle insisting Evelyn keep the windows in her room open at all times. While she assures it has to do with getting fresh air, Evelyn is willing to bet its true purpose is giving her access in spying on the newlyweds when they make love. But creepy digresses into eerie when Isabelle relates a tale of two guests committing suicide by walking into the ocean—the ocean that is seen through those open windows. The story sounds fake—as fake as the person telling it—and it triggers the first vibes of fear. With a storm closing in, the impending sense of doom nears and whispers in Evelyn’s ear that the two guests were murdered … and that she and her husband are next.

 

This is the unsettling premise of THE SLEEPWALKERS, Scarlett Thomas’ newest novel. It lays the fertile groundwork for unpleasantries to flourish. Sometimes humorous, sometimes embarrassingly real, the flowers mingling with the vines births a landscape of beauty laced with boa constrictive fatality. This is my first-time reading Ms. Thomas, and I found myself getting caught up in both the liquidity of the language and the ferocious delivery of the message contained. The story is unraveled by a series of letters written by the newlyweds to each other. There is a decided stream of consciousness flowing above, under, and between the words. It’s my favorite kind of writing since events are not held hostage by time. Instead, events connect to emotion … emotions that may be decades apart. Thus the snubbing by a friend may bring up an incident in third grade and another when they gave birth. All mentioned in consecutive sentences… the resulting paragraphs are bursting with anger, sorrow, or futile attempts at resolving complexities caused by debasement of self or célébrité.  

 

But there is another aspect to be gotten out of these characters and this story, and it’s how past ordeals affect us. our opinions, how the world sees us, and how we see the world. If there’s ever a clearer case for us collectively having absolutely no idea how people view us and our behavior, it is to be found in the pages of this book. It is one of the things that makes this novel so fascinating. With every hurt, a new layer is created. The layer a defense mechanism, it’s all about developing a new persona to keep from being hurt. It can and does include the normalization of abnormal thoughts and behavior. One example stands out and concerns Evelyn casting out a twisted misperception that everyone daydreams about sleeping with their boyfriend’s father. Projection at its finest No, not everyone does this—not by a long shot. But people who have been ruthlessly assaulted and have lost their bearings do.

 

I highly recommend THE SLEEPWALKERS by Scarlett Thomas. She has a clear true voice with a SWAT team trigger finger. The pacing of the book is tantamount to walking on the ledge of a high rise. You just know somebody’s going to going to get hurt. Or is that they already have? Five stars for this one. 

 

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an ARC copy and allowing me to review this book.

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