Are You Awake?

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The writing felt stilted at times like the author wasn’t sure where the story was going and was trying to drag it out to create the tension it was sometimes lacking. Though Mary's occupation as a lawyer isn't convincing enough to add depth, it did not really matter to me as the story is super good. The characters are well described but I felt no closeness to any of the characters and have no favourites. With the waking world too harsh, too cold, and hard to navigate, Tim and Mary join forces at night and begin to look into a crime they aren't even certain they saw.

Honestly, it started out pretty intriguing, but soon turns into just a chaotic day in the life of Mary. They see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen in this area and become convinced m the woman hey saw is her. They learn that several other young women have disappeared in the area over several years but how are they connected?There, the two strangers witness what looks like a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house. The recent scandal of the Catholic Church and the IRA, form the basis of the investigation that the new team is overseeing. The police don't believe them, but when they hear of a potential link to an old murder and a string of disappearances from the area, pressure mounts to find her before it's too late. Mary has 2 young children who are never quiet and keep her up all night (and an unsupportive jerk of a husband to boot).

And life becomes a constant revolving door of meeting each childs' needs one after the other after the other after the other. Here is a quick description and cover image of book Are You Awake written by Claire McGowan which was published in 2022-11-8. Wholly immersive and compelling with a delicious Hitchcockian premise which, although an initial slow burn, really does deliver in terms of atmosphere, character and the solid mystery at its heart. Mary feels like she hasn't slept in years and Tim can't sleep after the terrible event he experienced. Reminded me a bit of Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, which I also gave the same star rating to, which would make sense due to the similarities with the main characters in both books.

Over the next couple of days, they both become aware of a missing girl and wonder if that was who they saw. Mary hasn't had any proper sleep for what feels like forever, she is a mother to two young children and anyone who has been in her shoes will recognise the claustrophobia and resentment to the partner that the trials and tribulations that go alongside this magical time. If you are a fan of mystery novels that will keep you guessing, then the Lost is definitely the book for you. It will have you questioning your own credibility and leave you pondering the reliability of our two narrators. Overall, a good solid mystery with the chilling psychological aspect where sleep deprivation can mess with your mind - tricking you into thinking you saw something when you didn't or you didn't see anything when you did.

Also, Mary’s husband is actually kind of the worst and I just could not stand reading about how terribly unhelpful he was. I would probably not recommend this to others, and point people towards some of the author's previous books instead. It is obvious immediately that Mary is only awake because of her children but the author kind of drip feeds the reader with the reason for Tim's insomnia a little bit at a time. You are going to want to find out much more about her, such that you will want to begin reading the second book in the series.But I found that I wasn't invested in the characters, they were a bit odd and didn't match the tone. The author did a really great job of setting the witching hour scene and anybody who finds themselves awake through the night will really empathise with the characters. Mary and Tim decide to become amateur detectives when they think they see a missing girl in an abandoned house. taking a bite of the juiciest, cheesiest, creamiest mac n cheese but the aftertaste is kraft dinner dry ass powder. However, later on, Claire McGowan discovered that there were so much involved in the crime fiction genre.

Tim and Mary don’t give up and continue investigating finding different people that maybe in involved. According to McGowan, her first novel, The Fall was completely a surprise to her because when penning it down, she completely had no idea that she was working on a crime fiction novel.And as the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, the The atmosphere created by Claire McGowan in this, her latest novel, replicates the life of the chief protagonist, Mary. The police don't take much interest when they report what they have seen so the pair do there own investigation. I did find the plot a little ridiculous towards the end, but will wanted to find out who the bad guy was. When penning her first novel, McGowan was still in primary school, and she admits that the novel was not interesting at all.