Asleep Without Dreaming

After fleeing their old life, Willa and her mother end up working in a motel on the edge of a near-ghost town. Stella is an unwilling, nightmarish mother, full of bile and demented schemes. Teenage Willa falls for a troubled local boy, but there are too many secrets coming to the surface for this to be a simple summer romance. Ghosts from Willa’s past seep into the present, as her mother’s troubled history emerges. Bitter secrets the dying town kept for too long are exposed before Willa’s unwilling eyes. Through this runs the elusive figure of an escaped prisoner and arsonist, bent on revenge against his hometown.

“There is nothing here of color – no flowers, whimsical ornaments or invitingly placed lawn chairs to break or otherwise soften the dark lines of heavy limbed trees and mud-colored buildings. The remains of a dock are visible at the water’s edge; one crippled edge jutting skyward, the opposite corner melted into the water.”

Asleep without dreaming is a small-town American gothic tale. The pace is languid, but nonetheless gripping. Through the slow build, the sense of looming menace and tragedy is palpable, loading the most innocuous moments with tension. What unfolds is a heart breaking drama that will haunt you. The writing is beautiful, evocative, moody and emotionally vivid.

This book won’t appeal to everyone.  Readers requiring warm and fuzzy solutions, should stay away. There are dark themes and disturbing descriptions, ‘gothic’ is not window dressing, it is the nature of the work.

For someone who relishes drama, and beautiful depictions of human anguish, this is the perfect read. Amidst the grotesque characters and troubling undercurrents, is something full of emotional truth and depth. This book delivers a huge, punch, one to leave you bruised and aching afterwards.

Reviewed by Nimue Brown for IndieReader.