Skip to main content

Book Review: Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber






Book: Are You Sleeping 

Author: Kathleen Barber 

Pages: 337 

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 4 hours 

Plot Summary: When a family man is killed at point blank range in his home, it shakes a sleepy town to its core. The murder is a strange, horrifying crime but for the authorities it’s an open-and-shut case.

Ten years on, the victim’s daughter, Josie, has started afresh in New York – far from the tragic events that blew her family apart. No-one knows the truth about her previous life, not even her fiancé.
Investigative journalist Poppy is convinced the wrong man is in jail for the murder and she’s determined to prove it. What starts off as a true-crime podcast snowballs into a national phenomenon and everyone has an opinion on the case. Poppy’s relentless pursuit of the truth threatens to expose old secrets. Josie realizes that her father’s murder could have consequences more devastating than she had ever imagined.  

General Thoughts: I am an avid true crime podcast enthusiast! True story! I devoured all the episodes of Serial when it first came out and I am currently subscribed to 4 different true crime podcasts on Stitcher! :) So, obviously, this book appealed to me for more than one reason-  it is a murder mystery plus woven around a podcast. What is not to love?! Anyway, let's dive into the review! 

Things I Liked: 
  • The premise of this book is supremely interesting! A ten year old crime for which a young man was serving a life term in prison becomes the subject of a true crime podcast, which takes the US by storm. Yes, this is very, very similar to what happened to the Adnan Syed case when Serial exploded into mainstream America!  The book delves into the impact such a podcast has on the lives of the family members of the victim as well as the kind of scrutiny it brings on them. It also shows the mob mentality- the rabid, unfounded theories that everyone comes up with on Reddit and other such sites, the "first person" accounts of people close to the case and so on. So, yeah, the whole construct of the book and the narrative is very nicely crafted.  
  • Taking off from some of what I've already mentioned above, I, especially, love how the book looks at the impact of a podcast like this on the lives of the family members of the victim. Even when I was listening to podcast, I was thinking of this whole renewed interest in the case as some sort of quest for truth.. you know, as in, wouldn't the victim's family want the right person to be punished for the crime?! What I did not give much thought to (sadly so) is the toll that it takes on the victim's family as they are made to re-live a nightmare that they have tried their best to move on from! The book does an excellent job of showing how Josie is unravelling as the podcast gains popularity and how absolute strangers are discussing her father's gruesome murder as it is some book plot or something.  
  • The book is structured in a very interesting way. The story moves from Josie's life in present day New York and the impact the podcast is having on it to the days leading up to her father's murder to transcripts of the podcast and reactions of listeners on social media. So, as a reader you get the whole experience- past and present. The narrative is very fast-paced and there is never a dull moment. 
  • The book also dives into the impact a brutal crime has on a family. Josie's mother- an already depressed woman- goes off to join the cult, Lanie acts out like a classic nightmare teen while Josie tries and tries to be the 'good girl'. Josie's present day PTSD-like reactions the podcast, her unwillingness to share her truth with her boyfriend and unwillingness to return to her childhood town are all very nicely depicted. 
  • The characters are nicely crafted. Right from our protagonist Josie to her twin (and eyewitness of her dad's murder) Lanie to Josie's boyfriend to even the "journalist" behind the podcast- Polly. 
  • There is an interesting twist at the end, which is sort of predictable but not too shabby. At least, the good thing is that the case does get resolved one way or the other. 

Rating: 4/5 
A great book if you love crime, true crime and mystery books but, especially, if you love podcasts and such. Strongly recommend! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a