Everything I've come to expect from Chris Bohjalian's absorbing style of fiction is deliciously served up in this recent offering (2017). Humour, sarcasm, mystery and intrigue are but a few of the elements I love most about this contemporary master storyteller. I'd previously enjoyed about a half-dozen of his novels, including 'Midwives', 'The Law of Similars' and 'Trans-sister Radio' (a lame pun but an excellent piece of work), and in my estimation he has consistently created some of the most lovable and entertaining protagonists in modern fiction. Previous comments notwithstanding, I found this one every bit as delightful and enduring as his earlier works and right up there among his best. Some have claimed it's too lengthy, others say it's full of holes, shallow or weak on character development. I'm compelled to offset such criticism with my own humble opinion: I could easily have devoured another 100 pages of elaboration on the ups, downs, twists and turns of Lianna Ahlberg and family. A well-crafted, enriching mystery centred on the esoteric subject of parasomnia.

Enjoyed this immensely! Strange things happen when you sleepwalk. Never thought it would be possible.

thank goodness I was so exasperated by the audiobook that I elected to power through by reading from about page 235 to the end for myself instead.
quite a contrast from the lovely narrator who enhanced rushdie's the golden house, this one almost caused me to quit before the denouement.
(had I read the hardback I could have whizzed past the slow bits in part 1.)
audiobook = .5 stars, last few chapters of the book = 2.25 stars.

A most compelling human interest story. Very well written and keeps your interest until the end.

Another well written book by Bojalian. Quite a few twists and turns. The ending surprised me, even though the author dropped hints along the way. A sad story with scant room for redemption. I had mixed feelings about the book, but if you like this author, you'll probably enjoy it.

Took too long to slog through, but I was not expecting the ending at all - almost worth the slog.

Fascinating and creepy, unpleasant and intriguing at the same time. It made me wonder if this is a real condition, because I would be frightened to know someone who has it.

Writer Bohjalian returns to a medical subject like his earlier ‘Midwives’ and builds a story of troubled family relationships caused by an unpredictable disease. Interesting subject matter. Not among my favorites from this author.

Story about about a sleepwalker who winds up missing and the efforts of her two daughters and a detective to find her. This story is about certain forms of somnambulism, one being the insatiable desire for sex while asleep and how it can be inherited - ( I know just a little bit hard to believe for a premise for a story). From there, secrets, forbidden desires and lies pervade the story. For me, the story has too many holes: too slow a pace, undeveloped secondary characters ( they seem like they were just added in as fillers with no real depth), and an ending that was hashed at it seems, at the last second to satisfy the reader. The one thing I can think of that it has in its favor is that it is well written. Other than that, I couldn't recommend; it was a waste of time (for me at least).

Captivating but shallow. I gave out stars because the captivation was akin to a summer beach read. Really? Three of the 5 main characters all had severe parasomnia? Not a literary novel I'd say.