Nora Brown teaches high school English and lives a quiet life in Seattle with her husband and six-year-old daughter. But one November day, moments after dismissing her class, a girl's face appears above the students' desks--"a wild numinous face with startling blue eyes, a face floating on top of shapeless drapes of purples and blues where arms and legs should have been. Terror rushes through Nora's body--the kind of raw terror you feel when there's no way out, when every cell in your body, your entire body, is on fire--when you think you might die."
Twenty-four hours later, while on Thanksgiving vacation, the face appears again. Shaken and unsteady, Nora meets with neurologists and eventually, a psychiatrist. As the story progresses, a terrible secret is discovered--a secret that pushes Nora toward an even deeper psychological breakdown.
This breathtaking debut novel examines the impact of traumatic childhood experiences and the fragile line between past and present. Exquisitely nuanced and profoundly intimate, The Night Child is a story of resilience, hope, and the capacity of the mind, body, and spirit to save itself despite all odds.
"Anna Quinn writes with bright and assured authority, making this a remarkable debut novel you won't soon forget. Her haunting story, expertly and lovingly crafted, leaves you breathless with both terror and hope."
-- "Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author"
"The Night Child is a powerful, beautifully written, transformative novel that struck a rare chord with me. When I recall Nora's journey, I am affected viscerally, as if I were reliving her painful memories alongside her. 'Must-read' is not a phrase I use often; I am using it now: you must read this book!"
-- "Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain"
"Actress Campbell introduces Nora with a self-confident voice...Later, in the hospital, her normal speech gives way to a druggy dreaminess mixed with the childish natter of her Margaret personality...Together Quinn and Campbell present a vivid depiction of the soul-numbing ordeal of mental illness
-- "Publishers Weekly (audio review)"
"What I had not expected was the surprise of being so completely in character with someone experiencing the kind of disassociation Quinn portrays...She made me care about Nora and identify with her. That's a very wonderful and difficult accomplishment."
-- "Dorothy Allison, New York Times bestselling author"
"Packed with riveting detail and radical emotional honesty...I can't remember a novel in which I have been more deeply emotionally invested."
-- "Pam Houston, #1 Los Angeles Times bestselling author"
"Beautiful and haunting...This profoundly intimate novel, which has its roots in memoir, examines the fragile line between past and present...The timing of [the] book with the #metoo movement is remarkable."
-- "Psychology Today"
"Cassandra Campbell's performance adds depth and nuance to each character and each memory."
-- "BookPage (audio review)"
"A novel that will leave the reader shaken with its ramifications of the way crimes against children, hidden by adults, and buried in a child's psyche, can resurface decades later and cause even more harm."
-- "New York Journal of Books"
"This realistic, psychological thriller will appeal to those ready to celebrate the strength of a character profoundly marked by an unstable childhood. It will satisfy those who believe in recovery through the kindnesses, the knowledge, and the understanding of people willing to help others."
-- "Missourian (Columbia, Missouri)"
"[A] story about a woman and a young girl; of the fragile line between past and present; of the capacity of mind, body and spirit to heal itself: 'I was there to tell their story'...[The] novel offers perspective, gives voice to those healing from childhood sexual abuse."
-- "Port Townsend Leader (Washington)"
