But when Josie gets a call from her first cousin Ellen about a new podcast that purports to investigate Chuck Buhrman's death, their easy communication jars with Josie's private view of Ellen and her superficial ways: "She remained exactly as expected: collagen-filled lips pursed, wearing a familiar expression of disdain as she surveyed the unwashed masses." Hasn't the long decade since Josie left Elm Park, Ill., affected her relationships with the people she left behind? Why has narrator Josie (short for Josephine) Buhrman been out of touch with her family for so long? Yes, we know her father Chuck was supposedly murdered by a local "goth" teen when she and her twin sister Lanie were 15 years old, and that her mother ran off shortly thereafter to join a Californian cult known as the Life Force Collective. If the former, it could have used more framing if the latter, someone needs several lashes with a red pencil for overlooking things.īack to that problem of framing: All of this novel could use more of it. However, not only can I not discuss it without revealing too much - I'm not even sure if it's meant to be a dilemma, or if it's an oversight by the author and her editors. How?īethanne Patrick is a freelance writer and critic who tweets quandary: There is an absolutely thrilling dilemma baked into Are You Sleeping, a debut thriller from Kathleen Barber. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Are You Sleeping Author Kathleen Barber
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