Quick Synopsis

Joining the ranks of Gillian Flynn, A. J. Finn, and Alex Michaelides, Matthew Blake delivers the thriller of the year: a dark, twisty, and shocking mystery about a young woman who commits a double murder while sleepwalking, and then never opens her eyes again.

Publisher’s Synopsis

What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all?

We spend an average of 33 years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we sleep?

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’”case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes.

Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

Book Review

Anna O is a debut thriller that focuses on a young woman who seemingly committed a double murder and fell into a deep slumber unable to be awoken. The narrative primarily follows a forensic psychologist, Dr. Benedict Prince, as he tries to treat Anna so that she can awaken and be tried for the murders.

This novel hinges on the mysterious illness known as resignation syndrome, in which someone (typically a child) falls into an impenetrable comatose state in reaction to trauma. The question central to Anna O is did she intentionally murder her two friends or was she sleepwalking?

While I found the premise of Anna O to be intriguing, I did not feel like the execution lived up to the idea. The plot begins in a straight-forward manner but becomes increasingly convoluted. I like a smart, multi-faceted plot; however, this story lacks the depth and complexity required to engross readers and overcome its weak logic.

My primary issue with Anna O is that the book is much, much longer than it needs to be. Not only does it become repetitive at points, Matthew Blake fails to ensure a consistent pace throughout the novel. The book begins strong, but somewhere after the first major twist, the narrative slows down and begins to drag. The only thing that propelled me to the finish was my incessant curiosity. After a certain point, I was no longer interested in knowing how it all resolved, especially when it took an eternity to arrive at the next reveal. In the end, Anna O was much less original than my own theories or ideas.

Anna O is told in first person from several narrators, with Dr. Benedict Prince as the primary storyteller. This left little room for character development. Readers are not given the opportunity to understand character’s motivations or know their innermost thoughts. I think this contributed to the story feeling like it dragged on.

I also found a few other issues in the text bothersome. First, the novel takes place in London and uses British police and governmental acronyms. However, these acronyms are never defined for American readers. I am familiar with some of the more common ones, like DCI, but there were a slew of acronyms that I gave up trying to define. Second, the amount of Harry Potter references in this book is unfathomable. Not only were they completely unnecessary and oddly wedged into the story, I thought we had moved past the whole promoting a TERF thing. (Apparently, not.) Finally, for a good portion of the book, the protagonist fat shames his good friend and colleague. Even at her funeral, he comments on how large she and her coffin are. Like WTF?! (Note: I did read an advanced copy so it is possible some of these things along with typos were corrected before publishing.)

Overall, Anna O has a promising premise but Blake’s execution fails to do the story justice. However, I think some readers will still enjoy the story, especially those who loved The Silent Patient.

Rating

Overall Rating

Writing

Plot

Character Development