Matthew Blake (1)

There are a slew of new books being released in the first few weeks of January 2024. The one I've hearing the most about, is Matthew Blake's debut novel, Anna O. The novel is already set for publication in thirty territories!

Ok, what is it about Anna O that has triggered such a response? Have you heard about crimes being committed by those who sleepwalk? This alone had me going down a (fascinating) rabbit hole. Is it truly possible that someone would have no inkling of what they've done show more whilst asleep? Even murder?
Lead character Anna can't tell us or her doctors as she never woke up from the night in question. The night two people died was four years ago. Years! Dr. Benedict Prince thinks he can awaken Anna O with his new protocol.

But Benedict is not the only one interested in the case of Anna O. Armchair detectives will not let the case fade way. Anna O's family, friends, enemies and the law, all want her to wake up and provide answers. The other person the reader hears from? Yup, we are privy to Anna O's thoughts, memories, past and what led up to the 'right now'. There are also many supporting players, each with their own secrets tightly tucked away.

Blake does an incredible job of toying with the readers. What's true? What and who should we believe? I like to think that I'm pretty good at sussing out the perpetrator in a plot. This time I (happily) I didn't. There are a number of twists that were really well done. But, I truly did not see that last twist coming at all!! Kudos Mr. Blake!

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. I can't imagine what Blake will write next - but I'll be waiting for his book. show less

There was a certain serendipity about my purchase of this book. I read a favourable short review of it in The Times, but decided to buy it as a consequence of a misunderstanding about the author. I misconstrued a throwaway comment in the review, and thought that Matthew Blake was a pseudonym for another writer whose recent spy fiction I had greatly enjoyed.

This was not, then, the espionage thriller that I had anticipated, but it proved no less enjoyable for that. It actually recounts the show more bizarre story of a young woman who was presumed to have murdered two friends and business partners while sleepwalking, and has remained in a state of sleep or catalepsy ever since – a span of four years at the time the book opens. That must sound bizarre, but this is all conveyed in a far more plausible manner in the book than my synopsis would suggest.

The book is largely narrated by Dr Ben Prince, a psychologist specialising in sleep issues, and especially cases of very deep sleep, with occasional interpolations from other characters, including Prince’s estranged wife (who was the first police officer on the scene of the original murders), and a woman who had been trying to investigate an infamous similar crime that had happened twenty years earlier.

I was hooked within the first three or four pages, and found the book positively fizzed along. While there is a lot of discussion of the psychological aspects of irregular sleep patterns and sleep deprivation, the jargon is never allowed to intrude in an awkward and inaccessible manner. show less

Anna O. by Matthew Blake is a very highly recommended, unique, well-written literary psychological thriller. If you love Hitchcock movies and thoughtful, intelligent even-paced mysteries, this will be a perfect choice for your next book.

Dr. Benedict (Ben) Prince is a forensic psychologist who is also an expert in sleep-related crimes. He has written articles and a book that have brought him to the attention of the public, especially regarding the case of Anna O. Anna Ogilvy stabbed her two show more best friends to death in her sleep when she was twenty-five. Since that night four years ago she has been in a deep sleep. This sleep, diagnosed as resignation syndrome, is a condition where a person enters an involuntary extended deep sleep as a way to avoid trauma. Ben recently wrote an article that suggested ways to address this condition, perhaps even cure it.

Ben works at the Abbey Sleep Clinic. When his boss Dr. Virginia Bloom summons him to a secret meeting with a man from the Ministry of Justice, he learns that Anna O. is going to be moved into the clinic. They want him to wake her up so she can be charged with murder. However, there are more secrets involved in this case that make success anything but a simple, guaranteed outcome.

Anna O. is a excellent, electrifying, exceptional, layered, and very unique novel. It is a very, very good complex psychological thriller. Anna O. is also much more literary, intricate, and thoughtful than the majority of psychological thrillers out there. Additionally, it does not follow the formula almost every other psychological thriller follows. The pre-publication notes on Anna O. really raised expectations to a pinnacle of excellence, which did a bit of a disservice to this intelligent, suspenseful, well-written novel that should be targeting literary readers who will appreciate and enjoy the basic mystery aspects while relishing all the other references made and layers it offers.

The narrative is told through several point-of-view, mainly Ben's, and Anna's journal entries. There are plenty of references to Hitchcock movies that help to add a thoughtful depth and an atmospheric tension. Readers can also expect references to many many literary works. Characters are portrayed as full realized, realistic complicated individuals. Readers are privy to private thoughts There are clues interspersed in the plot along with plenty of misdirection. Anna O. is definitely an engrossing literary psychological thriller written to be read carefully rather than racing through the pages.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/12/anna-o.html show less

A slow burning and twisty psychological thriller that reads like a cross between true crime and fiction. My new favorite description "faction".

The focus of the story is a phenomenon known as resignation syndrome. The main character, Anna Ogilvy, purportedly killed two people, wrote a confession, and promptly fell asleep. She's been in that state for years. Now, the powers that be want to wake her and bring Anna to trial. Forensic psychologist, Dr. Benedict Prince, is an expert in sleep show more disorders and Anna O is transferred to his clinic for a new method of treatment in the hope that he can wake the sleeping beauty. No spoilers.

So many characters and so many different points of view providing lots of detail lull the reader into believing they can figure out the truth of Anna's story. Did not work for me and I was quite surprised at several turns of the page. Just when I thought I had the gist, I found out that I definitely did not. Just don't bother and let the author string you along dropping hints and pieces here and there and let it all unfold in due course. Yes, the pacing was a bit slow and at times things drug a bit, but I feel like it all came together so well. I think an incredible debut and will definitely look for this author's future books. I liked the subject of sleep disorders and the clinical information as it showed a lot of research behind the scenes. More interesting is the question of how culpable someone should be for their actions if in the throes of something that they cannot control, don't choose, can't predict. Psychology, psychiatry, mental health -- perceptions of what goes on in the mind as separate from the brain. Something that happens in the psyche is as real as functional neurological disease. All great topics for discussion.

I enjoyed the book and thank the publisher for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I read along while listening to the audiobook of this title and appreciated the different narrators as they brought the story to life. show less