The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas
The scintillating new novel from the author ofThe End of Mr Y
Patricia Highsmith meetsWhite Lotusin this compulsive and brilliant gothic thriller
Like a darker, funnier The White Lotus, The Sleepwalkers is horrifying in the best possible way. I loved every moment of it. James Smythe
The Sleepwalkers is brilliant, savage and hilarious. The voice is so strong and so distinctive from the get-go, so bold and pitilessly funny. There is no whingeinghere, just a fearless takedown which I read through in a single streak of pure delight. This is Scarlett's best yet, and I don't say that lightly. Bidisha Mamata
'The Sleepwalkersis never-endingly surprising and full of keen observations on relationships, politics, and art. Thomas makes real life so fraught with meaning, it feels hauntingly supernatural. A twisty Gothic tale of vertiginous depths and haunting power.'Sandra Newman, author of Julia
Muriel Sparks disreputable nieceSpectator
Still reeling from the chaos of their wedding, Evelyn and Richard arrive on an idyllic Greek island for their honeymoon. Its the end of the season and out at sea a storm is brewing.
They check in to an exclusive hotel, the Villa Rosa, where the proprietor Isabella a strangely intense woman of indeterminate accent flirts outrageously with Richard while treating Evelyn with a rudeness bordering on contempt. Isabella tells them the story of 'the sleepwalkers': a couple who stayed at the hotel the year before and drowned in a tragic and unexplained accident. It starts to feel like the entire island is obsessed with 'the sleepwalkers', but what at first seems like a fun tale to tell before bed quickly evolves into a living nightmare.
Caught in a web of deception and intrigue, where nothing and nobody are quite what they seem, Evelyn and Richard discover that their island paradise may in fact be hell on earth and that their only means of escape is to confront dark truths about themselves and those they love.
Exhilarating, suspenseful, and subversively funny, inThe SleepwalkersThomas takes elements on Daphne Du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith and blends them with her own unique sensibility to create an unforgettable thriller of rare intelligence that cements her reputation as the most exciting and original author of her generation.
She's a genius Douglas Coupland
Thomas has the mesmerising power of a great story teller. Financial Times
One of the most startling, unpredictable writers of her generationScotsman
Patricia Highsmith meetsWhite Lotusin this compulsive and brilliant gothic thriller
Like a darker, funnier The White Lotus, The Sleepwalkers is horrifying in the best possible way. I loved every moment of it. James Smythe
The Sleepwalkers is brilliant, savage and hilarious. The voice is so strong and so distinctive from the get-go, so bold and pitilessly funny. There is no whingeinghere, just a fearless takedown which I read through in a single streak of pure delight. This is Scarlett's best yet, and I don't say that lightly. Bidisha Mamata
'The Sleepwalkersis never-endingly surprising and full of keen observations on relationships, politics, and art. Thomas makes real life so fraught with meaning, it feels hauntingly supernatural. A twisty Gothic tale of vertiginous depths and haunting power.'Sandra Newman, author of Julia
Muriel Sparks disreputable nieceSpectator
Still reeling from the chaos of their wedding, Evelyn and Richard arrive on an idyllic Greek island for their honeymoon. Its the end of the season and out at sea a storm is brewing.
They check in to an exclusive hotel, the Villa Rosa, where the proprietor Isabella a strangely intense woman of indeterminate accent flirts outrageously with Richard while treating Evelyn with a rudeness bordering on contempt. Isabella tells them the story of 'the sleepwalkers': a couple who stayed at the hotel the year before and drowned in a tragic and unexplained accident. It starts to feel like the entire island is obsessed with 'the sleepwalkers', but what at first seems like a fun tale to tell before bed quickly evolves into a living nightmare.
Caught in a web of deception and intrigue, where nothing and nobody are quite what they seem, Evelyn and Richard discover that their island paradise may in fact be hell on earth and that their only means of escape is to confront dark truths about themselves and those they love.
Exhilarating, suspenseful, and subversively funny, inThe SleepwalkersThomas takes elements on Daphne Du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith and blends them with her own unique sensibility to create an unforgettable thriller of rare intelligence that cements her reputation as the most exciting and original author of her generation.
She's a genius Douglas Coupland
Thomas has the mesmerising power of a great story teller. Financial Times
One of the most startling, unpredictable writers of her generationScotsman