Are You Awake

(Paperback)

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Description

On an ordinary morning in an ordinary house, a woman discovers a secret her husband has been keeping. It is a secret that explodes their marriage.

As Dolores grapples with her new reality, she unwillingly delves into her past to work out how she got here, unpicking the seams of the relationships that have built her. Shes a sister, a daughter, a wife, a teacher. How much does her past have to influence her present Cant she just forgive and forget

And most importantly: what is a woman for, anyway

Reviews

Highly inventive, astute and funny ... A thought-provoking reflection on loneliness, love and the search for connection * Observer *
Hilarious Crossans deadpan style is bone-dry, and Doloress conversations with Zoey are the best bits of all * Daily Mail *
Deep, relatable, depressing, and darkly funny ... Crossan has a knack for capturing utterly normal conversations and trains of thought in ways that are arresting ... Propelled by its style and by the beauty of its prose Keeps the reader gripped until the last page It is a deep exploration of the intricacies of human connections and intimacy, as well as an examination of trauma (especially childhood trauma) and its ability to influence our lives, even if we are determined not to let it do so * Irish Independent *
A roller-coaster read * i *
A singular writer with her own style and conviction ... Thought-provoking ... How do we write about trauma Ask Sarah Crossan * The Times *
Dark humour and offbeat tenderness enhance the intense readability of a book that has plenty to say about contemporary intimacy * Mail on Sunday *
Funny and dark. Tender and tough. Uncanny and relatable ... A searing novel about true intimacy and the things humans will do to protect themselves from it. Youve never read anything quite like it, and only Sarah Crossan could have written it -- Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key and Watch Her Fall
Brilliant, provocative, and darkly funny ... explores the impossibility of connection, and the things we hide from ourselves and the people we love -- Sarah Dunn, author of The Arrangement
Examining how humanity can be found in unexpected places, one of our most inventive writers, Sarah Crossan, blends comedy, drama and heartbreak in a novel that is as surprising as it is memorable -- John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies
Unique, refreshing and revelatory. Sarah Crossan excels at subtle subversion, marrying delicious dark wit with deep empathy to produce work that reads the zeitgeist perfectly. This stylish, provocative novel isnt afraid to push the bruise! -- Helen Cullen, author of The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually
This darkly funny modern love story had me gripped all the way from its compelling opening to its unexpectedly moving and worrying conclusion ... A sharp and sometimes shocking exploration of relationships between friends, lovers and family. Its intriguing, fresh, and satisfyingly complex; it makes you think, and it makes you feel -- Lesley Glaister, author of Little Egypt
A flight of the imagination mapping the twilight zone of broken love. Highly original, deeply moving, simultaneously delicate yet hard hitting, Crossan is elegantly devastating in her ability to evoke our tender, unguarded selves -- Claire Kilroy, author of Soldier Sailor
Readers will enjoy this astute page-turner * Publisher's Weekly *
Easy to read and equally hard to forget * Kirkus, starred review *
Weird and wild ... You won't be able to put it down * VIP Magazine *
A love triangle, but with a twist * Guardian *
A funny, insightful tale of love and complicated families * Marie Claire *
A roller-coaster read * Heat *
A well-paced journey Dark and foreboding, yet light and moving Crossan embraces silence on the page and never overstates the obvious. What is left unsaid are among the parts that shout the loudest * Independent *

Author Bio

Sarah Crossan grew up in Dublin and London. Her books for children and teenagers have won many prizes including the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, the CBI Book of the Year, the YA Book Prize, and the CLiPPA Poetry Award.

Her first novel for adults, Here Is The Beehive, was published in 2020 to critical acclaim.

Sarahs novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She currently lives and works in East Sussex.