Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas

The scintillating new novel from the author of The End of Mr Y

‘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 whingeing here, 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

‘Muriel Spark’s disreputable niece’ Spectator

Still reeling from the chaos of their wedding, Evelyn and Richard arrive on a tiny Greek island for their honeymoon. It’s the end of the season and a storm is imminent. Determined to make the best of it, they check into the sun-soaked doors of the Villa Rosa. Already feeling insecure after seeing the ‘beautiful people,’ the seemingly endless number of young models and musicians lounging along the Mediterranean, Evelyn is wary of the hotel’s owner, Isabella, who seems to only have eyes for Richard.

Isabella ostensibly disapproves of every request Evelyn makes, seemingly annoyed at the fact that they are there at all. Isabella is also preoccupied with her chance to enthral the only other guests – an American producer named Marcus and his partner Debbie – with the story of ‘the sleepwalkers,’ a couple who had stayed at the hotel recently and drowned. Everyone seems to want to talk about the sleepwalkers, but what at first seemed eccentric, decorative, or simply ridiculous, becomes a living nightmare. Evelyn and Richard are separated the night of the storm and forced to face dark truths, but it’s their confessions around the origins of their relationship and the years leading up to their marriage that might save them.

Exhilarating, suspenseful, and subversively funny, The Sleepwalkers asks urgent questions about relationships, sexuality, and the darkest elements of contemporary society – where our most terrible secrets are hidden in plain sight.

‘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 generation’ Scotsman

Tense, atmospheric and darkly funny, The Sleepwalkers is a a sublimely creepy contemporary gothic work about a relationship unravelling that asks urgent questions about a contemporary society where our basest selves are hidden in plain sight.

About the Author: Scarlett Thomas was born in London. She is the author of the Worldquake series. She is also the author of nine books for adults, including PopCo, The End of Mr. Y, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2007 (formerly known as Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction), and Our Tragic Universe. She teaches creative writing at the University of Kent. Find out more at Worldquake.co.uk.

11 Apr 2024
 

The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas ISBN 9781398529984