“Are you sleeping” by Kathleen Barber is definitely a book you don’t want to miss! The book centers around two twin sisters whose father’s murder will change their every relationship. My book club had a lot of good discussion about this one! The book lays out the story via multiple points of view and from podcast texts. This makes the book very enjoyable to read.
The book centers around the murder of the twins, Josie & Lanie’s, father which took place in their teenage years and changed both of their lives forever. A young neighbor, Warren Cave, was convicted for the crime but everyone involved has a different memory of that night. After the murder, the once inseparable sisters grow apart. The effect of the murder reverberates through their lives. As the book starts, they are no longer best friends, they don’t even talk to each other or know where they live.
Their mother ran off shortly after the murder and joined a cult once the trial was over that convicted Warren Cave. Warren’s mother is never convinced that her son committed the crime and has been trying all avenues to get the case reconsidered and her son set free. Thus enter the want-to-be-notorious Poppy Parnell, who will dig into the case on her podcast and stir everything up again for them all.
As Josie is deciding whether to tell her live-in boyfriend about her past, her mother dies and she is forced to return to her hometown to confront the murder, her sister, her lies about herself and her memories of that night. This psychological thriller explores the murder and what each twin remembers from that night. They must come to terms with what happened after the murder and the secrets each sister have from the other and from themselves.
This book is unique in the format and told in a quick pace that kept me turning the pages with surprises happening frequently. You will be rooting for Josie to find her truth and hope she can figure out a way to tell Caleb about her real self and past. She and Lanie will find the truth and figure out what happened the night her father was murdered. A solid 4 stars!
