The Somnambulist

St Just Monday Morning Reading Group 24th April 2023.

The Somnambulist. Essie Fox.

The majority of the reading group were fairly unenthusiastic about this book. Some suggested that it might be a ‘beach read’, and expressed other lukewarm appreciation of it. The main complaint was that it contained too many ideas, presented in a muddled fashion, and in language which was unnecessarily convoluted. ‘Overblown’ was one description; ‘a nonentity’ another. We thought the characters had potential, which could have been given more scope by an examination of how they arrived at their positions in the book; for instance, what was it that had made Maud so overly religious? This would have been interesting, and from there the plot could have advanced in a more coherent fashion. Most of the group said the plot was very predictable, except possibly for the very end.

Redeeming features of the book were the landscape descriptions, which at times were quite atmospheric. Also the notes at the end, about the book’s locations, were found interesting.

One reader differed from the others and thought the book was beautifully written, with characters that came alive and were very believable, none of them all good or all bad but flawed like many in real life – a story full of secrets, lies and mysteries, and a well crafted Gothic novel.