Bloomsbury, July 4, 2017.
Three Stars
We Shall Not
All Sleep covers the events of three summer days in
1964, on a small island in New England. Seven Island is shared by two wealthy families,
the Hillsingers and the Quicks – although technically related by marriage, there
is animosity between the families and they do not mix with each other. However,
the events of these three days draw them together in unexpected ways.
Lila and Hannah are sisters that have married Jim Hillsinger
and Billy Quick, respectively. The sisters hold the families together, although
there is little communication between them. However, on the anniversary of
Hannah’s death, Lila finds herself drawn to her brother-in-law Billy –
especially as her husband Jim pulls away from her. Recently ousted from his
career at the CIA due to allegations of treason, Jim is desperate to control
his environment, and he begins by sending his twelve-year-old son Catta to
neighbouring Baffin Island to “become a man.”
The story takes place at the height of the Cold War
and McCarthyism, and the historical aspects of the novel were the most
compelling for me. Hannah was once a member of the Communist Party, and before
her death, her past came back to haunt her – her story is told in flashbacks as
she is persecuted for something she never even really believed in. There is
intrigue and mystery in Hannah’s story. Then there are the more literary issues
of class, wealth and family conflict on Seven Island. Finally, there is also
Catta’s boyhood adventure on Baffin Island. The novel jumps between these three
plots and really three different genres, and it’s sometimes hard to follow.
There is also a very large cast of characters, who
are often confusing and difficult to keep track of. The narration moves around
rapidly, within each chapter, and I found it very distracting. There were a lot
of good parts, but ultimately there was too much going on and too many separate
stories – they would have been much more satisfying if taken separately and
embellished on, instead of being forced to fit together. The writing is strong
and ambitious, but the narration is messy and meandering. I think this novel would
benefit from having tighter focus on the main plot, but Nagy is still a talented
writer to watch in the future.
I received this book from Bloomsbury and NetGalley in
exchange for an honest review.
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