“The only thing more dangerous than a lie…is the truth.”
Recently, I listened to the Serial podcast for the first time and was completely hooked. So when I read the premise of Are You Sleeping I had to read it right away. This psychological thriller focuses on an old murder case that becomes the subject of a wildly popular podcast, and slowly unravels the lives of those involved. Josie Buhrman has done everything she can to escape that time in her life and the attention that came with it. The murder of her father shocked the town, and soon after her mother ran away to join a cult, and the relationship between the two sisters fractured, seemingly beyond repair. Ten years later, Josie is living a completely new life in New York, when a new podcast that is attempting to reexamine the case of her father’s murder becomes a mega-hit. This not only brings unwanted attention, but also raises many doubts regarding the case that Josie has been struggling with.
“Reconsidered: The Chuck Buhrman Murder was splashed in bold red letters across a fuzzy black-and-white picture of my father. It was the headshot he had used for work, the one where he looked less like an actual college professor and more like a caricature of one, with his tweed jacket, crooked eyeglasses, and thick black beard. The faint twinkle in his eyes threatened to undo me. Daddy.”
Are You Sleeping is told from Josie’s perspective, along with transcripts of the podcast and tweets/messages of its many listeners. It is a fairly quick, easy read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. The storyline is interesting and the way the author incorporates the podcast and social media is very well done, adding to the already compelling nature of the mystery itself. A large part of the novel is dedicated to examining the dynamics of Josie’s family, so there are times where it doesn’t feel too much like a mystery/thriller. However, it is all very readable that you can’t help but be completely immersed in the storytelling. This is a solid escape read and a good mystery.
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