Secure A Copy The Book Of Dreams Composed By Nina George Ready In Digital Version

story eventually captured my attention, but if Im being honest, . . I was hoping for a different conclusion, I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up this book, and I mean that in the best possible way.
This is the type of book I will be thinking about for awhile, I think the author really took a chance with this one and maybe it won't be for everyone, but I'm pretty darn glad I read it.


The story in some ways is a bit tricky to explain without getting into spoiler territory so I'm gonna keep it brief and simple.
The less you know is probably best in this case, Henri Skinner is set to see his teenage son, Sam, for the first time in years when he is rushed to the hospital after being involved in a traffic accident.
Henri's former girlfriend, Eddie, and Sam stick close to Henri's hospital bed as he is in a coma, The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Eddie, Sam, and Henri, Yes, you read that right, you will get to know the man in the coma quite well,

I wasn't prepared for how much this would hit me on an emotional and spiritual level, Now I'll admit some of what the author was trying to express might have gone over my head, but what I did get, I loved.
It was truly a treat to read a book in which the author was willing to go out on a limb and write a book that might not be "market friendly".
I love when authors are willing to take chances and just go for it in order to tell the story they want and I appreciate when publishers give them the opportunity to do this as well.
Such a great read and I look forward to checking out the author's other novels,

Read this book if you are up for the challenge that it might be a high risk, but high reward type read.


Thank you to First to Read for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy! I was under no obligation to post a review and all views expressed are my honest opinion.
I will not be summarizing this story, Instead, I will be reviewing my likes and dislikes, I feel the summary for the story that is provided by the publishers is accurate,

The premise for this book is a challenging but rewarding experience,
It is difficult to predict the story, characters decisions, and the ending due to the natural unknown elements in life that the author attempts to tackle.
The topics of dreams, life, death, afterlife, and those in between are poetically posed and philosophically pondered throughout this story, The characters feel real and are easy to relate to,
The chapters are told through three different characters point of view Henri, Sam, and Eddie, It was refreshing that the author did not conform to the predictable switching back and forth, or follow the typical character pattern between chapters.
It was alleviating to be surprised, not knowing who would come next, or if it was a dream, in this world, or perhaps another, The only pattern anticipated is the day, since it does go in order of Day, Day, etc, . .
My favorite aspect of this novel was the foliage of words and manipulation of language the author used,
I did not completely like the ending, but I respect it as it fully engrossed the leitmotif, I thought it was cliche that Eddie works for a publishing company, and that Sam likes to write and wants to be a writer.
There is a small romance involved, but it is not domineering to the story itself,

To enjoy this novel, you must have an openmind, . . particularly with the subject of comatose, A very emotional read., and perhaps a very personal reaction to a book,

According

to the author's postscript, this is the final book in a cycle of novels starting with The Little Paris Bookshop dealing with the theme of mortality.


Henri, an exwar reporter/native of Brittany coast, is on his way to see his son, Sam, for the first time when he rescues a little girl from the Thames amp is then ricocheted into the path of an oncoming car and he is seriously brain injured.


The book covers hisdays in a coma, as he dreams and remembers and is watched over by Sam, who a synesthete amp knows things on a level beyond medical science, and Eddie, the woman Henri loved but could never commit to.
And there's a side story, too, of Madelyn, ayear old who has lost her entire family to a car accident, who is also in the intensive care ward, also lost in a deep coma.


Beautiful descriptions of the sea where Henri grew up a powerful, thoughtful, unusual story, I was just looking for a short novel to take a break from nonfiction and my usual historical fiction when I pulled this from my shelf.
A hearttugging story of devotion and hope, Nina George has created beautiful characters and compelling relational dynamics, I especially loved Sam, an extraordinary boy who is astute beyond his years, I wanted to give him a giant bear hug and make his dreams come true,

George excelled at putting her thoughts to paper, especially as they relate to Sams journey to find peace and love and Henris alternating states of awareness as he remained trapped between two worlds.
A profound and thoughtprovoking read that I couldn't put down, Read it in two days, I enjoy Nina George's writing, I loved The Little Paris Bookshop and the The Litte French Bistro, and hoped to recapture another heartwarming reading experience,
I was excited to see that she had a new book out and really didn't read the synopsis before diving in.
Big mistake
Having recently lost my brothermonths ago to cancer, my mother two months ago to stroke and cancer, and now facing a hospitalization with my father, this book is just too intense and painful for me at this phase of my life.
I made it about/of the way through and finally had to stop myself from reading more, I've lived through too many Intensive Care vigils, arrogant doctors with God complexes, and I have no desire to rehash those experiences during my reading time.

Giving itbecause I do like Nina George's writing, and particularly liked the character of Sam in this book.
Perhaps I will come back to this another time, interesting novel about coma patients and people around them and what they dream about whilst in a coma, enjoyed on the whole the book with its covering several layers and times, The Book of Dreams was published in Germany four years ago, but is only now being released as an English translation.
In the April edition of Good Reading magazine, Nina George talks about her own experiences with the rare neurological condition of synaesthesia.
After writing nearlybooks under five different pen names, The Book of Dreams is the first time shes written about the condition.
I have to say, reading that Nina herself is a synesthete really added a layer of credibility to this novel that cemented its authenticity.
All of a sudden, Samuels experiences of the world ceased to be only the product of research, I have always been a bit fascinated with synaesthesia, but was also slightly sceptical, simply because its so incredibly hard to visualise.
The Book of Dreams is the first time Ive read about the condition in such an accessible way, And as far as characters go, Samuel is pretty special, and not just because he is a synesthete,

“I cant look another person in the eye, Theres too much there, and much of it I dont understand, Sometimes Im afraid that their gaze will tell me theyre about to die, which turned out to be the case with our housemaster at Colet Court and our neighbour Mrs.
Logan. People with synaesthesia used to be regarded as pathological, Pathologically shy, pathologically oversensitive, a real burden on their families, Children who have it are always screaming, quick to tears, and peculiar in other ways too, When they grow up they often turn out to be borderline, complete schizophrenics, or prone to depression, Many kill themselves because they cant cope with the world and the way they see it, Hypersensitive crybabies. If there were any pills to treat this condition, Id be gobbling them like Smarties, ”

The Book of Dreams covers some pretty grim themes, but it does so with a sensitivity and beauty that is striking.
Its such an absorbing novel, dealing with consciousness on a whole other level, While Henri lies in a coma, Samuel is able to read Henri, and despite their being no response that can be detected by the medical team, or even through the use of an MRI, Samuel knows that his father is still alive, that hes in there, just waiting out of reach.
While Henri is in his coma, we see his life lived out in dreams, alternate existences, and there are also times when Henri seems able to reach out to his loved ones through his, and their dreams, in a kind of alternate consciousness connection.
Its very different, and some people may not feel entirely comfortable with the themes that are played out, but I found it fascinating and inspirational.
I also found it very uplifting, which may seem strange given that this is largely a novel about mortality,

“The Book of Dreams completes my cycle of novels about mortality, I needed to write about fear and transience and to portray the points where life and death meet as a sort of fairytale place brimming with parallel realities, a transitional zone among all worlds, heaven, and earth.
None of us knows if this zone really exists or if it is born of our thoughts and hopes and fears.
” Afterword

While visiting his father at the hospital, Samuel wanders up to another floor and meets Maddie, a twelveyearold girl who is in a vegetative state with no underlying medical cause.
Something is preventing her from waking, a trauma that is so deeply seated within her, Samuel is drawn to Maddy on a number of levels and she is the first person he has encountered that he cant read.
Over time, he continues to visit her and becomes devoted to being there for her, trying to reach her so that she might break through whatever barrier is holding her captive.
This is where Samuel really tugged at my heartstrings, the way in which he tried to make moments special for Maddy.
It didnt make any sense, their connection, yet it was beautiful and meaningful and showed the depths of Samuels character to perfection.


“I can hear her breath and then, with my soul snuggling against her heart, I hear her breath become a note.
The note becomes a tune, a breeze, but its not like Madelyns piano music, This wind has been scouring the earth for a long time and is now slowly rising, growing brighter, as it continues its quest over the cool, silvery, frostrimmed, icy coating of a long, broad, frozen river.
It is changing into a warming ray of sunlight, which captures the sparkling silence and then alights on a motionless ice sculpture, inside which a heart is beating.
My heart. ”

This novel explores love in a very raw and jagged way, Love lost, love denied, love withheld, and love for all time, I was particularly drawn to the way in which Nina depicted the care for patients who are in a coma, It was so respectful and dignified, the nurses who work directly with these patients are marvellous, Theres a lot of information about comas woven into this novel, many things that I would never have realised, Henris experience was fairly tragic, and it took me a little bit to realise what was actually going on in his sections.
At first, I thought we were merely getting his backstory, but then it became apparent that we were instead witnessing him living, through his dreams whilst lying in a coma, alternate existences, some in which he lives an incredible life, but others where he dies too soon.
It was so bittersweet to see Henri only get to know his son through the veil of being in a coma.
Hed never had the opportunity to parent Samuel, to speak to him, gaze upon him, or even touch him, He had never been able to demonstrate his love for him, That he does so from the depths of a coma is extraordinary and so very poignant,

Maybe this is hell, Yes, this must be hell, To live over and over again, through countless variations, repeatedly starting from scratch and committing the same mistakes and new mistakes, and then back to the start.
And not to recognize any of the fresh repetitions as things that youre experiencing for the second or fourth or thousandth time.


And then theres Eddie, the love of Henris life, if only hed ever told her, She was terrific, especially the bond between her and Samuel, who up until this point in time, she had never known existed.
But she took it in her stride, like so many things, yet never did she come across as a martyr, I adored her. Her love for Henri was something she feared, yet she gave in to it, yearning for his recovery even though it pained her to let him back into her life.
The characters within this novel were all so well crafted, MarieForce, Samuels mother, was a complex woman, At first, I judged her harshly for the way in which she had denied Henri and Samuel a relationship, She seemed cold and disinterested as a mother too I was very unimpressed with her, But later on, we see another side to her, a view into her fears, a crack in her reserve that allowed us to glimpse the great love she had for Samuel.
The doctors, the nurses, Samuels friend Scott, his brother Maxwell and his stepfather Steve, even Eddies coworkers not a single character was one dimensional throughout this novel, even the minor ones.
Everyone was uniquely realised.

The translation of this novel is excellent, I didnt even really think about it being a translation while reading, it was as if the author had written it in English originally.
This is a thought provoking read that will stretch your imagination and tug on your heart strings, I really enjoyed it and recommend it widely, although just bear in mind that its a novel best suited to the open minded as its quite speculative about mortality and the afterlife.


“I realize at that moment that you can always decide: nothing simply happens, Its always possible to decide whether to lie or tell the truth, whether to be an asshole or not be an asshole.
”


Thanks is extended to Simon and Schuster Australia via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Book of Dreams for review.
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