A review by james1star
Anna O by Matthew Blake

challenging informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was fine. The plot is a little convoluted and I don’t really feel the need to go into detail but it’s somewhat dual timeframe: the first and main one in the present where we do get perspectives from different characters but mainly Ben, a sleep psychologist, who’s been tasked with waking the infamous Anna O to stand trail for the murder of her two friends four years ago whilst sleepwalking; the second is journal entries from Anna during that time. It’s essentially a mystery/thriller-type novel trying to work out what actually went down that day, the lead up, is she the killer? and if so, why? It is quite complex and a lot does happen but I would say it goes on a bit too long to keep me interested, it needed to be more concise to have been more entertaining and impactful. I do get and understand the ending, the twists and why things panned out in such a manner but wasn’t all that keen, it made me a little annoyed especially the part the with quote ‘no evidence, never will be’ which really irked me but anyways. Some parts also didn’t make entire sense, specially with the journals how Anna was able to remember how she was feeling and the exact details of something when drugged. I also didn’t fully care for or like many of the characters. The book does read a little non-fictiony at times in describing patients like Anna and the psychology behind sleep and crime. 

Overall I feel this review is a little more on the negative side but it was still a decent read and guess I’d recommend but nothing blew me away. I’ll possibly check out Blake again. 
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