J. A. Rock

Possible Trigger Warnings: Depression, Physical & Emotional Violence
Daniel Whitlock had been a sleepwalker since he was a boy. He would walk and talk like he was awake, but he is actually asleep. He never remembers anything he does during these episodes, and it has gotten him in a plethora of various troubles over the years. During one of his sleepwalks he made a questionable comment to another man in the town, Kenny Cooper. Kenny attacks Daniel at a later date when Daniel is awake, and brutally beats him nearly to death. No charges are filed even though “everyone” knows Kenny and his friends were responsible. another night while sleepwalking he sets fire to Kenny’s house with Kenny still inside causing Kenny's death. The story takes place several years after this event occurred. Daniel went to prison despite his defense lawyer arguing he was sleepwalking. He's not popular in the small town as everyone feels he got off too easy and thinks the sleepwalking is fabricated. He's shunned as the town freak...his friends (?) harass him...and Daniel hides, alone in his cabin. Do you wonder that Daniel is depressed? Daniel can no longer trust himself to sleep...he fears it like the plague and feels that he'll be trapped, and when his body and brain win out and he does fall asleep, he again sleepwalks to the extent that he, in desperation, chains himself to his bed. The narrow-minded people in the town, including Daniel’s parents frustrated me. So much kept happening to Daniel even though he tried so hard to stay out of trouble. Then we, and Daniel meets Bel who comes rolling into Daniels life and becomes his rock, his mainstay, his friend...his only friend...and maybe his lover as Daniel and Bel tries to start a relationship. It’s hard, especially for Bel, to know that their relationship has some really hard boundaries. Bel isn't entirely convinced that Daniel is truly sleepwalking in the beginning, but the more he sees, the more he believes. Daniel behaves like another person when he's walking in his sleep; he becomes bolder, and much more seductive. Bel knows before they can begin to have a true relationship, he first has to do something about Daniel destructive thoughts of wanting to punish himself for what he has done. I felt so sorry for Daniel and absolutely loved Bel. The audio is done by Greg Tremblay who is one of my favorites. His narration of this book is nothing short fantastic, making the story, and the character come alive. He makes you can feel how the characters feel, their desperation, their frustration, and their love and relief. The story will leave you drained, for lack of a better description...but at the same time you won't allow yourself to stop until you know every last detail.… (mer)