Alex Peake-Tomkinson

The view from on high: The Sleep Watcher, by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, reviewed

Sixteen-year-old Kit floats free from her body at night and circles invisibly over family and friends – not always liking what she sees

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. [Alamy] 
issue 13 May 2023

The Sleep Watcher, the third thoughtful novel by the gifted Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, features a narrator who floats free from her body at night and circles around invisibly, observing her family and friends. This departure into the supernatural from the author’s previous work does not leaven the sadness of her writing, and the book is even more melancholic than her Starling Days (2019), which opened with the protagonist contemplating suicide.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY A MONTH FREE
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Try a month of Britain’s best writing, absolutely free.

Comments

Join the debate, free for a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.

Already a subscriber? Log in