Sleepwalking In Daylight

By Elizabeth Flock

Praised for her “haunting” (Booklist) and “tremendously touching” (Kirkus Reviews) novels, Elizabeth Flock reveals the inner workings of a modern marriage with unflinching honesty in Sleepwalking in Daylight, delivering a provocative story that Publishers Weekly calls “redemptive…familiar and melancholy. ”

Once defined by her career and independence, stay-at-home mom Samantha Friedman realizes her life has become a routine of errands, car pools and suburban gossip. She deals with a husband who shows up for dinner but is too preoccupied for conversation, an increasingly moody daughter who won’t talk at all, and wonders, Is this it? Since finding out she was adopted, seventeen-year-old Cammy Friedman has felt like an outsider.

Unwilling to reach out to the parents she once adored, she shields herself behind black clothing and begins to drift into dangerous territory with questionable friends and risky behavior. Mother and daughter indulge in their own respective escapism— for Sam, clandestine coffee dates with a handsome stranger, fueled by the desire to feel something; for Cammy, a furtive search for her birth mother punctuated by sex, pills and the need to feel absolutely nothing—until a pivotal moment in an otherwise average day alters their relationships forever.

“Heartfelt and poignant, unique and memorable… The story is rich and resonates long after the last page has been turned. ” —John Shors, bestselling author of Beneath a Marble Sky

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Sep 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781408951101

Elizabeth Flock

Elizabeth Flock is a former journalist who reported for Time and People magazines and worked as an on-air correspondent for CBS before becoming a full-time writer. The New York Times bestselling author of But Inside I’m Screaming, Everything Must Go and Me & Emma—a Book Sense Notable Title and Highlight Pick of the Year—lives in New York City. You can contact Elizabeth through her Web site at www.ElizabethFlock.com.

Reviews for Sleepwalking In Daylight

[cobygirl517 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the book, until the last few pages, which left me feeling empty and un-fulfilled. I would have expected more after everything that happens to the characters... I'm hoping there's a sequel, because the ending certainly leaves room for it.

[sunshine608 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sad story and it was hard for me to relate or like the main character but the story was well written and while some parts of the plot were predictable, some important elements were not which kept me involved. I wish there was more development with the husband or that we had a chapter from his POV to understand his part in this tangled web.

Overall an enjoyable read.

[elsielew · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a realistic drama about a family who is struggling to communicate and stay connected to each other. The story is told through the eyes of the mother, Samantha and her teenage daughter, Cameron who are both unhappy with their situation in life. Cameron, who was adopted by Samantha and her husband when she was two years old, has conflicting feelings and feels that she doesn’t belong in this family, or anywhere. She secretly starts to look for her birth mother. Samantha’s marriage is passionless, her relationship with Cameron is falling apart and she is bored with being a ‘stay-at-home’ Mum. Her despair leads her to be so caught up in herself that she fails to realise the extent of her daughter’s self-destructive ways. This novel is emotionally strong and will keep you wanting to know what happens next.

[dlester_32 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My Synopsis:Sleepwalking in Daylight is the story of a mother and a daughter. Samantha Friedman wonders on a daily basis if this is all there is? carpools and soccer games, errands and book club meetings. Is there more to life than living with a husband who is depressed and feels absolutely nothing and a Goth daughter who can't stand her? Sam, uses her relationship with a stranger to help her escape her everyday life. Clandestine meetings at a local coffee house and secret e-mails fill her days and her mind.Cammy Friedman feels like an outcast. Since finding out she was adopted Cammy has gotten into wearing all black clothing and white make-up. Drawing black teardrops on her jaw and messing around with a disreputable crowd. Is there more to life than this? Being an outcast who doesn't belong at school or at home? Cammy escapes by thinking and searching for her birth mother and by smoking reefer and popping pills.Until one day there isn't any escape for either of them.My Thoughts:This book caused me to shed a tear or two, which means it accomplished it's purpose. If a book can make you feel something, if it can move you in some way. Isn't that what it's all about? When I write I want to make a difference. I want to show someone something to inform them to make them think and Elizabeth Flock certainly did that for me.I find myself identifying with Samantha. There was a time in my life that I just felt like I was going through the motions, that life was just a succession of bad days and worse nights. My children were small and I just wanted more. I wasn't the person I always dreamed I'd be. I'm glad it didn't take a drastic situation to make me see that I had to change. But, I can see how in some people's lives that defining moment happens that way.Cammy is such a scared little girl in a teenagers body. She just wants to be loved for who she is. I wonder what my daughter thinks about. I wonder if she'll be faced with some of the hardships Cammy had to go through. I wonder if I'm doing enough? Am I asking the right questions? How well do I know her friends? Am I really aware of what's going on in her life?This book will make you think. It make you feel something. Whether it is desperation, sadness, even a kinship with Samantha or Cammy. You won't put this one down feeling the same way you did when you picked it up.(This book was provided by Goldberg McDuffie for review)I give this one 4 out 5 apples from my book bag.

[alera_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is absolutely heartbreaking. It's such a raw portrayal of a family that is simply falling apart because everyone is living inside their own worlds, believing that they have to do it alone, only to continually time and time again have things shatter. It's another moving piece by Elizabeth Flock with a sad, yet bitterly realistic ending.

[msgemini_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are looking for a "feel good" story..this is not the book to read. I was pulled right into this haunting story of a disturbing mother/daughter relationship. This story was told by both the mother, Samantha and the teenage daughter, Cammie. I so wanted to feel sympathy for Cammie but it just was not there for me. Instead, Cammie made me angry and I just wanted her to change her ways. I was equally angry at Samantha. I guess as the mother she was the one to set the tone in the relationship and maybe if she was not so selfish things would be different between mom and daughter. This is a book I liked from beginning to end.

[spibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this book left me feeling odd & out of sorts for days. Very touching and sad - a disenchanted family burdened by activities of daily life with a adopted daughter dealing with sex & drugs thrown in the mix.

[leadmomma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is book will take you into the life of a family who is falling apart. Told from the perspective of a middle-aged mom and a teen-aged daughter - the story telling takes you into both characters. If you wonder how or why people struggle to raise their teens -- this might give you insight into what they are struggling with -- it certainly opened my eyes. This is not a feel good skip in the park -- it is a emotional roller coaster that makes you think, feel and wonder.

[maryintexas39 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was really impressed with how Ms. Flock was able to get into the head of teenager Cammy. Amazing!

[midnighttwilight10_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Told through the point of view of both the mother and the daughter Sleepwalking in daylight is a touching story everyone can relate to. Samantha is a stay-at-home mom who's life is an endless cycle of errands, chores and carpools. She loves her family, but she feels like she's failed with a husband who's barely ever there and a goth daughter who she barely recognizes anymore. She then takes solace in another man. All they do is drink coffee and talk, but what would happen if it became more?Cammy feels like she was a mistake, a crack baby the Friedman's adopted when they thought they couldn't have children, then they had their twins. Cammy doesn't know what to do, she's pressured into sex and takes pills just to feel numb. But how far is too far?Neither can relate to each other, but both are confused and need someone to talk to.This book was amazing, touching, and heartbreaking. I fell in love with the characters. Even though i'm only seventeen i could sympathize extremely well with Samantha. Same thing with Cammy, we are polar opposites, but i could very easily understand what she was going through. This book is lifechanging and will haunt you for months after reading.