SLEEP SISTER

Sleep Sister

Karen Breen

Published by Eunoia Publishing - RRP $30.00

A beautiful coming-of-age story that revels in its time and place, Sleep Sister is an evocative and moving debut heralding an unforgettable new literary voice.

Awhina Bay is so far away that once you get there, you start to think that you will never be able to leave.

On the last day of 1979, sisters Gilly and Marina and their little brother Davy are running wild with all the other children at a remote campsite on a beautiful Northland beach. While the adults party, the children’s games grow more reckless.

Over the next seven years, the Duggan family tries to forget the tragic events of that night. But 1987 is the year that blows everything apart. A death in the family creates seismic shifts in loyalty. Trust is betrayed and new allegiances are formed. Just as the excesses of the early 80s come to an abrupt halt, the family is made to face up to the past. 

A sharply intelligent novel that is both compassionate and cutting, Sleep Sister is an unforgettable debut.

About the author:

Karen Breen is an author and publisher. She is a director of Eunoia Publishing, a new, independent company committed to producing books "which are a work of art in every way".  She is a former journalist, television producer and director.

Born and raised in Auckland, Karen has a BA, English major, from Auckland University, and a Diploma of Journalism from AIT (now AUT). She worked for the NBR and was later Editor at Trends Magazines.  She lived for many years in London where she made programmes for Channel 4, the BBC and Channel 5, before returning to New Zealand with her family.  In 2008 she completed the Master of Creative Writing degree (1st class Hons) at AUT. She co-authored the genre-defying The Bitter Sweet Philosophies (published July 2014) in a collaboration between Russian artist Nick Fedaeff and a group of writers called KK Jart. Sleep Sister is her first novel.