Description

A haunting, visionary novel that entwines the personal with the global in a tale of dreams, survival, and transformation

Eva, a neurologist specializing in sleep, retreats to the isolated marshlands of the Camargue with her eight-year-old daughter Lucie, to protect them both from a violent man and a world that appears to be unraveling.

At first their retreat appears idyllic. Then, one night, Lucie wakes in tears after a disturbing dream. At the same time, children all over the world cry out in their sleep-a phenomenon that quickly ripples into waking life, heralding inexplicable calamities, harbingers of ancient plagues. Between the whispering reeds and the ever-watchful horizon, Eva faces the narrow frontier between waking and dreaming.

Martinez blends myth and psychological insight to explore how collective dreams might be messages from a beleaguered planet. Structurally bold and emotionally potent, the novel addresses themes of motherhood, violence, ecological collapse, and the universal search for meaning in chaos.

Publisher Review

“Formidable…every sunset comes as a threat and every page is a jolt of catharsis.” * Le Nouvel Obs * “Martinez maintains a striking narrative tension in this significant, lyrical, labyrinthine novel that recounts the deepest corners of childhood, the dark night of man, ancient terrors, and the vertigo we feel while staring at the edge of infinity.” * Le Monde *