Are You Sleeping
First edition
AuthorKathleen Barber
GenreMystery
PublisherGallery Books
Publication date
Aug 1, 2017
Pages326
ISBN9781501157660

Are You Sleeping, the debut novel of Kathleen Barber, is a murder mystery.[1][2] Barber draws on her knowledge of the law, practicing in Chicago and New York. Barber acknowledges that she was influenced by the Serial podcast, and a key element of the novel is a podcast that looks into the case of a prisoner who may have been wrongfully convicted of murder.[3] The hardcover edition was published in 2017 and the paperback in 2018.

Television rights were acquired, and Nichelle Tramble Spellman produced a television series entitled Truth Be Told for the Apple TV+ streaming service starting in 2019.[2][4][5][6][7][8] The novel was then renamed Truth Be Told in 2019 to reflect the name of the television series.

Plot

Estranged twins Josie and Lanie Buhrman lost both their parents when they were fifteen years old.[3] Their father was murdered, and their mother ran away to join a cult. Thirteen years later the sisters each learn that an independent investigative journalist, Poppy Parnell, is regularly releasing podcasts in which she investigates whether Warren Cave, the man convicted of killing their father, was wrongfully convicted,[9] as his conviction relied heavily on Lanie's eyewitness testimony. As Parnell's investigation gathers steam, the twins are forced to meet after their mother commits suicide.[3]

Differences with TV series

Bustle magazine published a guide to the novel for fans of the TV series, detailing major adjustments the screenwriters made in their adaptation to a visual media.[9] For instance the novel's protagonist is Josie Burhman, one of the twins, and Poppy Parnell, the podcaster, is merely a minor character. As Parnell's podcasts dig up new evidence, Josie's doubts about Cave's convictions grow.

References

  1. ^ "Kathleen Barber, December 28". River Cities' Reader. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2019-07-22. Author Barber was raised in Galesburg and graduated from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law. While she previously practiced bankruptcy law at large firms in Chicago and New York, Barber is also a registered yoga teacher and self-described "incurable wanderer" who, when she isn't writing, enjoys traveling the world with her husband.
  2. ^ a b Leslie Renken (2020-02-29). "Author Kathleen Barber, a Galesburg native, is promoting her second book". Peoria Journal Star. Peoria. Archived from the original on 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-04-29. In 2014 Barber left her career as a New York City attorney in corporate restructuring to write novels. In 2017 she published her first book, "Are You Sleeping?" and last fall a film adaptation of the book, called "Truth be Told," aired on Apple TV+.
  3. ^ a b c Bethanne Patrick (2017-08-06). "A Podcast Reopens Old Wounds In 'Are You Sleeping'". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  4. ^ Charlotte Walsh (2018-01-24). "NU alumna's novel 'Are You Sleeping' to be made into TV series starring Octavia Spencer". Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  5. ^ Ashley Steves (2018-11-30). "L.A. What's Filming: Apple Series 'Are You Sleeping' Starring Octavia Spencer + Aaron Paul". Backstage. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2019-07-22. The series stars Octavia Spencer, Michael Beach, Lizzy Caplan, Ron Cephas Jones, Aaron Paul, Elizabeth Perkins, and other major names.
  6. ^ Nellie Andreeva (2018-10-08). "'Are You Sleeping': Katherine LaNasa Joins Apple Series In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  7. ^ Denise Petski (2018-08-21). "'Bosch' Casts Chris Ashworth; Lyndon Smith Joins 'Are You Sleeping'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2019-07-22. Are You Sleeping, created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, provides a unique glimpse into America's obsession with true-crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.
  8. ^ Robert Connelly (2017-08-03). "Galesburg native publishes crime thriller". Galesburg Register-Mail. Galesburg, Illinois. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2019-07-23. Amazon describes the book as an 'inventive and twisty psychological thriller about a mega-hit podcast that reopens a murder case and threatens to unravel the carefully constructed life of the victim's daughter.'
  9. ^ a b Gretchen Smail (2019-12-06). "Did Warren Kill Chuck In 'Truth Be Told'? The Source Material Has A Shocking Ending". Bustle magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2020-04-29. Viewers interested in speeding ahead of Poppy may find answers in Kathleen Barber's novel Are You Sleeping, the source material for Truth Be Told.
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