Another Night, Another Day by Sarah Rayner

 

Three people meet at Moreland's Psychiatric Clinic where they are all receiving treatment. Karen's father is dying, she's a widow with two young children to bring up. Abby is separating from her husband and they have a seven year old son who has autism. Michael is married and his two children are at university; he's the family's sole bread winner and his business has collapsed with him owing lots of money. All of them are believable and it could easily be any one of us in their situation. In this novel we meet some characters from two of the author's previous books, One Moment, One Morning and The Two Week Wait. Another Night isn't a sequel to either of these though and you won't need to have read them to understand or enjoy her latest.

Despite the subject matter I found this an easy read and with some humour throughout it never becomes too dark or heavy going. Sarah Rayner manages to convey what it's like for people suffering from anxiety or depression and how it affects the way they think about and see things.

Thanks to Picador for the proof copy. It's published on 17th July but will also be available in Waterstones from 8th May, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week.

Rating: 4 out of 5