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Rest and Be Thankful
Laura is a nurse in a paediatric unit. On long, quiet shifts, she and her colleagues, clad in their different shades of blue, care for sick babies, handling their exquisitely frangible bodies, carefully calibrating the mysterious machines that keep them alive.
Laura may be burned out. Her hands have been raw from washing as long as she can remember. When she sleeps, she dreams of water; when she wakes, she finds herself lying next to a man who doesn't love her any more. And there is a strange figure dancing in the corner of her vision, always just beyond her reach.
Dark yet luminous, sensual yet chilling, ringing with strange music and laced with dread, Rest and Be Thankful is an unforgettable novel that confirms Emma Glass as a visionary new voice.
Laura may be burned out. Her hands have been raw from washing as long as she can remember. When she sleeps, she dreams of water; when she wakes, she finds herself lying next to a man who doesn't love her any more. And there is a strange figure dancing in the corner of her vision, always just beyond her reach.
Dark yet luminous, sensual yet chilling, ringing with strange music and laced with dread, Rest and Be Thankful is an unforgettable novel that confirms Emma Glass as a visionary new voice.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2020
About the author
Emma Glass
8 books137 followersEmma Glass was born in Swansea.
She studied English literature and creative writing at the University of Kent, then decided to become a nurse and went back to study children's nursing at Swansea University.
She lives in South London and is a research nurse specialist at Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Her debut novel Peach will be published in February 2018.
She studied English literature and creative writing at the University of Kent, then decided to become a nurse and went back to study children's nursing at Swansea University.
She lives in South London and is a research nurse specialist at Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Her debut novel Peach will be published in February 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 623 reviews
November 23, 2019
DNF
Sorry but Glass' trademark style just isn't for me. What others might find poetic and lyrical, I just find annoyingly overwritten: spilled tomato soup is 'red rain', tears are 'little spitting pitter patters of rain landing on leaves in a forest', a few hairs dragged out by stroking fingers result in the overwrought 'the sharp pain cuts through me like chalk screeching, sketching on a blackboard. My teeth grit... I touch my head and feel the sore spot spreading like milk under my fingertips'.
Ok, I get that these are the perceptions of a woman on the edge but the overload of adjectives, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, sometimes cliched to the point of banality, just grates and takes away from the intended sense impressions. Great cover but less would have been so much more for me - as it is I found this unreadable.
ARC from NetGalley
Sorry but Glass' trademark style just isn't for me. What others might find poetic and lyrical, I just find annoyingly overwritten: spilled tomato soup is 'red rain', tears are 'little spitting pitter patters of rain landing on leaves in a forest', a few hairs dragged out by stroking fingers result in the overwrought 'the sharp pain cuts through me like chalk screeching, sketching on a blackboard. My teeth grit... I touch my head and feel the sore spot spreading like milk under my fingertips'.
Ok, I get that these are the perceptions of a woman on the edge but the overload of adjectives, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, sometimes cliched to the point of banality, just grates and takes away from the intended sense impressions. Great cover but less would have been so much more for me - as it is I found this unreadable.
ARC from NetGalley
May 5, 2021
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/jh1faJ5N868
La scrittura della Glass è davvero potente e inquietante, come poche.
Qualche anno fa mi aveva sconvolto con il suo esordio, quel "La carne" che è uno dei pochissimi libri a essere riuscito a pugnalarmi (quasi letteralmente) allo stomaco e a privarmi il sonno. Solo per questo è un'autrice di cui, ne sono convinto, comprerò tutti i prossimi libri il giorno dell'uscita.
è successo anche con "Il battito fantasma", che ho preordinato in preda a un hype febbrile e subito, appena arrivatomi, mi sono fiondato nella lettura.
Una lettura decisamente ambigua e scurissima, meno disturbante e originale del precedente romanzo ma ugualmente annichilente. Una sorta di horror metafisico in cui ci catapultiamo nel malessere psichico-fisico di Laura, pediatra la cui vita si sta sfracellando tra mancanza di sonno, senso di colpa, lutto e una relazione a scatafascio.
Il tutto scritto in modo da non farci comprendere se stiamo vivendo un incubo o la realtà. Perché tra le due, in fin dei conti, non c'è differenza. Come fossimo prigionieri di uno spietato dormiveglia.
Se ne esce, all'ultima pagina, stanchi e claudicanti e, ancora una volta, con un coltello conficcato nella pancia.
Nonostante stia ancora aspettando quel libro tale da definirsi "capolavoro" o, semplicemente, "grande", io confermo che quest'autrice la amo.
La scrittura della Glass è davvero potente e inquietante, come poche.
Qualche anno fa mi aveva sconvolto con il suo esordio, quel "La carne" che è uno dei pochissimi libri a essere riuscito a pugnalarmi (quasi letteralmente) allo stomaco e a privarmi il sonno. Solo per questo è un'autrice di cui, ne sono convinto, comprerò tutti i prossimi libri il giorno dell'uscita.
è successo anche con "Il battito fantasma", che ho preordinato in preda a un hype febbrile e subito, appena arrivatomi, mi sono fiondato nella lettura.
Una lettura decisamente ambigua e scurissima, meno disturbante e originale del precedente romanzo ma ugualmente annichilente. Una sorta di horror metafisico in cui ci catapultiamo nel malessere psichico-fisico di Laura, pediatra la cui vita si sta sfracellando tra mancanza di sonno, senso di colpa, lutto e una relazione a scatafascio.
Il tutto scritto in modo da non farci comprendere se stiamo vivendo un incubo o la realtà. Perché tra le due, in fin dei conti, non c'è differenza. Come fossimo prigionieri di uno spietato dormiveglia.
Se ne esce, all'ultima pagina, stanchi e claudicanti e, ancora una volta, con un coltello conficcato nella pancia.
Nonostante stia ancora aspettando quel libro tale da definirsi "capolavoro" o, semplicemente, "grande", io confermo che quest'autrice la amo.
April 26, 2020
I can’t even express what Emma Glass’ writing does to me. Her writing is unique and doesn’t always paint a lovely picture but it leaves an indelible mark and image into my brain. Her words are visceral, haunting, poetic. This is a story of Laura on the edge, on the verge of an exhausted breakdown, a paediatric night shift nurse dealing with stress and trauma daily, with no sleep, no support this is when nightmares blur with reality, what is real what isn’t? Is this sleep deprivation or a ghost story? You often leave her books questioning everything you’ve read. I wanted more but I was also glad for it to stop. I’m so glad this book was picked for my bookclub!
Read
June 8, 2020Yeah... I'm trying to work out what that reveal actually WAS.
For the second time, I find her writing raw and visceral and evocative... but I can't help but feel like there's some crucial piece missing from the story that would allow me to know for sure. But then, that seems to be Glass' MO.
I both liked this more and less than Peach. Peach was baffling and surreal and strange, but a super quick read and even if you didn't know what you were feeling, you were probably feeling something.
This one seemed to have more of a clear story to it, but I found it easy to set this novella down repeatedly and would forget to pick it back up for days, weeks. Rest and Be Thankful still ended with a rather confused Figgy, wondering where the final piece to lock everything into place had gone.
For the most part here, I knew where she was and what was going on (or did I?). She's a paediatric nurse, her relationship is falling apart - likely to do with her long and irregular work hours, she has some kind of past trauma though it's not made clear what that is, and she's getting progressively more and more exhausted as they days go by. Kids she's known for years are dying on her. And she sees this weird, dead-like figure out of the corner of her waking eyes and always in her dreams.
But, like, why did she say to the nurse in charge of a shift "you have to be kidding?" (or some such... Will find the quote later, but that's the gist) when he asked her to take something to the lab? The concern about being asked to get "the box" is made clear through further exploration, but why is going to the lab such a dreaded task?
This, and the conclusion, and certain other bits make me sure there was knowledge kept deliberately from the reader, or maybe just not explored in the first place, and I want to know WHY.
Overall this is a very convincingly and tangibly written account of the feeling of being sleep deprived. I just wish some of the surrounding story had been painted a little clearer for this reader.
For the second time, I find her writing raw and visceral and evocative... but I can't help but feel like there's some crucial piece missing from the story that would allow me to know for sure. But then, that seems to be Glass' MO.
I both liked this more and less than Peach. Peach was baffling and surreal and strange, but a super quick read and even if you didn't know what you were feeling, you were probably feeling something.
This one seemed to have more of a clear story to it, but I found it easy to set this novella down repeatedly and would forget to pick it back up for days, weeks. Rest and Be Thankful still ended with a rather confused Figgy, wondering where the final piece to lock everything into place had gone.
For the most part here, I knew where she was and what was going on (or did I?). She's a paediatric nurse, her relationship is falling apart - likely to do with her long and irregular work hours, she has some kind of past trauma though it's not made clear what that is, and she's getting progressively more and more exhausted as they days go by. Kids she's known for years are dying on her. And she sees this weird, dead-like figure out of the corner of her waking eyes and always in her dreams.
But, like, why did she say to the nurse in charge of a shift "you have to be kidding?" (or some such... Will find the quote later, but that's the gist) when he asked her to take something to the lab? The concern about being asked to get "the box" is made clear through further exploration, but why is going to the lab such a dreaded task?
This, and the conclusion, and certain other bits make me sure there was knowledge kept deliberately from the reader, or maybe just not explored in the first place, and I want to know WHY.
Overall this is a very convincingly and tangibly written account of the feeling of being sleep deprived. I just wish some of the surrounding story had been painted a little clearer for this reader.
March 19, 2020
Laura is a paediatric nurse who works long and unsociable hours. She starts to experience sinister hallucinations. Her relationship with her boyfriend is falling apart. Laura is overworked and sleep deprived. She's in a mental and emotional decline.
This is a strange but moving novella. It's quite an eerie read. A short story about life and death on a pediatric ward.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and the author Emma Glass for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a strange but moving novella. It's quite an eerie read. A short story about life and death on a pediatric ward.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and the author Emma Glass for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2022
i am so confused
May 13, 2021
FINAL REVIEW // If you like your reads morbid and sinister, here you go. We follow Laura, an overworked pediatric nurse, who wonders if she is losing her mind. Every now and again, she sees a figure lurking in the shadows, who no one else seems to notice. Laura is also in charge of taking care of a baby with serious health complications, constantly hovering near the brink of death. The hospital is short-staffed, although Laura doesn’t seem to mind: “it’s never too much, I can take on more.” She’s in a relationship with a rather *ahem* unpleasant man. Although we’re not given any tangible context on why their relationship is so unbearably sour, the way he treats her is excruciating to read. Needless to say, Laura is not having a great time of it all.
I was hooked from the start because of a) Emma Glass’ poetic writing style and b) the dark and dreary (almost gothic) vibe. You’ll be wondering what exactly is this; what kind of story is this trying to be? Is it an exploration of depression, a descent into madness, a tale of self-destruction, sleep deprivation, mental/physical fatigue, PTSD, or being overworked in the medical field? That last one was particularly interesting, seeing as we are in a pandemic, and the medical profession has gone through an entire year of being overworked and overloaded. It felt timely, and provides a bit of insight into what that must be like, although Glass couldn’t have known this is how readers in 2020 and beyond could choose to interpret the text.
Even though this story is written in first person, Laura isn’t addressing the story to us, the readers. She’s relating it to someone in particular: the dreadful man in her life, who she is devastatingly in love with: “You get dressed and leave without saying anything more. I move around the memory of you in the room to gather my clothes and shoes.” *sigh* And no spoilers - the ending of this novel is truly fantastic, in a way that is shattering, head-scratching, transfixing, and up for your interpretation.
Great read. And not at all straightforward. The best kind of experience.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COx7VNorE...
I was hooked from the start because of a) Emma Glass’ poetic writing style and b) the dark and dreary (almost gothic) vibe. You’ll be wondering what exactly is this; what kind of story is this trying to be? Is it an exploration of depression, a descent into madness, a tale of self-destruction, sleep deprivation, mental/physical fatigue, PTSD, or being overworked in the medical field? That last one was particularly interesting, seeing as we are in a pandemic, and the medical profession has gone through an entire year of being overworked and overloaded. It felt timely, and provides a bit of insight into what that must be like, although Glass couldn’t have known this is how readers in 2020 and beyond could choose to interpret the text.
Even though this story is written in first person, Laura isn’t addressing the story to us, the readers. She’s relating it to someone in particular: the dreadful man in her life, who she is devastatingly in love with: “You get dressed and leave without saying anything more. I move around the memory of you in the room to gather my clothes and shoes.” *sigh* And no spoilers - the ending of this novel is truly fantastic, in a way that is shattering, head-scratching, transfixing, and up for your interpretation.
Great read. And not at all straightforward. The best kind of experience.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COx7VNorE...
September 3, 2020
4.5/5. There's a beautifully hypnotic quality to the writing in this and I inhaled it in one sitting. And that ending though!!
January 24, 2024
the portrayal of the difficulty of working in the medical field was pretty accurate but my hopes faltered when i saw once again a nurse falling in love (or something like that) with a doctor. this trope can die, i'm getting a little tired of it.
(context : i'm a medical student and i swear the hospital is not some big romantic scene where rubbing lotion on one another is common practice or in the least romantic )
(context : i'm a medical student and i swear the hospital is not some big romantic scene where rubbing lotion on one another is common practice or in the least romantic )
November 11, 2019
4.5 rounded down
Rest and Be Thankful has a similar vibe to Glass's 2018 debut Peach - visceral, dark, poetic and experimental - but I'd venture that it's more accessible and hopeful than its predecessor, while still maintaining that slightly unnerving edge that worked so well in Peach and sets Glass's writing apart.
The protagonist, Laura, is a nurse in a paediatric unit. Laura is permanently exhausted, unhappy in her relationship and has dark, vivid dreams (when she does finally get some sleep). We follow her in her job on the ward where she is confronted daily by the impermanence and fragility of life in the children she looks after; in her dreams where she gets no respite from reality and in her short hours awake at home with her unpleasant boyfriend.
Glass says a hell of a lot in few pages, and her writing is something special - this made for utterly compelling reading and I can't wait for her next offering.
Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Rest and Be Thankful has a similar vibe to Glass's 2018 debut Peach - visceral, dark, poetic and experimental - but I'd venture that it's more accessible and hopeful than its predecessor, while still maintaining that slightly unnerving edge that worked so well in Peach and sets Glass's writing apart.
The protagonist, Laura, is a nurse in a paediatric unit. Laura is permanently exhausted, unhappy in her relationship and has dark, vivid dreams (when she does finally get some sleep). We follow her in her job on the ward where she is confronted daily by the impermanence and fragility of life in the children she looks after; in her dreams where she gets no respite from reality and in her short hours awake at home with her unpleasant boyfriend.
Glass says a hell of a lot in few pages, and her writing is something special - this made for utterly compelling reading and I can't wait for her next offering.
Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2023
If anyone thinks that health professionals don't deserve the pay rise they're asking for, read this book and tell me why. Not only does it show the daily emotional toil that is thrown at you, repeatedly, but it also shows the damage it causes to your wider social and physical health. Patients dying every say, grieving relatives, 12 hour shifts without a break. It's a constant stream of PTSD inducing events.
I will point out that I didn't personally live the writing style. It's a bit too purple prose, with lots of similes that I didn't care for. However, the emotional intent behind every word was delivered with precision and care.
I will point out that I didn't personally live the writing style. It's a bit too purple prose, with lots of similes that I didn't care for. However, the emotional intent behind every word was delivered with precision and care.
June 1, 2020
For personal reasons this was a harrowing and often distressing read. And yet its beauty really shone through; so warm, so tender, so terribly human. Glass possesses a unique and profound sensibility, crafting raw and spare but absolutely essential gems. Two books in and I can't wait to see what comes next.
January 2, 2023
she was neither resting or thankful
February 27, 2023
10000000000000 STARS
This book was the most beautiful, lyrically haunting, emotionally devastating, thing I've ever read and it's only 132 pages.
This book was the most beautiful, lyrically haunting, emotionally devastating, thing I've ever read and it's only 132 pages.
December 2, 2020
This autobiographical novel about a couple of days in the life of a beleaguered children’s nurse is so drenched with alliteration and imagery that it feels as if Glass wanted to write poetry instead. At a London hospital, Laura cares for babies who will most likely die. There are procedures in place to make this harrowing assignment as easy as possible – all the way down to a tiny reusable coffin and dark towels used to discreetly soak up blood. Laura’s relationship with her boyfriend is foundering, and she is so exhausted that she starts to forget some things and hallucinate others. She is haunted by dreams of drowning in a frozen lake. Very little happens in the book, which is more about the lyrical language (stream of consciousness passages, metaphors, and did I mention alliteration?) than the plot. Although the plight of overworked nurses is a perennially important topic, especially during COVID-19, there wasn’t enough content here to fill more than a short story. One for fans of Sight by Jessie Greengrass.
March 2, 2021
A paediatric nurse floored by fatigue and a crumbling relationship starts to experience sinister hallucinations.
This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I quite enjoyed the writing style but it did get very convoluted and tedious at times. The narrative was also portrayed as one long soliloquy which became monotonous towards the latter third.
The story is very morose and most other characters aren’t explored but just dropped on you by surprise; again it seemed slightly fitting for the storyline but was also jarring as a reader.
An okayish novella, but nothing fantastic.
This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I quite enjoyed the writing style but it did get very convoluted and tedious at times. The narrative was also portrayed as one long soliloquy which became monotonous towards the latter third.
The story is very morose and most other characters aren’t explored but just dropped on you by surprise; again it seemed slightly fitting for the storyline but was also jarring as a reader.
An okayish novella, but nothing fantastic.
December 16, 2020
4.5, rounded down.
I read and was impressed by Glass's debut novel, the rape drama Peach, but this is, if anything, even more harrowing and accomplished. After reading it, it didn't surprise me to learn from the Acknowledgements page that Glass herself is a pediatric nurse, since she renders the almost nightmarish world of an urban hospital with the kind of insider knowledge and acuity that cannot be gleaned any other way.
Not so sure this is the 'right' time for such a story, since everyone is rather burned out on stories of ill-equipped hospitals in the midst of the pandemic, but one can't blame the author for such poor timing. Her prose style is quite unique, mixing the banal with the fantastical, and somehow it all works beautifully. I wasn't so sure I would sample more from this author after her debut, but this is so compelling and well-done, I now look forward to her next offering.
Sincere thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
I read and was impressed by Glass's debut novel, the rape drama Peach, but this is, if anything, even more harrowing and accomplished. After reading it, it didn't surprise me to learn from the Acknowledgements page that Glass herself is a pediatric nurse, since she renders the almost nightmarish world of an urban hospital with the kind of insider knowledge and acuity that cannot be gleaned any other way.
Not so sure this is the 'right' time for such a story, since everyone is rather burned out on stories of ill-equipped hospitals in the midst of the pandemic, but one can't blame the author for such poor timing. Her prose style is quite unique, mixing the banal with the fantastical, and somehow it all works beautifully. I wasn't so sure I would sample more from this author after her debut, but this is so compelling and well-done, I now look forward to her next offering.
Sincere thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
April 28, 2021
Despite being a relatively short read, Rest and Be Thankful manages to pack a hefty punch. We follow Laura, a paediatric nurse, as the physical and emotional demands of her job become increasingly all consuming. With exhaustion taking hold and her relationship falling apart, strange nightmares begin to bleed into her days. Eventually, she finds herself haunted by an elusive spectre; a menacing figure that always seems to linger just beyond her grasp.
If there’s ever a time to collectively stop taking for granted the enormous sacrifices made by healthcare workers, it’s now, and though this novel doesn’t deal with any kind of pandemic, it does a wonderful job of showing just how overworked and under-supported nursing staff are – even at the best of times.
There’s such a gentleness to much of the book, but it is this distinctly quiet grace that lends several moments their devastating power. An early example springs to mind in which Laura lovingly tends to Danny, a baby she has become particularly fond of. With Danny’s mother asleep by his side, Laura clears the baby’s airways, reads his pulse, and warms his tiny toes between her fingers. As she does this, she can tell that he isn’t going to survive, and knows his mother must be told this devastating news when she wakes up. The scene is so understated and avoids all melodrama, and yet it gave me shivers.
For a time, Laura is partnered with a young and enthusiastic student nurse. Glass uses their dynamic to explore the difficult balancing act that experienced nurses must perform, as they prepare newcomers for the reality of life on the ward without crushing every ounce of their hope and optimism. As events unfold, Glass also explores the lack of effective support in place to help nurses process the constant stress and grief they must endure. This is where the flirtations with the supernatural really come into their own, with Laura appearing to lose her grip on reality. The increasing presence of the mysterious spectre is matched by a swelling tension; a tragic conclusion feeling ever more inevitable. There are fascinating conversations to be had here, but to me, the figure itself represented a physical manifestation of Laura’s unaddressed trauma, and the threat of allowing this kind of pain to haunt you.
Away from the hospital, we see the effect Laura’s enormous work commitments have had on her relationship. In fact, the book is written largely in second person, addressed to her partner. There’s a possible interpretation as to why this is that I don’t want to discuss for the purpose of spoilers, but even taken at face value, it’s a poignant reminder that despite their unwavering commitment to their work, nurses are all individuals with their own lives, loves and losses to contend with. Just as they aren’t given ample opportunity to deal with work related issues, their insane schedules leave little room to handle personal problems either.
The writing style is interesting and I think it will split opinion. Glass employs a lot of exaggerated metaphors but there are beautiful passages that read like prose poetry. In any other context, I would agree with those who will undoubtedly feel the book is overwritten. Here, the almost cloying prose mirrors the heavy atmosphere and the increasingly hypnotic, otherworldly tone of the narrative. The best way I can describe it is that it felt to me like quicksand, pulling you in the more you resisted; a perfect metaphor in its own right for Laura’s relentless routine, her deteriorating mental health, and her inescapable fate.
While I can see this not working quite as well for everyone, I have been completely unable to shake the way this book made me feel. It offers a compelling narrative and a sympathetic heroine sure to resonate deeply in these strange times, but its impact, nuance, and perfectly pitched ambiguity transcend current events and invite further analysis well beyond the page. The longer I sit with it, the more impressed I am by the skill that was necessary to pull off what Glass has achieved with this slight, singular novel.
If there’s ever a time to collectively stop taking for granted the enormous sacrifices made by healthcare workers, it’s now, and though this novel doesn’t deal with any kind of pandemic, it does a wonderful job of showing just how overworked and under-supported nursing staff are – even at the best of times.
There’s such a gentleness to much of the book, but it is this distinctly quiet grace that lends several moments their devastating power. An early example springs to mind in which Laura lovingly tends to Danny, a baby she has become particularly fond of. With Danny’s mother asleep by his side, Laura clears the baby’s airways, reads his pulse, and warms his tiny toes between her fingers. As she does this, she can tell that he isn’t going to survive, and knows his mother must be told this devastating news when she wakes up. The scene is so understated and avoids all melodrama, and yet it gave me shivers.
For a time, Laura is partnered with a young and enthusiastic student nurse. Glass uses their dynamic to explore the difficult balancing act that experienced nurses must perform, as they prepare newcomers for the reality of life on the ward without crushing every ounce of their hope and optimism. As events unfold, Glass also explores the lack of effective support in place to help nurses process the constant stress and grief they must endure. This is where the flirtations with the supernatural really come into their own, with Laura appearing to lose her grip on reality. The increasing presence of the mysterious spectre is matched by a swelling tension; a tragic conclusion feeling ever more inevitable. There are fascinating conversations to be had here, but to me, the figure itself represented a physical manifestation of Laura’s unaddressed trauma, and the threat of allowing this kind of pain to haunt you.
Away from the hospital, we see the effect Laura’s enormous work commitments have had on her relationship. In fact, the book is written largely in second person, addressed to her partner. There’s a possible interpretation as to why this is that I don’t want to discuss for the purpose of spoilers, but even taken at face value, it’s a poignant reminder that despite their unwavering commitment to their work, nurses are all individuals with their own lives, loves and losses to contend with. Just as they aren’t given ample opportunity to deal with work related issues, their insane schedules leave little room to handle personal problems either.
The writing style is interesting and I think it will split opinion. Glass employs a lot of exaggerated metaphors but there are beautiful passages that read like prose poetry. In any other context, I would agree with those who will undoubtedly feel the book is overwritten. Here, the almost cloying prose mirrors the heavy atmosphere and the increasingly hypnotic, otherworldly tone of the narrative. The best way I can describe it is that it felt to me like quicksand, pulling you in the more you resisted; a perfect metaphor in its own right for Laura’s relentless routine, her deteriorating mental health, and her inescapable fate.
While I can see this not working quite as well for everyone, I have been completely unable to shake the way this book made me feel. It offers a compelling narrative and a sympathetic heroine sure to resonate deeply in these strange times, but its impact, nuance, and perfectly pitched ambiguity transcend current events and invite further analysis well beyond the page. The longer I sit with it, the more impressed I am by the skill that was necessary to pull off what Glass has achieved with this slight, singular novel.
October 2, 2023
A quietly haunting work of social horror that explores the plight of those who give themselves away in order to care for others. Through fever dream prose that is as elegant as it is unsettling, we see the devastating effects of burnout, as well as the crushing emotional and physical expectations placed on caretakers and healthcare workers. Despite its heavy subjects and mounting psychological horror, Rest and Be Thankful is consistent in its message of empathy and the unrelenting effort to do good. A heartbreaking glimpse into the professions that are an endless source of comfort and care, so much so that their own workers’ struggles are unnoticed, to terrible consequences.
March 17, 2023
pięknie smutna, smutno piękna proza jest moją ulubioną
October 29, 2019
Literally threw the book across the room in shock.
This isn't as muscular as Peach, but has a new mixture of tenderness and weariness. What a fascinating writer, and what a strange, creepy little book.
This isn't as muscular as Peach, but has a new mixture of tenderness and weariness. What a fascinating writer, and what a strange, creepy little book.
March 16, 2021
Am I burned out or did this book make me feel burned out? Anyways, I took a few days off.
October 31, 2023
Labai gražiai parašyta, įtaigi trumpa novelė
Laura dirba sesele naujagimių skyriuje. Ji pavargusi, tiek pavargusi, kad naktinės pamainos eina tarsi sapnas. Grįžus namo laukia draugas su kuriuo jau nebėra kokio ryšio. Laura nori tik miegoti, bet užmigus ji skęsta ir bando iškilti virš vandens
Viskas susilieja, neaišku kur sapnas kur realybė. Kūdikiai miršta, gimsta, realybės maišosi su sapnu. Autorė labai įdomiai pasirinkus ištrinti tą ribą. Įtampa auga, liko paskutinė naktis ir tada Laura turės 3 laisvas dienas
Galas mane pribloškė (nors ten tik 2 sakiniai), kad turėjau grįžti atgal kelis kartus, kad rasčiau ženklus kurie padėtų atskirti ar tai tikra ar tik dar vienas košmaras?
Labai patiko autorės stilius, sakyčiau poetiškas, tirštas, nedaugžodžiaujantis
Knyga tamsi kaip tas metas kai esi toks pavargęs, kad negali užmigti.
Skaitykit, jei tik pasitaikys po ranka!
September 23, 2023
Dark, feverish dreams.
Fell short of 5 stars only because the story was way too convoluted. Enjoyed the ride all the same.
Cover art is it's own story!! 🤩
Fell short of 5 stars only because the story was way too convoluted. Enjoyed the ride all the same.
Cover art is it's own story!! 🤩
October 25, 2020
One of these short poetic books that I do love. Laura is working unforgiving shifts on the baby ward while things are falling apart in her personal life, and the whole thing is addressed to her dodgy boyfriend. The atmosphere is taut and uncanny, just as I remember hospital night shifts, especially when you haven’t been able to sleep properly in between - thinking is a struggle and reality can get the better of you.
It captures too the special relationship nurses have for their patients. I remember years ago on a different kind of ward, and a nurse told me that one of my (unwell elderly) patients was going to die that day - I didn’t believe her but you can guess who was right. I learned a good lesson on listening that day.
I’ve got my own thoughts about the ending which might differ from other people’s but this is a good nightmarish read.
“I am partly impressed and partly terrified at my ability to function, to pull myself together, to remain present, and to present myself.”
It captures too the special relationship nurses have for their patients. I remember years ago on a different kind of ward, and a nurse told me that one of my (unwell elderly) patients was going to die that day - I didn’t believe her but you can guess who was right. I learned a good lesson on listening that day.
I’ve got my own thoughts about the ending which might differ from other people’s but this is a good nightmarish read.
“I am partly impressed and partly terrified at my ability to function, to pull myself together, to remain present, and to present myself.”
January 1, 2020
Curious, this: Glass’s depiction of a NICU nurse who is overworked, desperately sleep-deprived, and already prone to chronic anxiety and depression is extremely affecting, but also feels very one-note. There is nothing in the book other than the protagonist Laura’s increasing inability to keep herself together, her physical deterioration (red, cracked hands and greasy hair) mirroring her mental and emotional decline. Her boyfriend, who leaves her, is clearly a dickhead, but one also struggles to blame him for wanting more out of his relationship than the miserable zombie he’s currently living with. Hints that Laura is struggling with a deeper trauma hidden in her past go some way towards clarifying her state of mind, but the final-page revelation feels slightly unearned. Perhaps if I read it a second time I would get more out of it.
September 24, 2023
I was fighting for my life to stay awake.
April 30, 2022
Do you ever just read something that completely flies over your head? Because this was one of those for me.
Whilst I'm sure some might come to like and enjoy this book, I've had to arrive at the conclusion that it just wasn't for me. Mostly, I struggled a lot with the writing style. It's written in a poetic sort of way, except it's excruciatingly long. No end in sight. Short sentences that are (I'm assuming) meant to deliver impact and tension, but instead feel over-dramatised. Combined with the lengthy paragraphs that just go on, and on, and on - it didn't read well at all. Obviously this is a personal opinion though. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I don't seem to enjoy modern poetry either, so the prose just didn't do it for me at all.
For a book that had an intriguing blurb, it really didn't convey the true colours of the story across. The blurb actually sounds decent and coherent. The book is anything but that. I can appreciate a good, abstract or strange tone when it comes to narrative - such as Untold Night and Day - but this wasn't it. The ending was abrupt and had no build-up to it. I'm hoping it didn't mean what I think it did - but who knows really. If you asked me to, I wouldn't be able to adequately explain to you what this book was about.
There was also a second person POV aspect in the book? Like, the narrator - Laura, who tells her story from first person - would address the reader. I kept waiting for this to somehow become relevant or for the reason as to why this was a thing, be cleverly revealed. But nothing. It was just there. It creeped me out more than anything, as the 'you' she was talking to, seemed to be her boyfriend who wasn't exactly a nice guy, let's just say. Felt like it was trying to be clever, but provided no explanation as to why this addition was necessary.
To really hone in how challenging it was to read; it took me months to finish it, despite it being only 130 pages long. Half a year to be exact. Every time I'd sit down to read it, I'd have to stop after a few pages because it was either too grey, lifeless or trying to be over-the-top poetic. I'll stop ranting now, but you get the point. I just didn't like this book. If my review has intrigued you though, feel free to read it and make up your own mind about it.
Whilst I'm sure some might come to like and enjoy this book, I've had to arrive at the conclusion that it just wasn't for me. Mostly, I struggled a lot with the writing style. It's written in a poetic sort of way, except it's excruciatingly long. No end in sight. Short sentences that are (I'm assuming) meant to deliver impact and tension, but instead feel over-dramatised. Combined with the lengthy paragraphs that just go on, and on, and on - it didn't read well at all. Obviously this is a personal opinion though. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I don't seem to enjoy modern poetry either, so the prose just didn't do it for me at all.
For a book that had an intriguing blurb, it really didn't convey the true colours of the story across. The blurb actually sounds decent and coherent. The book is anything but that. I can appreciate a good, abstract or strange tone when it comes to narrative - such as Untold Night and Day - but this wasn't it. The ending was abrupt and had no build-up to it. I'm hoping it didn't mean what I think it did - but who knows really. If you asked me to, I wouldn't be able to adequately explain to you what this book was about.
There was also a second person POV aspect in the book? Like, the narrator - Laura, who tells her story from first person - would address the reader. I kept waiting for this to somehow become relevant or for the reason as to why this was a thing, be cleverly revealed. But nothing. It was just there. It creeped me out more than anything, as the 'you' she was talking to, seemed to be her boyfriend who wasn't exactly a nice guy, let's just say. Felt like it was trying to be clever, but provided no explanation as to why this addition was necessary.
To really hone in how challenging it was to read; it took me months to finish it, despite it being only 130 pages long. Half a year to be exact. Every time I'd sit down to read it, I'd have to stop after a few pages because it was either too grey, lifeless or trying to be over-the-top poetic. I'll stop ranting now, but you get the point. I just didn't like this book. If my review has intrigued you though, feel free to read it and make up your own mind about it.
April 18, 2020
'I am here, I am working in the dark. I slip in, I ease myself between them and the crushing weight of their worry. I take the weight and brace myself. I spread my arms, my tired arms tremble. But it's never too much, I can take more.' This book (written by real-life nurse Emma Glass), took my breath away. The protagonist, also a paediatric nurse, exists in a murky state of semi-consciousness. Exhaustion mingles with trauma she never has a chance to come to terms with. She has to keep going. By day, she monitors heartbeats, administers medication and catches grieving mothers before they fall. At night, she nestles close to someone who doesn't love her, just to feel his warmth. Sleep is elusive. What's real and unreal starts to blur. When she does sleep, her dreams are haunted by the presence of a strange figure cloaked in black. It's still there when she wakes up, lingering in the hospital corridors; an ever present symbol of her anxiety. There is no one to ask her if she's eaten, if she's slept, if she's ok. In spite of it all, it's clear that her work is the only thing that gives her purpose. She is there because she truly wants to be. I can't think of a more prescient time to read this book, when so many nurses are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. It's an honest, unflinching and beautifully written tribute to everything they do. Reading it will make you all the more grateful.
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