 | |
| Author | John Scott |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | Penguin, Australia |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 433 |
| ISBN | 0140256954 |
| Preceded by | What I Have Written |
| Followed by | The Architect |
Before I Wake (1996) is a novel by Australian author John Scott.
The novel consists of a sequence of five novellas and features poems by Melissa Curran, attributed in the story to the character Danielle. [1] The main character is Jonathan Ford, a failed writer who travels through Thirroul, Paris, Littlehampton, and Tasmania, reflecting on his difficult childhood before reuniting with his sisters. He seduces and abandons a poet named Danielle, who commits suicide. He also forms a relationship with a woman named Donna and her sister Rachel; the three end the novel in tentative happiness at a vineyard in Tasmania, which Rachel inherits after another character, Tardieu, is the victim of parochial violence. [2]
The core theme of the novel is the impact of abuse, especially child abuse, and the experience of personal damage and failure. [2] In addition to the characters' many experiences of abuse and violence, the novel discusses the murder of James Bulger, which occurred three years prior to the novel's publication. [1]
In 1997, the novel was shortlisted for both the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction.