Naked Sleeper

Nona longs for a life of purpose—if only she can stop getting in her own way. Nona is stuck: happily married to Roy but chasing after a man she neither loves nor respects, unable to complete the book she’s writing about her late father, and, worst of all, battling a raging bout of insomnia. After a spontaneous cross-country trip to see her lover that spectacularly detonates her life, she returns to New York ready to get herself back on track. But how? Respite comes from an unexpected source: one of her father’s old lovers. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, which delights Nona. As she finds her way back onto solid ground, an unforeseen catastrophe threatens the new world she’s built, and Nona is forced to confront the complexities of love, desire, family, and mortality in a wholly new way. Originally published in 1996, Naked Sleeper is early evidence of a master at work. The beloved hallmarks of Nunez’s writing—a plainspoken but lyrical voice, a female protagonist at odds with herself, a fond depiction of New York City, a canine companion—take shape in this book, appealing to longtime fans of her work and to those who are just coming to love her. Compelling, emotionally charged, and written with Nunez’s characteristically exquisite detail and psychological precision, Naked Sleeper is the unforgettable account of a woman finding her way.