This is a fast engrossing book
The writing was well done and flowed well
However the story did lack the thrilling element that I had hoped for
This was a dark gripping contemporary

Well, this wouldn’t have been the book I expected from its striking cover of an office tower lit up at night by those workers still in the office. And more’s the pity as this is a disappointingly average book that, for me, lacked an engaging lead character and/or a believable plot.

I had thought, from the cover image, that this would be about the overlooked, about the communities of workers / cleaners / overnight staff that do their shifts at night. Thought this might be a fascinating story about marginalised communities, prejudice etc. Not at all. Rather, this is about a young woman, Meggie, who forms an obsession about a new co-worker, the effortlessly chic and mysterious Sabine, and who promptly changes her shifts at work from the day to the night so she can spend more time observing and ingratiating herself with Sabine.

This didn’t even manifest as an engaging psychological thriller – Sabine doesn’t seem that worthy of obsession – she has all the airs of Parisian chic but we don’t seem to get too beyond that before Meggie is rifling through her private drawers and wearing her McQueen scarf when Sabine’s not looking. It’s all a bit OTT and not believable, which meant it’s then hard to stick through with the characters to the rousing finale. I felt more groundwork was needed through the first two thirds of the book to earn the manifestation of complex psychology and those that shapeshift to leave their pasts behind.

Trigger warning: Sexual violence

A truly relatable story of belonging, exploration, escapism and self. Meggie is stuck in a rut and sees the mysterious and alluring Sabine as her chance at a more exciting existence. But is Sabine all that she seems? And is what Maggie is running towards really better than what she is running from?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC of this book.

I was very intrigued by the premise- Meggie follows a friend, Sabine, into the nightshift where it seems like reality somehow becomes untethered. It ended up not feeling as tense and suspenseful as I originally anticipated (I felt like it would've been a scary thriller novel, but it ended up being more psychological). It kind of reads like a memoir because Meggie is supposedly telling this story many decades later, but because it's in retrospect the stakes feel much lower.

A tale of obsession set against the backdrop of late-night London which, as a British female who has worked many a night in the capital, delighted and intrigued me. The level of intrigue was perfect and I was caught up in the relationships unfolding in the office cubicles, poised and captivated with what was going to happen next. Kiare Ladner is an author on my to-watch list for the future because this was a highly enjoyable novel.

Nightshift by Kiare Ladner

A dark pacy book about obsession, Nightshift is set in 1990s London abs centres around Meggie, who has become infatuated with her co-worker Sabine. This isn’t my usual type of book but I enjoyed this dark and quirky tale. Interesting and well written - and not too long!

Thanks as always to NetGalley and to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was attracted to Nightshift because it promised a story of nighttime, of dark streets, of people at work in the silent hours while the world sleeps. (A slight obsession of mine) In fact that isn't quite its focus, but nevertheless, it makes for a complex and satisfying story.

Meggie, a young woman from South Africa, is living and working in London around the turn of the Millennium. Doing a boring office job while she attempts to complete her English degree, she meets and falls under the spell of the exotic Sabine.

Twenty years later, suffering from insomnia as she recalls those events, Meggie decides to set everything out in a book, to try to work though it.

It's a story of intoxication, of abandon, a familiar story in some respects. Meggie sees herself as ordinary and Sabine, unconventional, mysterious, cool, Belgian (a nice touch - it would have been too much of a cliche if she were French!) becomes an obsession. Meggie's in her restless years, coming to terms with having left home, in a rather pedestrian relationship with Graham, waiting for her future to happen.

The two of them begin having lunch together, not-quite going out Meggie has a boyfriend but her preoccupation with Sabine makes her wonder if she might be gay or bi, setting her off on a path of exploration before she finally concludes that no, she's neither. Still there's a will they, won't they to the whole relationship, Sabine holding herself slightly elusive, comic and going and eventually, making herself even less available by switching to the nightshift.

Meggie doesn't hesitate to follow her. This way she's introduced to a gallery of eccentrics and free spirits who work three weeks on, three off, spending the work hours compiling press clippings in a seedy warehouse next to London Bridge. (If you worked in London in the late 90s, the book captures the atmosphere perfectly - the peak Blair years, just ahead of the city assuming its easy glamour in the Noughties). There are heroic sessions of drinking and drug taking, philosophical conversations on the roof at end of shift, shared cigarettes, episodes of poverty, break-ups and always, always Sabine.

Sabine is a thumpingly interesting character but to be honest, at times, can be a bit annoying. She's an embodiment of the idea that what matters in life is to live for the moment, feel strongly, go places, experience things. An approach to the world that scares me, frankly, and I'm all the encounters between Sabine and Meggie there's a slight sense of danger, of being on the edge of something - sometimes closer, as when they go to the opera with Sabine's lover (or is he?) and someone suggests a threesome, or when, off their heads with coke in a car going to Brighton, the two women are stopped by the police.

It's a mark of how good Ladner's writing is that this, these possibilities, come though clearly while at the same time, the reader can understand just how bewitched Meggie is by Sabine, and why, too, though it's hard to put into words (you need to read the book!). Bewitched enough to try and be like Sabine, to act like her (though plagued by doubt over whether she's getting it right), to dress like her. Gradually, Meggie's obsession with Sabine gets in the way of any clear perception by her of what Sabine might really be like - of the risks of being close to her, yes, but also of what Sabine's own needs might be. Meggie both takes Sabine too seriously, revelling in the details of her life (her brother's tragic death, the missing father, the glamorous older lover) while at the same being quite, quite heedless of mundane details.

So the dance whirls on. the two of them existing in the same spaces with each other but really, I suspected, living out two quite different stories of what is happening.

Until a final, awful event which changes everything.

And leaves Meggie wondering about everything she had known, believed, assumed, about Sabine - and still wondering years later.

A complex, atmospheric read, capturing so well a certain sort of relationship and its aftermath.

A walk on the wild side… 5 stars

Meggie has come to live in London from her home in South Africa, largely to get away from her hypercritical mother. She has an office job which she finds dull, and a boyfriend, Graham, whom she loves, but she’s reluctant to settle for a long-term relationship – she feels as if she wants something more from life than marriage and children, but she isn’t sure what. Then one day Sabine comes to work in the office and Meggie finds herself immediately fascinated by this beautiful, enigmatic young woman. They form a tentative friendship, or so it seems to Meggie, and when Sabine decides to move to the nightshift, Meggie follows. Years later, she is looking back at this period of her life in the dying days of the last millennium, and telling the story of her obsession with Sabine…

Not much more than novella length, this short novel is a wonderfully believable depiction of a young woman who’s not yet sure who she is, nor of how to go about finding out. Meggie is undoubtedly obsessed with Sabine, but in a sense Sabine is merely the catalyst who forces Meggie to realise her dissatisfaction with her boringly normal life. Meggie can’t decide whether she wants to be Sabine’s lover – she’s never thought of herself as lesbian before, but she finds Sabine exciting. Or perhaps it’s that she wants to be Sabine – to be the woman whom other people see as exotic, mysterious and slightly dangerous. As she struggles to make sense of her own feelings and desires, Meggie experiments more and more with drink, drugs and casual sex, and finds herself taking risks that the old Meggie wouldn’t have considered.

This is Ladner’s début novel, and she has real talent. Her depiction is spot-on of club-going, hard-drinking, drug-fuelled youth from around the globe congregating in London in the late ’90s, forming friendships that have an immediate intimacy but no bedrock – young people who come to party, and party hard, far from the families who might provide a brake on the extremes of their behaviour, and find themselves in a city where everything is possible, or maybe nothing. Meggie’s quest to work out her sexuality, to make herself into someone new with her own place and identity in this shifting, impermanent community is beautifully done – an extreme example, admittedly, but recognisable as a part of life we all go through to a degree as we move into adulthood. In Meggie’s case, the whole thing is given a kind of hallucinatory edge, not only because of the drink and drugs, but because of the nocturnal life she is leading and the insomnia this brings on.

The writing is great and, apart from a brief dip about a third of the way through when it gets a little bogged down in repetition, the pace flows well. It becomes very dark towards the end, both harrowing and sad, but again both aspects are handled well and sensitively – Ladner avoids the sensationalism that could easily have made this feel too unpleasantly voyeuristic. Although it’s billed as being about obsession and desire, and certainly both those things are present, it’s really more of a dark coming-of-age tale, and an in-depth character study of Meggie written in her own words, with all the possible unreliability that entails. The ending shows Ladner’s skill at its best – it seems as if all the questions are answered and yet the feeling I am left with is of an enigma unsolved.

Dark and disturbing, it is nonetheless full of humanity and sympathy for human frailty. An excellent début – I recommend it highly and am keen to see where Ladner takes us next.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Picador via NetGalley.

A dark, unsettling read about night working and the nature of obsession. There is a strong sense of time and place, the end of the millennium and a gritty reality to the characters.

An interesting and compelling narrative with a fantastic narrator. Meggie and Sabine's relationship is fascinating but I wish the book had more to say about labour and the nature of night work.

This copy of Nightshift was kindly sent to me by @picadorbooks in exchange for an honest review. Nightshift is out on February 18th.

READ THIS IF... you like 90s nostalgia, sapphic stories, and turbulent journeys of self-discovery.

THE STORY... “At its peak my obsession with her was like a form of self-harm...” Captivated by Sabine, Meggie follows her onto the nightshift, leaving her average life behind.

NIGHTSHIFT... uses a stark writing style to take the reader into a world characterised by insomnia, drugs, and obsession. I enjoyed the 90s setting - I hadn’t thought about my walkman in a long time!

However, this book didn’t quite live up to the thrilling novel I was expecting. I found the pacing quite slow, and I didn’t know enough about the characters. I appreciate that the book was about self-discovery, but Meggie didn’t have strong enough motivations to make me root for her.

Around the 200 page mark, I became hooked and devoured the rest of the novel, but for a 250 page book that wasn’t ideal. I wouldn’t want to put anyone off reading this, but I think it’s important to go in knowing that it is a slower read.

NOW... Despite being a bit disappointed by Nightshift, I would try another book by Kiare Ladner - her writing style was beautiful. If you enjoy slower paced books with lots of character introspection, this is one for you.

Commissioned another writer for The Skinny:

"At its heart, the book exposes how simple it is to lose control of yourself; at its rough edges it displays the ease with which someone can manipulate, love and toss away another. As the leading duo explore London’s recesses under the cover of nighttime, it becomes increasingly easy to understand how she got pulled in – particularly if you’ve experienced a toxic relationship. But the twists and turns in the story prevent predictability, and Ladner's gorgeous shadowy writing creates a daunting but exhilarating world that’s difficult to leave."

Full review: https://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/book-reviews/nightshift-by-kiare-ladner

Its the late 90's and Meggie is a 23 year old living in London, having recently moved from South Africa to escape an overbearing mother. She has a nice boyfriend, an uninspiring job and is a bit unsure of her path in life. Then she meets the mysterious Sabine at work. She swaps to the nightshift to be closer to Sabine and slowly starts to change aspects of her life to be more like her. In the shadowy anonymity of the nighttime city, she experiments with alcohol, drugs and sexuality.

This is a book about obsession and identity, the 90s setting taking the reader back to a time when you still could reinvent yourself or disappear without a social media history to betray you. But what happens when admiring someone crosses over into wanting to be them?

Interesting,well written and at times quite dark

Nightshift by Kiare Ladner - 🌟🌟🌟

#Nightshift was definitely an interesting and different kind of read. The book is told from Meggie’s perspective, reflecting back to the 90’s and explores her obsession with her colleague Sabine.

It’s a relatively short read to be fair and there are aspects to the book I enjoyed. I found the premise to the book interesting and was fascinated by the lifestyle of the characters (lots of sex, drugs and drinking)

It’s a dark and fast paced book that had me wanting to read more. However, there are elements that I didn’t love. I just couldn’t grasp Meggie as a character. I found her quite frustrating tbh but I will say I admire the brutal honesty she has retelling the story of that time in her life

Ultimately the story is quite sad. It’s not one I’d recommend for everyone as it’s quite niche, but for anyone who enjoyed the likes of ‘Adèle’ by Leïla Slimani, this definitely up your street.

It’s a debut novel for Ladner and it’s well written. Although it’s not one I loved, I did enjoy it.

I was very lucky to receive a proof version to read in exchange for an honest review. Nightshift was published this week on the 18th and ironically I didn’t manage to get it finished in time to review for publishing day because I’ve been on nightshifts 🙃.

At its peak my obsession with her was like a form of selfharm: a private source of pain and comfort."

This was one of the few reads that I have finished in one sitting. It was so much darker than I expected, although the starting line should have set off the warning bells!
The character Sabine was an odd one for me, intriguing but somehow not to the extent that would cause such an intense obsession, so I had to suspend disbelief a little, which I think made it lose the full impact.
The ending was a surprise, and ultimately an extremely sad and poignant one.

wow, what a book.

I really loved this, it has a quiet pervasive power that builds into something really quite dark.

Ultimately this book is a study of human behaviour and the darker thoughts and feelings associated.

At times I empathised with the narrator - the all consuming obsession with someone new. the intense jealousy and feeling that that could have been you if only... but never going beyond the surface. I have known a couple of Meggie's and the author has got the disconnection and deliberate sabotage of "real life" exactly right.

At other times I empathised with Sabine, desperately needing the attention of the obsessive but having to keep them at arms length so they don't get too close are see through the illusion. That constant push pull is exhausting and again the author has gotten this exactly right.

I found this book to be equal parts creepy and heart-breaking mainly because it is a situation that is real and happening right now all over the world and it's invisible to everyone outside the bubble.

Well, well worth reading.

While I quite liked this book, I struggled a bit with understanding the main character. It's suggested that she is a meek woman whose obsession with a colleague brings out another side to her, but she in fact seems quite bold before any of this happens, and her "transformation" happens very easily. I wanted something different from this novel, and it felt like the author had inserted autobiographical details that didn't make much sense with how she wanted to portray her character. However, elements of the plot were appealing and I enjoyed the general atmosphere.

Nightshift is original and refreshingly different to anything else I’ve read recently.

Meggie is feeling in a rut in her life and her job until she meets the fascinating and enigmatic Sabine. She soon becomes obsessed with her to the point of quitting her job and following Sabine to a nightshift one, splitting up with her boyfriend and depleting her bank account in the process.

As their relationship develops the lines between friendship and desire become increasingly blurred. Meggie is so besotted with Sabine that she wants to become her, but who really is Sabine? Maybe not who Meggie thought she was.

This book is full of well-drawn quirky characters and strong descriptions of nocturnal London in the late 90s. Definitely worth a read.

This reminded me of my favourite kind of novel at the moment - dark stories of obsession from the perspective of strange characters.

This book feels so millennial, even though it's set in the 90s. I actually loved the 90s setting and moments of the period, in particular the solar eclipse.

It's a short book but it instantly sucks you in. I love stories of lost and confused women falling into an obsession, in this case our protagonist Meggie who becomes fascinated by her colleague, Sabine.

Sabine is always an enigma, but I loved little details about her, like her office lunches warmed up on a hot plate.

It reminded me a lot of books like Exciting Times and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, as well as stories of messy women like Sweetbitter.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves the kind of dark messy books I do.

4 stars

I was immediately swept into the world of this novel - first by the central character's fascination with her colleague but gradually by the whole setting of the novel as well. Their workplace and the way 'Nightshifters' seem to live a parallel world to the land of the dayworkers was really intriguing.

I was also very impressed with Kiare Ladner's writing style. It keeps your interest and I was quite surprised this was a debut voice (but, obviously, in a good way!) I would definitely look out for future titles by this author.

With many thanks to both Netgalley and the Publisher for letting me see this novel.