The Waking

Isabel Sykes, 23, recounts the recent attempt she made to come to terms with the loss of her mother, the acclaimed but psychologically disturbed novelist Marianne Sykes. Marianne died in an unexplained house fire when Isabel was ten. Inspired by the appearance of Imogen Taylor, an enchanting young woman who wants to write a PhD on her mother's work, Isabel plunges into the depths of her past and an intense new friendship. After discovering that Imogen is not who she seems to be, Isabel must face the darkest moments from her childhood in order to protect her family from more tragedy. She receives unexpected help from beyond the grave: in the strange, glittering fragments of her mother's last, unfinished work, 'Midnightsong'.

Smith's poetry has been published in Acumen and Envoi. He has been shortlisted for the PENfro Book Festival Open Poetry Competition and the Sentinel Quarterly Poetry Competition. He received a merit in the Nottingham Open Poetry Competition 2016. He read English Literature at Christ Church College, Oxford and is based in London. The Waking is his debut novel.