Night of the Seventh Dream

Mrs. Morton, an elderly lady suffering from dementia, loves the written word; her books are warm reminders of happier times. From her nursing home room in Melbourne, Australia, Mrs. Morton travels the fading recesses of her memory. Her disease causes a blending of realities, as her own memories become inextricably entangled with those of the heroine of her favourite novel, Night of the Seventh Dream. As two sets of memories intertwine-hers and the fictional tales of Beatty, a remarkable young woman who bravely overcame adversity and challenge during the Second World War-Mrs. Morton finds comfort in the adventures of the past. Did Mrs. Morton help to raise her sibling after losing loved ones to that war, doing what needed to be done to survive-or was that Beatty? She kept the family beekeeping business humming during dark times and worked as a cleaner to help support her family. When young love with a soldier on his way to war produced the shocking news of a baby on the way, she stood tall despite the cold shoulders from the local church. Not even the loss of her beekeeping business could bring this fictional fighter down. Mrs. Morton's ravaged mind takes her on fascinating journeys in her sleep. These nocturnal musings are both guiding-and confounding. On the night of Mrs. Morton's seventh dream, the two lives-that of the fictional girl from the novel and the befuddled elderly lady who enjoys reading about her-merge.