Friday 16 November 2012

Devouring Stephen King: Insomnia

"Of all the things which make up our Short-Time lives, sleep is surely the best, Ralph thought."

I didn't really realise how much I liked Insomnia until I literally couldn't stop reading it one night and turned into a big sobbing mess at around 12.30am. 
I had a really slow start with it (not that it's necessarily slow starting, but I took a long time to properly read it) which I thought meant that I wasn't so keen on it, but actually I think it just meant that it wasn't its time yet, and that I wanted to read, I don't know, Let The Right One In instead. 

Because, in the end, I really liked Insomnia. Ostensibly, it's all about one character, Ralph Roberts, who hasn't been sleeping well since his wife died, and he ruminates on aging, and abortion (best not to ask) and all sorts of things, until he starts seeing these auras and everything becomes very... strange. But also, completely compelling and interesting, especially to one of Stephen King's Constant Readers. Because, oh boy, Insomnia's like a pay-off book for sticking with King for so long, in that you could just avoid reading it because it seems kind of boring (I say this because this is maybe the oldest unread Stephen King book I had), but when you do, it's like you're privy to some secret treasures that you might have otherwise missed.

I'm going to cut straight to the point. This is both a Derry book and a Dark Tower book, and it's also something else all of its own, all at the same time. Purely for just being a Derry book, I love it- having read It more times than is good for one's mental health, I get a little thrill just imagining the geography of Derry again, having shivers whenever the Barrens, or Neibolt Street or 'the big storm of 1985' are mentioned, because I really get off on that kind of stuff! But then also, Insomnia has an actual part to play in the whole Dark Tower saga, and since I kind of can't get enough of that series, it's amazing to get some back story of a character who isn't really in it loads, but is completely vital to the story. And frankly, I'm completely down with constant mentions of towers, and levels, and roses, which is a good thing, because subtle? It ain't. And hardly ever is.

So, I enjoyed it mostly for those reasons, and I've been trying to think whether or not you could enjoy it without having much of a Stephen King knowledge centre, and I'm thinking... Yeah. Because the reason I stayed up reading it, and the reason I cried at the end had nothing to do with Roland, or the Tower, or It, but purely because I cared about the characters, I was genuinely worried about what was going to happen to them and OH MY GOD THAT ENDING. I probably haven't cried that much at a Stephen King book (or maybe any book) since The Dark Tower VII, and if you've read all those books, you'll know what I'm talking about. I hope. But anyway, the point is that these characters, who aren't specifically connected to any other books, are real, and true, and worth crying over, frankly. Which I think makes a good book any day.

Basically, Insomnia is the kind of book that feels really important to read if you're alllll over the Stephen King, and you need more Dark Tower goodies and you genuinely love it when he references his other books and creates this awesome self-contained universe. You're probably not going to be desperate to read it if that's not the case, but it's still worth a read if only for the damn characters that you can't help but care about. Allow yourself to be constantly surprised by Insomnia. I know I was.

14 comments:

  1. So much King to read. I swear, I need a separate TBR list just for all his stuff.

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    1. You really do Alley. You really do. The Dark Tower before this though, please ;)

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    2. First I'll read those others you sent me. Then Dark Tower. so I should get to this one sometime around 2026

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    3. Sounds good, I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts on it then, then!

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  2. How funny. I didn't even know this was related to other books. I've never read any of the Dark Tower books, and I'm not sure I've read any Derry books (if I have, it was almost 20 years ago, and I wouldn't remember). I just liked this one because the premise was so fascinating, the whole dreamlike world or auras and such. I've read about a dozen of King's books, and this remains the only one that I've reread, not to mention reread multiple times.

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    1. Oh wow, so you just appreciate it for a whole load of other reasons! Which is really cool. I do like the whole auras and levels thing, but even that (well, at least the levels thing) is SO linked to The Dark Tower and its levels that I was still sort of appreciating it because of that.

      Definitely recommend The Dark Tower if you're ever at a reading loose end and want to read 7 really really quickly!

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  3. So many King references I do not understaaaaand.

    But dude, books that make you stay up late and cry are ze best. And then later you remember 'em all fondly, because EMOTIONAL REACTION. I had that with Ethan Frome and Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers.

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    1. I knoooow! Don't worry, there are less than 30 reviews to go, I think! Hahahaha.

      THIS IS SO TRUE. I did it with The Green Mile as well, and with The Dark Tower VII, I wasn't up late (actually, I was at some point I'm sure) but I *was* in the bath and it was totally traumatic and I was SOBBING and I didn't even notice when the water went cold, which is ALSO the best. (and what I did with the end of Norwegian Wood, too. MURAKAMIIIII!) But I love love love not being able to put books down, it's really the best reason for reading stuffs :)

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  4. Oh I love this one too, it always made me sad that it seemed to get so many bad reviews. Maybe it doesn't make much sense if you haven't read the other books but I love that spooky feeling you get when you spot each connection and feel like you're in a secret club with special knowledge!

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    1. Does it really?! Literally the only criticism I can think of is that it's maybe TOO linked to those other things, but if you didn't know about that then you can still enjoy it on its own! DUDE I LOVE THE SECRET CLUB THING! It's my very favourite thing about Stephen King, I reckon :)

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  5. So. Much. King. I REALLY want in on this Dark Tower thing, and this book sounds sooo good too.

    The Robin Williams, Al Pachino Insomnia movie, unrelated right? I don't remember it, but I really don't remember auras and abortion and whatnot.

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    1. Duuuude, you need to get in on this Dark Tower thing for REALS. It's the BEST. The Robin Williams/Al Pacino thing does seem to be unrelated, but who knooows *makes spooky noises* But no, yeah, that looks like a completely different thing.

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  6. Wow, now I am REALLY glad I didn't cull this one when I was trying to decide how many Stephen Kings it would be reasonable to keep until the move's over... (In the end, ALL OF THEM!) Sounds like a good one for reading when we've got that bit extra time off over winter. *taps fingers together like Mr Burns* Eeeeeexcellent.

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    1. You really have to keep ALL THE KINGS. I mean, seriously, it's non-negotiable. Deeefinitely is a good winter book, I reckons! (does your excitement about it mean you've read The Dark Tower? SAY IT IS SO!)

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