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andtheitoldyousos's review against another edition
4.0
n the near-future, we lucky Americans are eyeball-deep in a new terror: we can’t sleep. Every day, thousands more become unable to reach REM. They die after days of restlessness. The only thing that can help? Donations of sleep from “healthy” dreamers. Not unlike a blood drive, people like Trish Edgewater are cold-calling sleepers, begging them to give some of their life to the lifeless.
Etiquette is a powerful programming, however, and easily exploitable. I sneeze. He sneezes back language at me, reflexive generosity: “Bless you.” A space opens up; I inch closer on the grass: “Mr. Harkonnen, can I trouble you for five minutes. of your evening? I’m asking on behalf of my dead sister, Dori Edgewater…”
I’m writing to you now from my own sleepless night; in the parlance of Sleep Donation you’d call me a “Voluntary Insomniac”. This was the perfect little slice of spooky science to keep me company on this cold and rainy night. I have been doing a lot of these awake-overnights as of late; like many other places in the world we are terribly short staffed. Unfortunately, we cannot change our hours or adjust our services, so many of us here are acting beyond or daily duties to assure that our students are comfortable and cared for…hence why you have not seen much of me lurking around these parts these days. Unlike the folks of Sleep Donation, I think we have a chance of escaping this perpetual twilight. We shall see, and hopefully I shall see more of you all soon.
Sweet dreams!
Etiquette is a powerful programming, however, and easily exploitable. I sneeze. He sneezes back language at me, reflexive generosity: “Bless you.” A space opens up; I inch closer on the grass: “Mr. Harkonnen, can I trouble you for five minutes. of your evening? I’m asking on behalf of my dead sister, Dori Edgewater…”
I’m writing to you now from my own sleepless night; in the parlance of Sleep Donation you’d call me a “Voluntary Insomniac”. This was the perfect little slice of spooky science to keep me company on this cold and rainy night. I have been doing a lot of these awake-overnights as of late; like many other places in the world we are terribly short staffed. Unfortunately, we cannot change our hours or adjust our services, so many of us here are acting beyond or daily duties to assure that our students are comfortable and cared for…hence why you have not seen much of me lurking around these parts these days. Unlike the folks of Sleep Donation, I think we have a chance of escaping this perpetual twilight. We shall see, and hopefully I shall see more of you all soon.
Sweet dreams!
andropupsi's review against another edition
2.0
I really struggled to finish this. I thought it was going to be a spooky book about stealing people's dreams and fighting off physical nightmares. Instead it was a book about moral dilemmas which while interesting just isn't my type of book. All in all I didn't like it but I didn't actively dislike it either.
Some of the imagery was kinda weird as well, there was on scene where a moment between two characters was described as draining pus from a wound and that imagery just wasn't fitting to what I think was suppose to be a positive thing.
Some of the imagery was kinda weird as well, there was on scene where a moment between two characters was described as draining pus from a wound and that imagery just wasn't fitting to what I think was suppose to be a positive thing.
spiderkitten's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the premise of this novel - the idea that there was an epidemic of insomnia - but for the most part felt the story was a bit flat. It read almost like a documentary about the epidemic with the focus on one or two characters. And while we learned a little about the main character's guilt over her sister's death, and the guilt of using her story to enroll people for sleep donation, we don't really learn much more about her. Likewise we meet the family of Baby A but I felt confused about the father's motivation later in the story.
Sleep Donation is a short, well written read, but lacking in finer detail.
Sleep Donation is a short, well written read, but lacking in finer detail.
nickwwelch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Karen Russell’s imagination is unmatched, and her sentences are so full. The plot of this one just felt so untethered and meandering though. And that ending…. mehhh.
inspirationalley's review against another edition
3.0
Unsettling, haunting, dark and thought provoking. Sleep Donation is set in America some years in the future where insomnia has become virulent and sleeping pills no longer provide relief. Healthy sleepers donate REM sleep to save the lives with chronic insomnia.
The story is told by Trish Edgewater, a recruiter for Slumber Corps, a non-profit agency that coordinates the donation of sleep. The plot explores Trish's growing concerns about the ethics of Slumber Corps and her relationship with Donor Y and the parents of Baby A. The strength of this book is the exploration of human nature and the ethical dilemmas which it highlights. It's an uncomfortable read exploring issues such as honesty, exploitation and whether the ends justifies the means. "Does it matter what we say," Trish ponders, "if the mere fact of the utterance saves lives?"
It took me a while to get into this book, but I'm glad I persevered with it. I enjoyed the plot and the issues which it explored, but I felt that the characters were never sufficiently developed and as a result I struggled to feel anything for them. I thought I would like this book far more than I did, an interesting premise which for me somehow failed to live up to its promise.
The story is told by Trish Edgewater, a recruiter for Slumber Corps, a non-profit agency that coordinates the donation of sleep. The plot explores Trish's growing concerns about the ethics of Slumber Corps and her relationship with Donor Y and the parents of Baby A. The strength of this book is the exploration of human nature and the ethical dilemmas which it highlights. It's an uncomfortable read exploring issues such as honesty, exploitation and whether the ends justifies the means. "Does it matter what we say," Trish ponders, "if the mere fact of the utterance saves lives?"
It took me a while to get into this book, but I'm glad I persevered with it. I enjoyed the plot and the issues which it explored, but I felt that the characters were never sufficiently developed and as a result I struggled to feel anything for them. I thought I would like this book far more than I did, an interesting premise which for me somehow failed to live up to its promise.
wollsocke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ailsahatton's review against another edition
3.0
This was just not as compelling as I wanted it to be. The premise was excellent, but it wasn't taken anywhere interesting. Still a good read, but I expected more from it.
keelinreads's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
juniperbranches's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In a parallel future where the world has been swept by an insomnia epidemic, transfusions of donated sleep become the sole way those effected are able to rest. Trish’s sister was one of the first killed by the epidemic which causes people to abruptly lose the ability to enter REM sleep, and as such she is one of the best donation recruiters for the Sleep Corps. Unfortunately, when a rogue nightmare infects the global sleep supply and can only be cured by the pure sleep of an infant, Trish begins to ask uncomfortable questions.
This was a departure for me, probably the closest I’ve gotten to horror recently. I enjoyed the concept and found the characters pretty well drawn
This was a departure for me, probably the closest I’ve gotten to horror recently. I enjoyed the concept and found the characters pretty well drawn