Scan barcode
A review by inspirationalley
Sleep Donation by Karen Russell
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.