A review by soobooksalot
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Maybe 40 isn't the new 30 in Insomnia.
Emma - wife, mother, lawyer - is about to turn 40. The same age her mother was when she stopped sleeping and became debilitated and institutionalized due to mental illness. And declared her youngest daughter would be the same.
In the days preceding her birthday, Emma has also stopped sleeping.
I did enjoy Insomnia, full of unreliable events and characters and gaslighting, but I had hoped it would be creepier.
There's definitely tension and foreboding throughout. I think the pacing was off for me with this one - if the entire book was like the final quarter, it could have been more of a win.
I enjoyed Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes and will read more of her backlist someday.
Emma - wife, mother, lawyer - is about to turn 40. The same age her mother was when she stopped sleeping and became debilitated and institutionalized due to mental illness. And declared her youngest daughter would be the same.
In the days preceding her birthday, Emma has also stopped sleeping.
I did enjoy Insomnia, full of unreliable events and characters and gaslighting, but I had hoped it would be creepier.
There's definitely tension and foreboding throughout. I think the pacing was off for me with this one - if the entire book was like the final quarter, it could have been more of a win.
I enjoyed Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes and will read more of her backlist someday.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Infidelity