A review by kreadsromance1
Nod by Adrian Barnes

1.0

Hoo boy... I'm going to reformat an amazon review I wrote when I first read this book. Sorry for cheating but I can't put myself through reading it again.

Genre: Modern day apocalyptic science(ish?) psychological fiction. The world suddenly can't sleep (except for a few special people) and slowly descends into madness and death. Some violence and weird treatment of women.

Spoiler

Main character: Paul
Favourite character: N/A
Villain(s): Charles

Character rating: 1/10
Plot rating: 1/10
Setting rating: 1/10
Overall rating: 1/10

Pros: I picked this book up because I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise. I love the post-apocalyptic genre and the way this particular apocalypse happens is both unique and has a big psychological element to it that I found fascinating.

Cons: Where do I even start?

The narcissistic main character/narrator is the single most annoying, author insertion fantasy I have ever come across. The author was clearly so desperate to prove that his intelligence is far beyond anyone else's that he made the main character and arrogant, insufferable, verbose Chosen One who, by half way in, I was seriously hoping was headed for a gruesome death. He spent so much time keen to show off his apparent word-smithing skills and "unique" philosophising that it left us with a book full of plot holes; a book which lacked emotion, sense or structure.

Onto the plot! Perhaps I am too used to books which try to explain why events are taking place. Apparently that is an unnecessary artistic choice or something. In other worse, don't expect any insight on the source of the sleeplessness, how it has affected the whole world simultaneously, why the children have been muted, how they survive on their own in a wood with no food when everywhere has been ransacked, why the Sleeping Cats exist or what they hope to achieve and so on.

But surely, you cry, the plot is well defined and laid out! It must follow the teachings of the best professors and literature researchers! The author surely knows how to write, given that he is an English teacher with a Masters in creative writing?

I weep for you, fellow reader. In this book there is no plot arc. The ending is flimsy and without any kind of real closure. The detail of the illness and the destruction of society are either badly researched, badly implemented, or both. The book jumps from "and then this happened" to "and then this happened" with little logical plot. The main adversary seems magically immune to many of the cognitive and physiological problems he should be facing as his sleeplessness continues. According to the development of the disease outlined at the beginning of the book, his actions should be pretty much impossible.

If I am being very charitable I will say that the author is attempting to establish a new, avant-garde style of writing that turns the world of fiction on its head and makes us question everything we know about creative writing. If I'm being less charitable, I'd say he makes us question his right to teach literature ever again.

Final thoughts: So yes, I hated this book. Absolutely and completely detested it. There are very few books I give 1/10 to, and none that have made me quite so angry. But I am just one person who is tough on authors and very set in her ways. I encourage you to make your own mind up on this one and then feel free to return and tell me why I'm wrong and how I completely missed the point. I really hope that is the case. But I'd still rather stick a pin in my eye than ever read this again.