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thisbookbelongstosk 's review for:
Insomnia
by Stephen King
Read this as part of my Journey to the Dark Tower (because I'm a completionist in addition to being a Constant Reader).
I expected this one to be slow (considering the size, and Stephen King's typical pace in his longer books), and it was at times... But it was also an absolutely bonkers ride of a novel. (I was actually going to drop it down to 4 stars due to some of the slower bits, but I honestly can't. This book just TOOK me. And I have to give it full credit for that...)
Set in Derry (yay!) after the events of IT (because it's mentioned that the library had been redesigned by Ben Hanscom. [super yay!]), Old man Ralph has insomnia. (Ohhhh maaan are these bits ever fun to read as someone who has also suffered a bout of insomnia for a period in my life. That's what hooked me on this book almost immediately. Okay, let's keep going...)
His old buddy (and neighbour) Ed Deepneau is losing it (warning: spousal abuse & extreme misogyny) over "truckloads of dead babies" and abortions and the women's clinic and his wife and just about everything happening in the world.
Then Ralph starts seeing the auras of other people, in addition to the "bald, little doctors" (super creepy, not seen by others, they mess with the auras of people in Derry). There's 3; two of which aren't necessarily "bad guys" and the third, named Atropos, who is an agent of the Crimson King (oooh aaaahhh the Crimson King! Be afraid!!)
Ralph connects with Lois (an older woman who also has insomnia and is seeing the bald, little doctors). Ralph and Lois are pulled into a battle of otherworldly beings (there are other worlds than these!) and discover that they're the only ones who can stop Atropos, who is messing with the proper balance of the universe by corrupting people & their auras. (Are you still with me?)
All of this is set against the backdrop of a Derry that's dealing with the pro-choice vs pro-life debate (let's just get this out up front: I am very pro-choice - okay, let's keep going...). Stephen King really gives us a meaty issue for the idiots and monsters of Derry to grapple with. Obviously Derry isn't a progressive town, but I think King pretty clearly skews towards pro-choice (in that he writes poignant arguments from that angle for certain characters) without specifically giving the reader HIS answer. So, that's nice. It's always nice to see how low the town of Derry can stoop. And it's always nice when an author can explore a topic without slipping into sermonizing (when that's not the thesis of the story they're telling).
This coalesces into a conflict of good versus evil (not unlike The Stand), which takes place at a pro-choice rally where a prominent speaker is in attendance.
And in true Stephen King fashion, that conflict is going to be supernatural as all hell and deal with some really heady concepts, like alternate planes of reality (my Dark Tower prep feels so justified now! Hooray!).
This book had a lot of truly creepy and unsettling moments. It takes a lot for me to feel uncomfortable when reading, but certain scenes in this book gave me knots in my stomach and put me completely on edge, muscles tense, jaw clenched. I think this might be the most unsettling of King's books that I've read so far...
I also loved the full-circle (Ka is a wheeeeeel!!!) storyline for Ralph. Absolutely beautiful. And all the self-referential moments to Derry and IT and The Dark Tower (from what I know of it so far), amongst others, were just so deeply gratifying that I found myself pumping my first or squealing in celebration when they arose.
And now I think I'm ready for the Dark Tower. God help me, I think it's time...
As usual, Stephen King can just take all the damn stars!
I expected this one to be slow (considering the size, and Stephen King's typical pace in his longer books), and it was at times... But it was also an absolutely bonkers ride of a novel. (I was actually going to drop it down to 4 stars due to some of the slower bits, but I honestly can't. This book just TOOK me. And I have to give it full credit for that...)
Set in Derry (yay!) after the events of IT (because it's mentioned that the library had been redesigned by Ben Hanscom. [super yay!]), Old man Ralph has insomnia. (Ohhhh maaan are these bits ever fun to read as someone who has also suffered a bout of insomnia for a period in my life. That's what hooked me on this book almost immediately. Okay, let's keep going...)
His old buddy (and neighbour) Ed Deepneau is losing it (warning: spousal abuse & extreme misogyny) over "truckloads of dead babies" and abortions and the women's clinic and his wife and just about everything happening in the world.
Then Ralph starts seeing the auras of other people, in addition to the "bald, little doctors" (super creepy, not seen by others, they mess with the auras of people in Derry). There's 3; two of which aren't necessarily "bad guys" and the third, named Atropos, who is an agent of the Crimson King (oooh aaaahhh the Crimson King! Be afraid!!)
Ralph connects with Lois (an older woman who also has insomnia and is seeing the bald, little doctors). Ralph and Lois are pulled into a battle of otherworldly beings (there are other worlds than these!) and discover that they're the only ones who can stop Atropos, who is messing with the proper balance of the universe by corrupting people & their auras. (Are you still with me?)
All of this is set against the backdrop of a Derry that's dealing with the pro-choice vs pro-life debate (let's just get this out up front: I am very pro-choice - okay, let's keep going...). Stephen King really gives us a meaty issue for the idiots and monsters of Derry to grapple with. Obviously Derry isn't a progressive town, but I think King pretty clearly skews towards pro-choice (in that he writes poignant arguments from that angle for certain characters) without specifically giving the reader HIS answer. So, that's nice. It's always nice to see how low the town of Derry can stoop. And it's always nice when an author can explore a topic without slipping into sermonizing (when that's not the thesis of the story they're telling).
This coalesces into a conflict of good versus evil (not unlike The Stand), which takes place at a pro-choice rally where a prominent speaker is in attendance.
And in true Stephen King fashion, that conflict is going to be supernatural as all hell and deal with some really heady concepts, like alternate planes of reality (my Dark Tower prep feels so justified now! Hooray!).
This book had a lot of truly creepy and unsettling moments. It takes a lot for me to feel uncomfortable when reading, but certain scenes in this book gave me knots in my stomach and put me completely on edge, muscles tense, jaw clenched. I think this might be the most unsettling of King's books that I've read so far...
I also loved the full-circle (Ka is a wheeeeeel!!!) storyline for Ralph. Absolutely beautiful. And all the self-referential moments to Derry and IT and The Dark Tower (from what I know of it so far), amongst others, were just so deeply gratifying that I found myself pumping my first or squealing in celebration when they arose.
And now I think I'm ready for the Dark Tower. God help me, I think it's time...
As usual, Stephen King can just take all the damn stars!