A review by bookishlyem
The Edge of Sleep by Willie Block, Jake Emanuel

3.0

I struggled with getting through the first 1/3, but seemed to really get into it after then. I think by that point I started to understand the book a little more - the mechanics/function of certain elements, the characters, and the direction of the plot. I really liked the small focus on random people around the world. When I read or watch media with hypotheticals such as the one imposed in this book, I always wonder about the rest of the world, and I think the authors did a good job of providing that extra information. I do believe that the authors added those extras to help lengthen the book. Because the story revolves around sleep and the human body battling sleep, the story could only take place across a few days, meaning there's only so much that can happen to the group in that small bracket of time. These "extras," I suppose that's what they could be called, added another layer of empathy for the reader. It's like we're being dropped in the middle of their lives and that's what makes it so raw. These extra characters have lives, aspirations, families, etc. and they go to sleep not know they wouldn't wake up. It's heartbreaking really. I think I liked those little character vignettes more than the actual main characters themselves. I felt like some of the characters were two-dimensional, that they had so much potential but they fell flat. I say that more so about Dave, Katie, and Linda as opposed to Matteo. As soon as Katie was inserted into the situation, Dave annoyed the holy hell out of me. I liked Linda more than Dave but she was also kind of irritating at times. Katie...I never want to wish ill upon a person, even a fictional character sometimes, but I'm glad her character didn't make it to the end in some respects. I feel like Matteo was the only one with any real growth, the only one I can find any connection to in myself. I had problems with much of the dialogue. Right off the bat, I could tell that this book was going to be more dialogue-centric and dialogue-heavy. I have no problem with that and I don't have any problem with the vernacular, but there were definitely times - many times - where I found myself cringing at certain parts. Especially Dave and Katie's love-talk. The whole "Baby, look at me" trope/commonality is a bit cringeworthy. I suppose I'd have no problem with it if thee was more character background and development, which would lead to more elevated characters, but I didn't quite see much of that. In terms of the whole speculative fiction aspect of the story, I didn't see a point. I didn't feel a sense of resolution in the end. I felt myself looking in places with no answers for the answers I needed to feel closure. Maybe that's the point?