... wasn’t it at least possible that the phenomenon was real? That his persistent insomnia, coupled with the stabilizing influence of his lucid, coherent dreams, had afforded him a glimpse of a fabulous dimension just beyond the reach of ordinary perception? [p. 175]
This is really ... very long (916 pages in print), and could have been half the length without much loss of plot. King's prose is generally enjoyable to read, though, and his expansive descriptions effectively conjure up the ambience of each scene.
The viewpoint character is Ralph Roberts, a 70-year-old widower, who after the death of his wife suffers from insomnia. He also starts seeing things that nobody else can see: auras, small bald men, ribbons of colour. He spends time with his friend Bill who lives in the apartment downstairs; with his neighbour Helen whose husband Ed's personality has abruptly changed for the worse, with his other neighbour Lois who is two years younger than him and who may be nursing a secret crush. He tries not to get involved in the increasingly belligerent anti-abortion movement, which Ed seems to support even while muttering darkly about eldritch forces. And he discovers that he and Lois are unwilling recruits in a cosmic battle...
Set in King's fictional Maine town of Derry, this novel takes place about eight years after the events of IT. Despite Ralph reminding himself more than once (it's a long, long book) that Derry is 'not precisely like other places', the small-town atmosphere is (at least superficially) idyllc and the characters vivid and mostly likeable. I'd actually have been happier without the supernatural elements, which for me were the least interesting aspect of the novel. I liked Ralph and Lois, and I appreciated Ralph's willingness to cast aside his (rather sexist) assumptions about her. The women in this novel are generally well-written and interesting, with relatable concerns and motivations, though I was vexed by the description of a female villain as 'Pasty complexion... lots of acne, glasses so thick they make her eyes look like poached eggs'.
Note that Insomnia was first published in 1994, and there is one scene near the climax of the novel that I don't think King would write now, post-9/11.
Fulfils the ‘Title starts with 'I'’ rubric of the 52 books in 2023 challenge.
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