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Emma Averell loves her life—her high-powered legal career, her two beautiful children, and her wonderful stay-at-home husband—but it wasn’t always so perfect. When she was just five years old, Emma and her older sister went into foster care because of a deeply disturbing incident with their mother. Her sister can remember a time when their mother was loving and “normal,” but Emma can only remember her as one thing—a monster. The synopsis alone had me wanting to read this one ASAP! Unfortunately, I did feel like this book read a little bit long at times, and I truly felt like I was experiencing every single ounce of fatigue and anxiety as our protagonist! I knew that there was something more at work here than just the paranoia that accompanies insomnia, but I was conflicted in what exactly I thought could really be happening and I feel like this could have been less drawn out. Possibly my favorite of Pinborough’s yet, and that’s saying something. It’s an absolute rollercoaster of a ride: twist upon twist, expertly handled. I actually gasped out loud several times. So atmospheric and sexy… A triumph!" — Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author , on Dead to Her Emma desperately wants to keep her childhood trauma in the past, but as she stops being able to sleep, she also can’t stop thinking about what happened all those years ago. Is the madness in her blood? Could she end up hurting her family in her foggy, half-awake state, just like her mother? Or is there another explanation for the strange things that keep happening around her? Emma must unravel the dark strands of her past to protect the people she loves… or risk losing it all, including her sanity.
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough | Waterstones
The conclusion devolved into chaos and it took me a little while to acclimatise to what was revealed. Once I had done so, I could only applaud Pinborough for her repeated ingenuity and the different elements she brings to the genres she pens in. From the outside, Emma has the dream life – a loving husband, a beautiful house, two gorgeous children. But as Emma’s fortieth birthday approaches, her world begins to shift. Because thirty-five years ago her mother quite literally lost her mind on the cusp of her own fortieth birthday. Even worse, she had spent the first five years of Emma’s life warning her that she would lose hers as well. Now with the date looming, she finds herself unable to sleep and is plagued by terror drenched memories of her childhood. Is her greatest fear of following in her mother’s footsteps actually coming true? The story line seemed to be going in one direction, but, as usual, in an effort to come up with a spectacular twist, all credibility went out the window towards the end. Overall, if you liked Behind Her Eyes then this one will appeal too. It’s well written, a bit different, fast paced with numerous plot twists and turns.
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The cover definitely gave off a far more sinister vibe than was ever experienced underneath it, but there was a subtle eerie undertone that dogged all that occurred. This never became a truly horrifying novel but remained an entirely thrilling and intriguing one, throughout. I became completely immersed in this story and felt as if I were going crazy along with Emma. I had no idea how this one was going to play out and for once I didn't even try to guess or figure it out. If you pay attention, there is even a nod to Behind Her Eyes at the end of Insomnia. Emma is a successful solicitor, helping those in an unhappy marriage move on. As a divorce attorney, she's naturally made some enemies along the way. One day when she receives a haunting message from her older and estranged sister Phoebe, she rushes to her side at the hospital only to find it is in fact her mother who is ailing. Her mother, who has been in a psychiatric institution for the past 30 years, has unsuccessfully attempted suicide. All just days before Emma's 40th birthday. Three decades prior her mother in fact went mad on the same birthday, attempting to smother her older daughter. Fast forward to present day and Emma has put her family's dark past behind her with a successful career, a loving husband and two beautiful children. But on the night of the hospital visit she inexplicably encounters a case of insomnia. One night without sleep is followed by two, then three, then four, and so on. With each night Emma goes without rest, and the closer her 40th birthday approaches the more detached from reality and sanity she becomes. Strange events begin occurring, such as someone slashing her tires and keying her car, her son experiencing a trauma only he can communicate through horrifying drawings. Has someone, possibly a disgruntled former client, targeted Emma? Is her family truly in danger, as Emma believes, keeping her up all night every night, or is she simply paranoid on account of her past?
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough book review - The Washington Post
WHAT I ALSO LIKED: The subject matter. As a fellow insomniac, I could definitely relate to the horrible feeling of being unable to sleep and going slightly mad about it. I also know that some people are getting tired of the “is the main character going crazy or being gaslit?” narrative, but I most certainly am still a fan of this trope. I am here for the alternate reality plot lines, and the feelings of claustrophobia and terror, and the creepy dread about one’s one mental health. (Haven’t we all worried at times if we were going a little crazy?) Emma Averell just can't fall asleep. Emma went through a traumatic event when she was only 5 years old at the hands of her mentally ill mother, on her mother’s 40th birthday. The week before the incident, Emma’s mother also suffered from Insomnia. Emma turns 40 in one week and is terrified that she is going to follow in her mother's madness and a terrible history will repeat itself. Emma’s mother has been a resident of the Hartwell Secure Unit for over thirty years, following a complete mental breakdown on the date of her own 40th birthday. Her symptoms started around the same time, and are eerily similar to Emma’s. Is history repeating itself? Or, is there something far more sinister going on? Even though two of her books are problematic AF towards the gay community, I still was interested in reading Sarah Pinborough's upcoming psychological thriller, Insomnia. As usual, Pinborough takes her mystery/thrillers to the next level with nods to the supernatural, but this time it's really more of a dash and it works perfectly.
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While I am not 100% satisfied with the reveal, it is more plausible than the plots of many of her previous thrillers. I disliked Emma’s blatant favoritism of her younger son and the gaslighting trope is becoming overused in thrillers. Once again, the epilogue is unnecessary. I went into this book giddy with anticipation as Sarah Pinborough is one of the most creative writers in the thriller genre. Even when I'm not totally on board with an ending, and that's the case with Insomnia, I can still say I enjoyed the crazy and wild ride.
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough - Serenity You Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough - Serenity You
Emma's sleep problems have started before her fortieth birthday and of course without sleep, 💤 she is aware her view of reality is slipping. Her mother is in an asylum and from what we hear from Emma a truly horrible mother who set the tone years ago for their eventual estrangement. Emma's life is falling apart 😪 and as her birthday approaches, she becomes more and more irrational, unable to handle the stresses of family life and her high prestige position of lawyer in a very well-known firm. Emma feels like everyone is out to get her from her sister, to her husband, no one is spared her inability to be rational. It's a recipe for disaster 🌋 and the disasters 🌊 seemed to be headed straight for Emma's door. Pinborough starts off at a very harrowing but controlled slow pace. She set the scene so well - too well, maybe? Foreboding creeps in: a sense that this is not going to end well for this happy little family. (As I got to the final quarter section of the novel, I got a sense that Pinborough had started off with one viable plot line in mind, then decided to trash her ending and inject this totally off the wall summation into the mix? In this twisty, mind-bending thriller from the bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, Emma Averell worries that her crippling insomnia is a sign that she’s slowly going insane—like the mother she’s worked so hard to leave in her past. Insomnia is a twisted, dark ride that keeps you gripped, unable to look away. Utterly addictive and highly recommended’ Lucy Clarke
Snakes eating their own tails, indeed! And to top it off, at the very end, a massive breach of the solicitor/client confidentiality rules - this just blew this wild, meandering story off the plausibility grid for me. Secondly: Emma is absolutely likable character who reminds me of a juggler: trying so hard to balance all those balls above her head, multitasking all the time by putting the others first. Emma Averell loves her life—her high-powered legal career, her two beautiful children, and her wonderful stay-at-home husband—but it wasn’t always so perfect. When she was just five years old, Emma and her older sister went into foster care because of a horrific incident with their mother. Her sister can remember a time when their mother was loving and “normal,” but Emma can only remember her as one thing—a monster. And that monster emerged right around their mother’s fortieth birthday, the same age Emma is approaching now. As someone who has suffered from chronic Insomnia, I can say that going without sleep can truly make you feel like you are going crazy. The stress and anxiety that you feel from not being able to fall asleep at night and the state of exhaustion you feel all day is the absolute worst. Sarah Pinborough upped the ante and made an already terrible condition into something completely nightmarish.
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