insomnia

**The Goremet** · January 3rd, 2012

Once in a lifetime a book comes along that is more than just a book, and becomes and symbol to the reader. I have said before that Carrie is the book that made me lust after Stephen King, but it is Insomnia that made me fall in love with him. I first read Insomnia when I was about 19 - and that is clue number #1 -and learned something about reading, writing and myself. For the first time I was reading a book that there was nothing I could connect with or understand. The main character is a 70 year old man who is "waiting for god", filling his days, knowing that his life has past him by. I learned what it must be like to be older and afraid. A 19 y/o has no idea about age and flitting by the final years. This coupled with the Dark Tower connections kept me blown away for several days as I devoured this magnificent book. Bald doctors, the Random and the Purpose, finding love and seeing the world "slip" are just a shortlist or reasons why Insomnia ranks as my #1 Stephen King book.

Insomnia manages to interweave the ideas above with the setting of Derry. This dank city is known to be haunted and Roberts sees it all while suffering from insomnia - the auras of people around him and he begins to see the doctors entering people's houses in the night. A living nightmare is ever there was one. Taking a mirror to our world we get several glimpses of Mid-World too. The Crimson King is the evil in this book, but it takes on the faces of ordinary people turning into monsters.

Once again King takes a look at real life and real people and put them in situations where there true colors (auras) shine. For Ralph Roberts and then Lois Chasse, the journey into old age was a journey of adventure, renewed life and the possibility of questions answered about who we are, where we come from and what is our purpose. Astounding piece of fiction from an author who has already given us many, many masterpieces.

**mellie** · January 8th, 2012

i have just re-read this book after many years and really loved it as much second time round. Like you i have no connections to the characters, but you have summed it up perfectly.