Insomnia

by Stephen King, Eli Wallach (narrator)

Since his wife died, Ralph Roberts has been having trouble sleeping. Each night he wakes up a bit earlier, until hes barely sleeping at all. During his late night walks, he observes some strange things going on in Derry, Maine. He sees colored ribbons streaming from people's heads, two strange little men wandering around town after dark, and more. He begins to suspect that these visions are something more than hallucinations brought on by lack of sleep.

There's a definite mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it ... and lack of sleep is the least of his worries.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural, Audiobook

22 pages, Audiobook

First published October 10, 1994

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSOMNIA.

What can I even say, besides the fact that I completely fell in LOVE with this story?!



I have always been intimidated by this one and thus, put off reading it for years. I was scared to even try it.



It was the monster lurking on my bookshelves. Honestly, I don't even think I ever read the synopsis, so it had nothing to do with the content.

I tend not to for King's books, as I know I am going to pick them up regardless of what it says.



After reading it, I would recommend it to any Constant Reader. If you have been putting this one off, maybe intimidated by its size like I was, please don't be.

Insomnia is charming from the start; simultaneously, heart-warming and spine-chilling, with Kingverse connections galore.



As always, King's character work is just phenomenal; definitely my favorite aspect.

Our protagonist is Ralph Roberts, who after losing his wife, gradually develops severe insomnia. Not the low-key aggravating-kind, but the continuous, question what you're seeing while awake-kind.



We follow Ralph, a resident of the small town of Derry, Maine, as he grapples with facing life without his wife and tries to navigate the world with unrested eyes.

It was so great to be in Derry. There's a lot happening in that special little town and Ralph ends up right in the middle of it. Along with his closest companion, Lois, they battle terrifying forces wrecking havoc amongst their friends and neighbors.



There are numerous Dark Tower references, as well as tidbits connecting to the greater King-created world in general. I eat that up. Easter Eggs all day, baby. I can't get enough of them!

While I recommend this book, with confidence, to the Constant Readers out there...



I'm not sure it would be as impactful, or feel as extraordinary, to a Reader without the background knowledge to make the connections.

I could be wrong though, as there is still a lot of great stuff going on in this story outside of all that. There's serious social commentary, frightening villains and some intense action scenes; obviously a fantastic setting and believable, well-thought out characters.



I cannot say much more about it. I really can't say anything about the plot without spoiling things, so we'll leave it at this:

I loved it, I will read it again and I recommend it to any Stephen King fan!

[LTJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Insomnia” by Stephen King is the third book in my epic 17-book journey to The Dark Tower. After reading the incredible “The Eyes of the Dragon”, I was excited to read this novel. If you’d like to travel to The Dark Tower, after extensive research and speaking to some of the biggest Constant Readers I know here’s my exact reading journey...

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

Before I fire up my review, here are the trigger warnings I found while reading this novel. They were…

- Tumors
- Abortion
- Rape
- Domestic abuse (physical)
- Homophobic slurs
- Cancer
- Violence against animals (dogs)

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, I loved all the characters since they were older and not the usual ones I’ve come to learn after reading a ton of King’s work. It added a nice new perspective to how elderly people would handle some of the craziest and weirdest situations anyone could ever think of even in their wildest dreams.

The horror mystery at the start was fantastic since I had no idea what was happening with another main character. As always with King, it came out of nowhere and crept up on me as I kept reading. Speaking of which, please note this is quite a slow burn of a novel until all the good stuff eventually happens later on.

It’s worth waiting for and being patient to let the story grab you and develop over time. King is extremely descriptive in this novel which I understand why and is something that I can see being a major turn-off to readers. Make no mistake about it, if you’re patient, let the story and horror play out, it’s worth it for a wild ride.

King elaborated heavily on all things involving insomnia and all sorts of remedies most people recommend to conquer it. I don’t have insomnia but I’m a night owl and enjoy reading horror deep into the night so this resonated with me.

“Insomnia” wasn’t one of King’s scariest novels but for those who want to make the journey to The Dark Tower, this is imperative reading that will open things up and make a lot more sense later on. There is decent horror here, especially with everything involving the infamous “Crimson King”.

I believe he’s going to play a huge role in The Dark Tower series so similar to how “The Stand” and “The Eyes of the Dragon” introduced me to Flagg, this novel did that with the Crimson King. The character development of him, Ralph, Ed, and all the others was fantastic. I also loved all the creepy moments involving each of these characters.

All the references in “Insomnia” were awesome and genuinely made me smile. I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology and extra points to King for having this story take place in Derry, Maine! For those of you who might not know, “IT” is my all-time favorite King novel and to see this story take place there was such a delight. Besides that, King had many cool references from The Omen, Pet Sematary, The Dark Tower, The Gunslinger, and IT.

One of my favorite parts of horror here is what I call “dream horror” which was very well done and as I said, once you get to the 80% mark on, it’s off to the races to a crazy good and climactic ending. Don’t worry, I’d never spoil anything but it was fantastic and wrapped everything up nicely.

As I said a few times in this review, reading this before you head to The Dark Tower or even after you conquer it makes the most sense. I loved the brief intro and mention of The Dark Tower but if you’re reading this out of the blue, it might not be what you’re looking for in a usual King book. It’s a long book at over 700 pages so patience is needed from beginning to end.

There are some horror parts here but I’d consider this more descriptive supernatural horror, written as an aid before or after The Dark Tower series. I loved how it makes you think about what you see when you suffer from insomnia which makes it even freakier. Having worked in retail for over 15 years and working full shifts after a night of no sleep, I related to this on so many levels.

Another aspect of this novel I loved is that it opens the doors to theory craft on how this ties in with IT and everyone’s favorite clown, Pennywise. I can’t wait to discuss my theories with Constant Readers which opens up many other things in King’s multiverse.

I give “Insomnia” by Stephen King a perfect 5/5 since it did exactly what I was hoping for to help explain more things for my big trip. Prereading this was perfect since it helped explain more about The Dark Tower and another evil protagonist in The Crimson King. I’m more prepared now and will resume this epic journey. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed to get a good night’s sleep and wake up fresh to take my heart to Atlantis.

[Bill Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you find yourself with an afternoon to kill...read a magazine. If, however, you need to occupy yourself on a voyage to Mars, pick up "Insomnia."

It's long.

It is, however, quite good.

"Insomnia" begins as Ralph Roberts, a pleasant, not-too-cantankerous gentleman in his 70s, watches his beloved wife taken from him by cancer. Shortly after her death, he begins to experience "early waking" insomnia. Each night, it seems, he wakes earlier than the one before. Soon, he is awake all night.

In the deepest throes of this affliction, Ralph starts to see what he initially concludes are hallucinations, figments of the imagination of a sleep-deprived mind. Auras around people, animals, changing in shape and color to seemingly reflect that person's health, thoughts, mood and personality. He suffers, largely in silence, until the day where, almost by accident, he discovers that he is not alone in what he is experiencing.

It is here that King takes us into the world of the unseen. To say more might give away important plot points...suffice it to say that the reader must suspend reality for a bit and let their imagination steer the ship.

Meanwhile, all is not well in the sleepy Maine city of Derry, where the entire story takes place. A national pro-choice advocate, Susan Day, is scheduled to speak in support of a local woman's shelter which is also suspected of providing abortion counseling and referrals. In resoponse, a pro-life group begins to stage protests in the vicinity of the shelter and throughout Derry. One man, however, Edward Deepneau, plans to do much more than protest.

It falls to Ralph and his companion, to stop Ed at all costs, resulting in a battle that takes place both in this world, and the world of the auras.

As is typical of King, the character development is second to none. Ralph Roberts truly comes to life, and his world is painted with vivid colors. This is true of all of the characters in the story. Even an old stray dog, Rosalie, is described with such expert detail, that we feel every ache of her weary, arthritic old bones as she hobbles her way down the street looking for discarded scraps of food.

King takes his time in developing the story...nothing is rushed. This adds pages, to be sure, but the reader is treated to a much richer experience for it. A definite win for King.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“[Ralph] fell asleep in his chair a little after midnight, and when he woke the next morning the air was cooler than it had been in weeks and [his wife] Carolyn was wide awake, coherent, and bright-eyed. She seemed, in fact, hardly to be sick at all. Ralph took her home and began the not-inconsiderable job of making her last months as comfortable as possible…As that summer became fall, and as that fall darkened down toward Carolyn’s final winter, Ralph’s thoughts were occupied more and more by the deathwatch, which seemed to tick louder and louder even as it slowed down. But he had no trouble sleeping. That came later…”
- Stephen King, Insomnia

The thing about Stephen King – a veritable literary treasure – is that even when he’s bad, he’s usually still pretty good, and even at his worst, he is still interesting.

That’s sort of where I found myself with Insomnia. This is not a book in the upper tier of King’s works, the masterpieces like It, Pet Semetary, and The Shining. I don’t even think it’s second tier material. At times, in fact, I found myself rolling my eyes, or wondering when something was going to happen. Nevertheless, despite all my reservations, I got through 787 pages with relative ease. And that’s not nothing, especially with a novel that’s roughly the size of an amply-nourished pug.

King has a tendency towards deliberateness when it comes to setting his plots in motion. Many of his novels have a long leadup, as he introduces characters, fills in backstory, and carefully prepares his chess board (usually just to flip it over). Insomnia is no exception.

The main character here is Ralph Roberts, a man in his seventies who – when the book opens – is on the verge of losing his beloved wife to cancer. By the time the prologue ends, he is a widower. More than that, he has lost his ability to sleep through the night. He can fall asleep just fine, but staying that way till dawn has grown impossible. This begins to wear away at him.

For a time, King is content to mostly accompany Ralph as he goes about his business, desperately searching for a remedy as his symptoms worsen. Ralph does not really stand out as one of King’s memorable characters. Honestly, if you give me a couple more weeks, I’ll probably forget his name. He is mostly defined by his age: lonely and wistful; always eating soup from single-serving packets; and sometimes watching other elderly people play chess. In other words, “old age” as described by King resembles a grab bag of cliches that you’d get from a movie. (King was in his mid-forties when he wrote this, and is close to Ralph’s age now). Despite lacking any real charisma or magnetism, you can’t help but like Ralph, however, if only because King places us in such close proximity, and forces us to follow him all over town.

That town, it should be noted, is Derry, Maine, one of the prominent locations in King’s sprawling multiverse. In Derry, normal is a qualified state of being, and it is not surprising that Ralph’s sleeping issues gradually morph into something more sinister. He begins to see things that others can’t see, and it is hinted that he is getting a glimpse into an alternate world. Beyond that, Ralph’s younger neighbor Ed begins to act strange, even violent.

For those interested in The Dark Tower, it is worth mentioning that Insomnia provides some connective tissue to that series.

I won’t say much more about the plot, other than to note that it involves supernatural horror. Of course, to say that a Stephen King novel involves supernatural horror is a lot like saying a book contains words. The one thing I will add to my necessarily vague summation is that Insomnia is convoluted. In my opinion – having only read a fraction of King’s oeuvre – King does his best when he’s high concept. That is, his best novels can be boiled down to an easy-to-describe-yet-killer idea. Think cemetery that brings the dead back to life, or family stuck in a snowbound-and-haunted hotel. Here, King builds a really elaborate mechanism, one that requires a ton of explanation, and page after page of exposition. The more you explain a thing, the less scary this gets. Not only did Insomnia lack any chills, it kind of tired me out. Unfortunately, this is often more tedious than spine tingling.

To further complicate an uneven work, King makes the national debate about abortion a centerpiece of his storytelling. Specifically, much of Insomnia’s action swirls around a Planned Parenthood-like women’s health clinic, and the wild-eyed Christian zealots who oppose it.

Let’s first dispense with the question as to whether or not introducing such a fraught, real-life controversy into popular fiction is appropriate. Yes, it is. Fiction in general, and horror in particular, is a wonderful vehicle for exploring thorny social issues. This has been proven time and again. Furthermore, you don’t read Stephen King for appropriate; you read King because for him, the line between good and bad taste does not exist.

The problem is that King’s handling of this hot potato is pretty ham-fisted. Rather than nuance and insight, King attacks this issue with all the subtlety of a blowtorch-wielding madman in a gunpowder factory. This leads to caricatured villains – effective monsters can be one-dimensional, effective human characters cannot – pedantic speechifying, and ultimately, a somewhat disturbing climax that left me trying to psychoanalyze King’s motives.

As I indicated above, propriety has no place in the writings of Stephen King. After all, he once wrote a short story about a college killing spree that’s only purpose was describing what it would be like to engage in a college killing spree. Beyond propriety, though, is the reality that King’s choices are distracting. There is an extended scene of graphic violence toward the end of Insomnia that closely mirrors any number of domestic terrorism incidents you see on the news. To have this show up in the midst of a story that is otherwise occupied by quasi-mystical concerns, and beings that are not of this earth, is jarring. It’s also unnecessary, as King could easily have told this exact tale without this element.

(Sidenote: King has always shown himself willing to jump into political debates, and I respect his willingness to forgo potential book sales in order to speak his mind. It is also interesting that King wrote Insomnia between 1990 and 1993, at a time when Roe v. Wade seemed certain to be overturned. I’m assuming that this legal argument – which resulted in Planned Parenthood v. Casey being decided in 1992 – had some influence on King’s choices).

By this point, butting up against my word count, I’ve mostly either criticized or damned with faint praise. With the dwindling space I have remaining, I should say that I’m still glad I read Insomnia. For all its problems, it showed commitment to its bit. King can seldom be accused of phoning anything in, and his ambitions here are on display. He went big with Insomnia, and I appreciated that. There are clear themes – aging, grief – and spiritual meditations and an ending that works better than many of King’s more famous titles.

Insomnia also has merit simply for its place in the King canon. Having been a latecomer to King, the breadth of his genius has been slow to dawn on me. Yet genius he is. Not a great horror writer, but a great writer, full stop. If you draw your finger down a list of his books, you find yourself repeating: That’s a classic. That’s a classic. That’s a classic. When dealing with an author of such talent, prodigiousness, and impact, the failures can be as fascinating as the successes. Even though I don’t think Insomnia is very good, it is inferior in the very unique, very special way that only Stephen King can manage.

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It was life, often unsatisfying, frequently cruel, usually boring, sometimes beautiful, once in a while exhilarating.”

Following the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts has trouble sleeping. He finds himself waking up earlier and earlier each night. During his late night vigils, he observes weird goings on in his hometown of Derry, Maine. Pretty quickly he realises that the strange things he is seeing are not the result of sleep-deprived hallucinations, but something much more significant.

I got a lot of thoughts about this book… and you’re gonna hear all about it! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt so polarised reading a book before. At times I wanted to tear my hair out and scream “OMG JUST END ALREADY” – which I expressed countless times on Instagram – and then at other points, I was legit fangirling over the Dark Tower connections and Derry references. Oh, and I absolutely ADORED Ralph Roberts. So I’m quite literally torn when it comes to this book.

The start is so strong, maybe it’s the pharmacist in me or maybe it’s because I’m not a great sleeper myself, but I loved reading about Ralph’s insomnia issues. Then the middle to end just drags on and on and on…and on. Then it drags on a little more. But during these lulls where not much seems to happen, or the story moves at a snail’s pace, King throws in a Tolkien reference or some kind of Dark Tower connection and all of a sudden I’m LOVING the book again. King, you sly dog. Toying with my emotions like this!

Insomnia is an unusual book in that its main characters are elderly, and I don’t often come across books like this. But have no fear! Ralph and Lois are awesome. Ralph is one of those typical “everyman” characters that King loves to include in his works. An ordinary man who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. And I was totally on board with this elderly romance, it’s the cutest!!

The storyline itself… it gets pretty bonkers at times. If I didn’t know better, I’d have guessed King wrote this in a drugged up haze. The storyline is crazy, and it does work at points, but overall it’s definitely not my favourite. My biggest gripe with this book was, of course, the length. In no fucking world – or level of the tower – does Insomnia need to be the length it is. No. Freaking. Way. This book could easily be around 300 pages shorter. However, I do have to commend the ending, I thought it was perfectly executed. Absolutely brilliant. The tie-ins to the DT had me crying like a baby and reminded me why King is my fave author.

For those who have yet to read Insomnia, I strongly recommend leaving it until after you’ve read the Dark Tower series. I’m sure plenty of people have read Insomnia without reading the DT, and have perhaps still enjoyed it, but I think to really understand and appreciate this book, the DT knowledge is necessary.

I’ve been trying to think of a rating for this one for days… CONFLICTED. I think I have to go for 3 stars, it seems to be the most fair rating for a love/hate experience, no??

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen King wields a wonderful tale around an older Derry man and his peer group of mostly retired older people. This main protagonist, Ralph Roberts, starts to get a rare type of Insomnia, that leads to a hyper reality and much more! Can't get no sleep?.

A clever 'The Dark Tower' warm-up / prologue with so much loving and well thought out detail giving to the life of Ralph and his peers and their ongoing/oncoming old age, as well as the nature of insomnia and sleeplessness, which were very interesting. Stephen King really captures each generation well in this book, and the interactions between the generations are key to stopping the evil that dwells amongst them. In addition, some of the antagonists in this book are a delight themselves, despite their malignity. On first read, this was one of my fave Stephen King reads and I still have a soft spot for it now. Beware the Crimson King! 8 out of 12.

2016 read, 2006 read and 2003 read

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an official Pantless group side-read with those splendid cullys (a big shout-out to our newest member, baby Ryder!!!) of the Dark Tower Buddy read group…

…and that was pretty much the only thing that got me through this labored read.

This was a DNF the first time I tried to read it and it was almost a DNF the second time. Yes, I made more progress this time before I almost threw in the towel, but the anticipation of a tie-in to the Dark Tower series kept me going. And going.



And going.

A vague mention of the actual Dark Tower here, dropping in “ka” and “ka-tet” to make it part of Ralph and Lois’s lexicon there, that King Crimson fella, and finally a couple of mentions of Roland at the end.

Whew! Thanks, Mr. King!

Hey, wait a minute!! Did I just read a 663 page backstory for a character that King inserts into the final Dark Tower book?

Yes, Jeff. Yes, you did.

Thanks for the confirmation, random Goodreader and what are you doing here? Don’t you usually pop-up in my funny book reviews?

I’m with you always, Jeff. I secretly follow you around everywhere.

*shivers*

Doesn’t this book have any merits beyond being a kitty squishing set-up for volume seven, Jeff?

Well, before I alert the authorities my stalkerish, random friend, I’ll address that point. It’s reminiscent of a lot King’s lengthy tomes. It gets off to a good start, spends too much time in Story-Stretch-town, Randomly-chosen-super-powers-burg and my favorite location – the plot-development cul-de-sac. And, yet, it characteristically ends on a high note.

That epilogue almost brought man-tears to my eyes.

It gets two stars from me for that, the fact that I genuinely liked Ralph, the main character (he was forspecial), and an extra star for me, Jeff, for spending the last two months whizzing (heh) through this book and finally finishing it.

Go me.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird book.

Remind me to never visit Derry Maine. This setting of a number of Stephen King’s novels is again center stage in this 1994 book about not sleeping and going crazy because of it.

I was drawn to this title as I have struggled off and on with insomnia most of my life. I wonder how many readers have stayed up all night reading, I know I have. I remember a haze of years when I averaged about 4-5 hours a sleep a night and recall visual hallucinations and waking dreams and just being tired all the time.

In this book, King describes how paranormal forces are alive and kicking and come out to play when our hero goes for weeks with poor sleep. Fans of Stephen King will be accustomed to his fantastic forays into the extraordinary and this fits into that genre, and there were more than passing references to his The Dark Tower series. (There were also nods to his novel It was well as a one liner that alluded to Pet Sematary).

This is also an exploration about the abortion debate in our society and King cranks up the nasty in this showdown in Derry between the polar opposites.

Even with King’s signature brilliance in characterization and dialogue, this buckled under its own weight – just too damn long. I liked the kinship with the Dark Tower books and to the recurring world myth of his creation, but some hefty editing down would have made this more enjoyable.

[Lucy'sLilLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to revisit Insomnia whilst on my journey reading/re-reading all of SK's books in order.

I was so worried this re-read wouldn't stand the test of time but if anything I love this book even more. This was my first ever Stephen King book and I remember falling in love with reading because of this book, it really kicked off my reading journey and I can't thank it enough.

Ralph is such a brilliant character, we follow him for the whole 700 pages and get to know exactly what kind of man he is. There aren't many books where the main character is 70 years old and it's a real shame because as a reader I think we can leave so much more from an older character and they are so often overlooked. One of the plot point in this book is how overlooked/underestimated.

Stephen King's ability to put himself in the characters shoes and make something so realistic it's scary. I feel like SK was shining (pardon the pun) throughout the 90s. I can see why people might think this book is too long but I think it's perfect it's a deep delve into the human mind, it's almost philosophical and it's not afraid to get into really serious subject matters. The topics in this book a heavy (really heavy), abortion, abuse, grief and death but I think all are handled with care.

Although this book is bleak in places and is about not being able to run away from the hands of time, it's also beautiful and shows why life is so precious, it's a celebration of life and death and everything in between. I have to mention the bumper sticker 'Support mental health or I'll kill Ya' what I perfect summary of mental health and why it's so important.

Reading SK's books in order has given me a new appreciation for his work, there are so many links and Easter eggs in this one The Dark Tower plays a huge role in this book but IT is mention of course as this book is also set in Derry (why would anyone live there!). Even Ben Hanscome get's a mention, I love watching out for the links in the SK world and this one has them in spades. In true King fashion there is also plenty of pop culture references The Hobbit is mentioned on more than one occasion.

I have always been and will always be creeped out by the little bald doctors with their scissors - but this book isn't really about a big bad villain it's just about life and how unfair it can be. The ending is very sad but it's so fitting and I think the perfect end to a perfect book. I can't say enough great things about this book - it will forever be one of my SK favourites and a favourite of all time.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone. For one its over 700 pages long. Another reason is that it deals with what some people say is uncomfortable topics:abortion, mental illness, domestic abuse and the afterlife and possible alternate worlds.

Another reason why this book is unique and different from other books is that the hero is a regular joe who happens to be in his 70's!

I loved this book. It took my mind to a place where few books can take me. I was not here reading the book-I was in Derry, Maine with Ralph and Lois and Bill. The sweet Natalie and her mother Helen. The insane Ed and the 3 little bald headed doctors: Clotho, Lacheses and the nasty Atropos.
Walk side by side with these characters as they battle each other and themselves through hard, insane times and insomnia. And always be aware of the Crimson King!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my least favorite things to do is give a bad review. To me, unless a book is truly unreadable and never should've been published, it shouldn't get only 1 star. 2 stars is for those books which just aren't a good fit for me and had too many issues to overlook (not often used by me either, and overused by other readers in my opinion... sometimes there's no accounting for personal taste)!

Insomnia by Stephen King was chosen with my buddy Medhat as our buddy read this month. We both like horror and Stephen King, and after tossing a few options in a hat, we wound up on this one. It ultimately falls between 2 and 3 stars, but because the writing is decent, I went with 3 stars for reasons I'll explain below. That said, I honestly had one of the most difficult times I've ever had digesting a book.

For one thing, it was twice as long as it needed to be. At ~900 pages, this book clearly contained so much filler, it'll fall apart from being too loose one day. There was significant repetition (not in a good way) and awful horrible topics. I blame myself for that last piece. I hadn't read the summary to know what it was about: religion, abortion, science-fiction alien visits, and a nose dive into just plain crazy. I thought it would be an insomniac's descent into crazy without the non-sense stuff leading the race. Personally, I don't want to read about abortion and religion, especially when a plot is supposed to be the sleep-deprived man or woman we all find ourselves at one point or another.

I avoid conflict and dislike when a book takes such a vulgar and vivid stance on something I disagree with. That said... I acknowledge I am at fault for choosing to read this book and pushed my rating to the higher side to accommodate that screw up. For another thing, OMG! I'm a smart guy, and I can deal with some vagueness in a story but the frequency of the aura discussion drove me bonkers. I had no connection and was lost too often. I think it was just a bad fit as I love some of his other books.

On the flip side, the writing is strong and the characters are very well described. Some leap off the pages. Other sit perfectly in the backdrop where they are intended to be. Had this been cut by 50% and the POV been less dramatic, it would've done better in my opinion. So... if you like political arguments, some of the nastiest language I've seen in a book for truly no reason (honestly, OVERKILL beyond belief)... I'm all for dozen of 4-letter words and sexual name-calling when it's 1 character and intended to show the personality... but here, it was just dropped in for the sake of it in the weirdest of spots. I took a shower when I finished the book.

Oh... sometimes things don't work out. I recognize the strength in this book. I liked several parts. It just wasn't a good fit for me, so I wouldn't recommend it for most regular readers. It's nothing like It, Dolores Claiborne, Misery, etc. Sorry!

[*•MJ•* · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long read but well worth it! 👏👏

“Ralph reflected for a moment on the similarities between loneliness and insomnia — how they were both insidious, cumulative, and divisive, the friends of despair and the enemies of love.”

Loved Ralph and Lois! 💘

“Everything lies in intent. There are few mistakes in this world… and once you get to know your way around, maybe there are no mistakes at all. “

[Gabriel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soporífero, pesado, un completo truño y terriblemente poco interesante la trama y sus personajes.

Luego de mucho pensar, el libro lejos de querer darme ganas de hacer una reseña en condiciones solo me ha dejado agotado de tal modo que solo mencionaré los aspectos que no me gustaron lo más resumido posible, cosa que no pudo hacer este libro en sus casi 900 páginas. Confieso que estoy en franca minoría con los que si le han gustado el libro y aclaro que esta solo es una opinión personal; totalmente subjetiva.

1. El personaje principal y la acompañante de esta son probablemente los protagonistas más aburridos con los que me he topado. Les falta malicia en la sangre, son demasiado buenecitos y repartiendo discursos morales al resto.
2. El libro tiene tres partes y las dos primeras son lo de lo más aburrido. Da vueltas y vueltas sobre lo mismo: ver a través de un señor de casi setenta años cómo es su vida y la de los otros viejos carcamales que le rodean. Que si me estoy envejeciendo, que si tengo artritis, que si tengo diabetes, que ya no soy el mismo de antes, que la salud, etcétera, etcétera.
3. Providas vs proabortos. También me cansó ese politiqueo y fuerzas contrarias. Fue algo cansino que no llevó a absolutamente nada.
4. Sé que King se enrolla más que una persiana pero aquí se pasó con la parte fantástica: Ralph Roberts se toma su tiempo (muchísimo) para aceptar que puede ver auras de colores en las personas y que hay ciertas entidades por allí haciendo de las suyas. Como verosimilitud en la historia está bien, pero para el lector se vuelve matón seguir en lo mismo y lo mismo una y otra vez viendo la larga extensión que tienen los capítulos.
5. Y por último, los villanos que son calvos y bajitos me parecieron tan ridículos hasta el punto de ser cómicos. Pero creo que eso fue hecho a propósito.

Lo único bueno es la tercera parte que es la final con el encuentro entre Ralph y El Rey Carmesí (que me recuerda mucho a It) pero de resto, ni los personajes, ni los pequeños villanos, ni la parte fantástica me gustó. Mucho menos las reflexiones sobre el aborto, la vejez y la irracionalidad del ser humano que le lleva a cometer locuras. Todo se me hizo bola y muy cuesta arriba, pero por lo menos puedo darme el lujo de decir que terminé la novela (estuve a punto de abandonarla varias veces) y que ha sido literalmente la peor lectura del año 2021 (Aún no me había cruzado con una historia a la que darle una sola estrella). Un completo chasco porque creí que sería una gran lectura y no fue así en lo más mínimo, en vez de generarme insomnio leyéndolo tenía más bien las propiedades de un buen somnífero que me duró dos meses. Al final, yo es que soy el que más me siento decepcionado por el estrellón que me he llevado.

[Court Zierk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderfully weird, but woefully wandering. This was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I loved the characters. Ralph is one of my favorite SK protagonists yet. Lois is adorable, and the two of them together are a delight. The bald doctors are a bonkers addition, and I have a very specific image of them indelibly imprinted in my mind.

On the other hand, the storyline was all over the place, and while there were interesting individual elements, none of them hung together in any sort of coherent, pragmatic way. What I thought would be a descent into insomnia-driven madness (which is why I love the first quarter of the book) turned out to be an aura-seeing, astral-projecting, dark tower adjacent, overtly politically dramatized battle. There was a lot here that could be trimmed, but there is an amazing novel somewhere in here, a la Tommyknockers, but you have to squint really hard to see it.

As for the Dark Tower connections, they were fun and I love that we got to meet the Crimson King, but this wasn’t a Dark Tower novel. The connection felt shoe-horned in and forced in my opinion, like a blatant shot at franchise and multiverse establishment.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATED it. Extremely long-winded and convoluted. Horrible, absolutely horrible. Probably his most pointless story ever.
This is when I knew Stephen King had lost his awesome writing powers and I can't really bring myself to read him again. Bad enough I had to suffer through Black House, and then this.
He really should have quit while he ahead and still an icon in the writing world. As for me, I'd rather slit my own wrists than suffer through another one of his awful novels ever again.

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird one, even for the King. Did he have some random nightmare about people being Earth balloons with the strings reaching into the heavens? Was it too much whiskey one winter night? We will never know. Just like I will never know what this book was really supposed to be about. Recommend only if you come back to explain to me what is really happening in the book.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugg, just no! And I have only read one book in the Gunslinger series and didn’t like it. And I don’t care.

Next!….

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Arah-Lynda]

It's crazy I know. I mean I am over three quarters of the way through this book but if I am being honest, the chances of my ever going back to finish it are just about nil.

Why you may ask and I guess the answer would be that I was never truly invested in the story or it's characters. In fairness it started out reasonably well and I did enjoy the camaraderie between Ralph and Lois but once the little bald doctors started making their appearance my interest level began to diminish quickly.

So way too many pages later I set this down in favour of another book thinking I would finish it off quickly after a little break. Well that was many books ago now and any inclination I had to do so has long since disappeared.

Sorry Mr. King. Perhaps this could be successfully marketed as a remedy for Insomnia.

[Martin Rondina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué buen libro!! próximamente reseña!

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 Reread:

Idk what I was on when I wrote that old review. No clue. Bumping this one’s rating up to a big shiny 5 stars. Insomnia is a masterpiece, I sobbed at the ending, and I have a new entry in my top 10 Stephen King books ranking, and that ranking currently looks like this:

1. The Stand (1978, 1990)
2. Wizard & Glass (1997)
3. Duma Key (2008)
4. Revival (2014)
5. Lisey’s Story (2006)
6. The Dead Zone (1979)
7. 11/22/63 (2011)
8. Insomnia (1994)
9. The Tommyknockers (1987)
10. Fairy Tale (2022)

Honorable mentions to From a Buick 8, Doctor Sleep, Pet Sematary, Dolores Claiborne etc etc.

2016 Review:
The most interesting thing about rereading Stephen King's works in chronological order is seeing how my opinions of them change in comparison to how I felt years ago. Experiencing his releases one after the other in publication order puts them in a new light, and that new light can often shine previously unnoticed brilliance or bring dark shadows to my attention.

Insomnia is a novel I used to number among my favorites; after this reread, I cannot, in good conscience, give it a higher rating than two stars. It's just such a deeply silly work. Yeah, the concept itself is one of King's coolest — Ralph Roberts, elderly Derry resident, begins to see strange auras and Little Bald Doctors after developing insomnia in the months following his wife's death — but I feel it's really bungled. Reading this man's novels in order has opened my eyes to this fact: post-drugs King rambles. A LOT. Entire chapters of this novel could have easily been cut; this thing is filled to the brim with exposition. And yeah, of course I want King to explain this strange concept he's come up with, but he holds the reader's hand. Nothing is left to the imagination. And what's more, not much is done with these crazy happenings — said happenings are merely talked about. It feels like the characters spin their wheels at times by ruminating on the same things. Something happens, and the main characters spend an entire chapter discussing it. Ridiculous. The worst offending scene that comes to mind is Ralph and Lois on the hospital roof. If you've read this book, you know what I'm talking about. So much of that chapter could have and should have been axed.

A large component of this 1994 tome is pro-life vs. pro-choice debate going on in Derry. It's almost tearing the town apart, though none of it feels particularly . . . vital? Energetic? Like, it feels as though the reader is really supposed to care about this issue, but King writes it so ho-hum. I dunno. As my friend Aaron pointed out, this plot line really doesn't go much of anywhere; it just gathers everyone up for the finale. Maybe I'm just burned out on politics as of late (despite it deeply annoying me, I stay in tune with the news every day); maybe that's why reading this grated my nerves a little. The entire political aspect of this work adds a cynical, unpleasant flavor to the dish. (And my god, what is up with everyone in Derry apparently owning a super specific political bumper sticker? Seriously. Like, nine or ten times King makes mention of bumper stickers. Weird.)

Laborious and so intricately plotted the energy is totally sapped from this doorstop, Insomnia is, unfortunately, the worst time I've had in the Stephen King reread yet. From the hokey, unrealistic dialogue to the laughably silly climax featuring the Kingfish, I cannot recommend this one. Though filled with cool references to several King novels — especially his magnum opus, The Dark Tower — this hefty volume is a chore to wade through.

No favorite quote or references today. I'm grumpy. Sad face.

[Susan Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This monster was book 3 of 17 in my Dark Tower journey.

This is another epic slow burn from SK where our main character, 70-year-old Ralph, experiences progressively worsening insomnia following the death of his wife. While Ralph sleeps a little less every night, things come to a head and shit gets real weird. This felt to me like kind of a fever dream. It is supernatural suspense, with a little horror sprinkled in. I think this really didn't need to be the almost 900 pages it was, and I thought the pacing was pretty off in the middle third.

What we do get in exchange for the length is the genius character work that SK brings to his novels. I absolutely loved Ralph as the protagonist. He might be one of my favorites so far. While his buddies are all curmudgeons, Ralph is just kind of a light. He's a bit crabby at times, but who can blame him? He hasn't slept in months! I thought the relationship between Ralph and Lois was the sweetest. The bizarro little bald doctors are never going to leave my head. And I am obsessed with all the little Easter eggs that are there for the Constant Readers. We return to Derry which is amazing.

Now, onto ❤ in Atlantis as I continue my epic journey through the Dark Tower.

[Constantine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Horror + Fantasy

After the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts suffers from a terrible type of insomnia. This continues for some time until he starts seeing some kind of aura that emanates from the people. At first, he thinks all that he is seeing must be a kind of hallucination due to lack of sleep. However, as time passes, he believes that there are some dark forces responsible for all the horrible things that are happening.

The story is set in Derry, Maine, which connects it to Stephen King’s It. And of course, there are several references to the Dark Tower series, which makes it even more enthralling. The book has interesting characters. King always makes his characters complex with lots of layers that will integrate into the plot and make it even more amusing. I appreciate that this time his character is an old man in his seventies. Not many authors write about characters in that age bracket.

My gripe about “It” was that it was an overwritten book. Insomnia is not different. It suffers from the same thing. I don’t think the story needed to be that long. 200 - 300 pages could be removed from the book without affecting it much. Actually, it would've made a big difference. Like many of King’s stories, this book is not easy to read either, not because of its language but because of the subjects involved. And these subjects are common and relevant too, be it abortion, domestic abuse, insomnia, the loss of a loved one, sickness, and mental illness. Insomnia is not one of Stephen King’s best-written books, but it is definitely an entertaining one.

Note: Insomnia is a part of my reading of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. This is Book No.11 of the 24 books I am going to read for this series.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, Ralph Roberts. Long days and pleasant nights.

[Sergio Ferenczy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me cuesta decir esto porque con Stephen King no es lo habitual sino todo lo contrario, pero no me ha convencido. No es una mala novela pero como dijo nuestro querido Javier Ventura hace poquito, a King hay que exigirle más. He disfrutado mucho con todas las que he leído, que no han sido pocas, pero esta vez no ha podido ser.

Los primeros dos tercios del libro sin apasionarme están entretenidos y con el interés de saber que está ocurriendo. Ambientada en Derry, esto siempre está muy bien, con referencias a IT, La Torre Oscura y seguro que a alguna más que se me ha escapado.
En este caso los protagonistas no son niños, aquí la voz cantante la llevan personas septuagenarias lideradas por Ralph Roberts, un viudo que padece insomnio y empieza a ver cosas raras, estando en Derry entra dentro de lo normal.

La novela está cargada de crítica social. Uno de los temas principales es el debate sobre el aborto, aquí tenemos a ciertos individuos extremistas antiaborto incapaces de dialogar o entender problemas complejos y los simplifican todo en consignas que llevan inevitablemente a la violencia verbal o física. Vaya, lo que está pasando en el mundo actualmente sea el tema que sea.
También tenemos machismo y violencia doméstica, uno se echa las manos a la cabeza al saber que el algunos estados norteamericanos darle una paliza a tu mujer con necesitad de ingreso en hospital se considera un delito menor.
Y por otro lado tenemos el envejecimiento y la invisibilidad en la sociedad de nuestros mayores. Aquí hay que reconocer que King se ha quedado a gusto.

Pero, pero, pero... el último tercio, donde lo paranormal, las otras dimensiones, etc etc... ha sido un bocadillo de cemento. Se me ha hecho largo, tampoco ayuda que la novela sea muy larga y algunas partes las he leído en diagonal. Y por desgracia esa es la sensación que me ha dejado la novela.

No es una novela de Sptehen King que recomendaría, antes lo haría con muchas otras.

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It was life, often unsatisfying, frequently cruel, usually boring, sometimes beautiful, once in a while exhilarating.”

A few months after the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts starts having a problem: he can't sleep more than two or three hours each night. Exhausted and stressed because of this, he begins to notice a strangeness in his familiar surroundings, to experience visual phenomena that he can't quite believe are hallucinations. He quickly realises that something is going on in his hometown, Derry.

Where has this book been all my life??? Insomnia, a book that nobody ever recommended to me, is now one of my favorite King books!
It all starts with a recent widower who can't sleep and is trying to find a solution for his insomnia, and King goes into great details to describe his struggles and his attempts. I suffered from insomnia in the past, sometimes I still do, so it's a topic that I find really interesting and I have to say, it was also perfectly described.

Then the story slowly develops into something bigger and amazing, and it's honestly so great to have unconventional main characters: two ordinary people, elderly, fighting things that seem unreal and finding comfort and support in each other in this unconventional situation. I loved it!
The ending is honestly one of the best King has ever written in my opinion and I found myself tearing up and holding the book tight to my chest after turning the last page. It's so well written, so emotional, such an incredible story! I loved every single line of it.

Insomnia is heavily linked to the Dark Tower books and I'd strongly recommend to read it after you've completed the series. It can be read without reading the DT, it still makes sense, but a lot of references and a big slice of the story would lose its importance without knowing its context.

King is, as always, a master in describing town people and the story is beautiful and magic until the very end. I'm aware it's a long book but it's so worth the time... It's a book you'll never forget.
5 stars.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure where I’d rank this among the Stephen King books I’ve read.

I enjoyed the premise, enjoyed returning to Derry, and I loved some of the characters (Especially the older ones! Why aren’t there more books with older lead characters?). But something was missing. I’ve been known to shed a tear at the end of a King book (The Green Mile!!) but found this ending a bit flat. And it lacked a truly sinister, scary baddie.

Not amongst his best, certainly, but it still kept me engaged for most of its 900 pages.

[Ginger · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I don’t think Insomnia is as strong as some of King’s other books. I enjoyed the characters but, in my opinion, this one has a lot of extra with it. It drags and could have been 1/3 of the size.

Am I glad that I read it? For sure!

The connection to The Dark Tower series was front and center. I can see someone picking this up as a stand-alone and not having it work as well.
Some of the The Dark Tower references will likely go over their head in my opinion, but I'm glad to get the extra details in Insomnia.

My Dark Tower journey continues with my ka-tet, Vickie & Terry!! 💕❤️

I was happy when the action finally happened in this book. It’s around the 60-65% mark when the plot finds its legs and we start to understand what is happening with Ralph Roberts, the town of Derry, and his neighbor Ed Deepneau.

Even with King's fantastic characterization and some cool stuff with auras, it was just too damn long.

[Jill H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, I am in the minority again so this will be a short review. The book started out well and even though I expected that supernatural things would soon raise their ugly heads, I could deal with that since most of King's stories are fantasy based.. But he went off the rails and he piled more and more ridiculous episodes and new directions and twists to the story that I was just shaking my head. I finished it although I don't know how. My apologies to the author and all his fans of this book, but I thought it was idiotic.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is a better time for King, I don’t know of it!

“Insomnia” is one of King’s standby classics, his 1990’s era of cult horror novels that gave him the legendary status he so rightly deserves.

When Ralph Roberts loses his wife to cancer, he begins to suffer bouts of insomnia. Waking earlier and earlier each night, Ralph attributes his wakefulness to grief and old age. However, during his nocturnal observations of his neighbourhood and its residents, Ralph begins to observe strange things. Colourful auras appear like balloon strings over people’s heads, and tiny bald men appear that no one else can see. But before Ralph can commit himself entirely to insanity, he soon takes on a far more important role than he ever thought existed, one that takes him to places outside of his current realm of knowledge and understanding, and it becomes crucial for him to come face to face with the mystery of death.

One of the great things about King is the connections he makes to his other novels. They help a reader feel connected to King’s other works, without even having to read them (although I highly recommend it!) and Insomnia is no different. The novel itself takes place in the always-present and ever-creepy town of Derry Maine, with references to The Gunslinger and It both present in subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways.

Ralph Roberts and his band of “Old Crocks” are the type of characters you expect to see in a King novel. An eccentric band of misfits who find kindred spirits and form bonds over coffee, chess games and memories from the past. Ralph’s grief opens him up to an entirely new plane of existence, and he is made to understand life and death on a much deeper level (be careful—if you aren’t ready for it, King will make you think, too!)

I am a devout, diehard fan of King and it is books like this that make me remember why. Nothing beats 1990s King, and there is no better time now to relive the experiences of hauntingly creepy Derry, Maine and its cast of haunted characters.

[Dave Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel. Great characters, with a highly imaginative plot and emotional finale. There was a little bit of bloat in the middle, but the story itself is so worth it.