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Twelve days before her birthday, Emma begins to suffer from terrible insomnia. She is slowly losing time and is compelled to do the same things her mother did right before she went mad. OVERALL: Pinborough remains a cut above other suspense authors, and I will always read anything she puts out, no matter what the topic, because of her writing skill and her awesome plots and ideas. The execution of these ideas varies for me from book to book. This one did not end up being one of my favorites and the execution was not on the level of Behind Her Eyes for me (a book I loved until the very end - that divisive last twist!), but I am still glad I gave it a try. 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 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. The Second Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories (With: Christopher Fowler,Conrad Williams,Mark Morris,Tim Lebbon,Guy Adams,Simon Strantzas,Gary McMahon,Rhys Hughes,Gary Fry,John Travis,Michael Kelly,James Cooper,Davin Ireland,Andrew Jury,Carol Weekes,Ian Alexander Martin)
Insomnia: A chilling psychological thriller of 2022 from the Insomnia: A chilling psychological thriller of 2022 from the
Pinborough’s unsettling, remorseless psychological thriller is horribly plausible and expertly plotted’ Sunday Times OMG! What an utterly transfixing and mind-bending novel Insomnia was. The first I’ve read by Sarah Pinborough (what on earth has taken me so long?!?), there is no possible realm where I could have ever guessed where the plot was leading. And let me tell you, it was so deftly engineered that only an absolute maestro of the written word could have created such an absolutely perfect (I’m going to overuse this word in my review, so get used to it) novel. 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.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
RT @ vanessalillie: I’ve had box of Blood Sister arcs unopened for two weeks waiting on tomorrow - cover reveal by @ crimebythebook& IG… https://t.co/fnQ35GO1Nd Apr 2, 2023, 10:03 AM RT @ TheMysterious: We’re making plans to head out to @ HamptonsWhodun next month, Long Island’s exciting new crime fiction festival. Se… https://t.co/ra7RPgf7Fv Mar 30, 2023, 6:13 PM I have been intending on reading a Sarah Pinborough book for some time but have never gotten around to it, so this was my first. I have no idea about her other books, but this one was a winner!
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough - Publishers Weekly Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough - Publishers Weekly
I’ve finally read my first Sarah Pinborough thriller, and it absolutely won’t be my last. INSOMNIA—available today in the US—is one of the most genuinely unsettling and utterly gripping psychological thrillers I’ve read in ages, and it’s sure to be one of my favorite books of 2022. In this twisty, paranoia-inducing tale, a woman anxiously awaits her 40th birthday—but not for the reason you might think. When Emma’s mother turned 40, she lost her mind…and now, as Emma’s own 40th birthday approaches, she begins to fear the very same thing might be happening to her. INSOMNIA is an “unreliable narrator” thriller done right—Pinborough expertly draws readers into Emma’s increasingly terrifying world, where no one and nothing can be trusted, not even Emma’s own mind. This book will keep you on your toes, never quite sure who to trust, and who might be hiding dark secrets. INSOMNIA is a story about what we inherit from our family, and the pieces of those inheritances that we wish we could escape. It’s also one of the most downright entertaining thrillers I’ve read in ages. Clear your schedule and—cheesy as it may be to say, it’s true—prepare to lose sleep over INSOMNIA. 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. Prepare to be totally and utterly blown away by Insomnia. Sarah Pinborough is a twisted genius’ Lisa Jewell 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.
Insomnia is Sarah Pinborough’s best thriller since Behind Her Eyes. Emma is a terrific unreliable narrator and had me guessing until the very end. While I did guess the Who, I did not figure out the Why. Some readers may feel that the book is overly repetitive, but there are frequent hints at new clues so I never lost interest. And, it is super creepy! We as readers are meant to question how reliable of a narrator Emma is. This is an enduring theme throughout this work. Even though Emma isn't a character I loved, she works well given the context of the story. You just don't know what to think as the author successfully strings everything along. I'm not going to lie, the ending is not the most satisfying, but I didn't exactly hate it either. Once again, Sara Pinborough delivers a book that is ripe for discussion. Mostly written from the first person Emma's point view we follow her thoughts and feelings as she tries to establish whether she is going insane or someone or some people are messing with her. I didn't expect much from this one, but found myself fully pulled in, until the conclusion (and indeed the core concepts) which really annoyed me, despite them making sense of sorts. I can see why many will adore this read and many will think it's ultimately just a weak overall idea, but I'd like to think that we can all agree that the narrative voice of someone feeling on the brink and the suspense around her reality and the people she interacts with was pretty good? A 6 out of 12, Three Star read for me :) I want to make clear that had I not had such high expectations for this author, this would surely have probably been more impressive to me. I think a reader who has not read this author's previous work will most likely enjoy this one more than I did. The writing was on par with her previous efforts, and I was undoubtedly intrigued throughout, I just needed my reveal to hurry up and happen!
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