We built a wall around ourselves: INSOMNIA.

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Emma Averell has worked hard to leave her childhood in the past. But as she nears 40, she cannot help but remember her own mother. When she turned 40, there was a terrible incident, and Emma and her older sister went into foster care. Emma has longed for stability ever since, and she's found it with her husband and two children. But now, she worries she's slowly going mad, just like her mother did at the same age. As she finds herself increasingly unable to sleep, wandering her home at night and losing time in the day, she fears her mother was right--madness is in her blood.

This book totally stressed me out with Emma's inability to sleep! It's very immersive, and you completely feel Emma's descent into sleeplessness and madness. INSOMNIA is a captivating and fast read. It certainly has its repetitive moments--there's a lot of scenes with Emma wandering her home, awake and pondering her life choices. At times, it's a bit much and it's painful to read about her "madness." But there's also an intriguing story, as Emma thinks back to her childhood, her mother, and what truly happened when she was young. I figured out a part of the plot fairly early on, but it didn't diminish my interest. As with most Pinborough books, there's a weird twist thrown in at the end--I wasn't sure this one was necessary and it sort of ruined some of the story for me. But overall, this is a quick and intriguing thriller. 3.5+ stars.

I received a copy of this book from William Morrow and Custom House, Scene of the Crime, and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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