"Don't Judge a Book by its cover or title."

As a gruelling as it can be for an INSOMNIAC to fall asleep,"PIE IN THE SKY" sort of thing, I ventured into this book thinking I will be able to like and relate it as it will be my struggles and woes printed on the pages. 

 "TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT. BUT, TONIGHT IS NEVER THE NIGHT , AFTER A PERIOD OF HOPE DURING WHICH HE FEELS CLOSE TO VICTORY, HIS THOUGHTS CATCH UP WITH HIM."

Exactly my thoughts, on most dreadfully long and dark nights. 

I couldn't like this book, couldn't connect. It seemed like incoherent bits woven together. Each time I feel this about a book, it breaks my heart. 
THIS INSOMNIAC COULD NOT BE A PART OF "THE INSOMNIAC SOCIETY" mentioned here.

#TheInsomniacSociety #NetGalley

Five people have only one thing connecting them – insomnia. From family issues and career woes, from secrets that compel one from their bed to anonymous phone calls, Jacques, Lena, Hervé, Michele and Claire regularly meet a sleep specialist whose aim is for them to find peace and a restful sense of wellbeing, enough to make them sleep. But if the five don’t admit to the reasons why sleep is evading them, how can they really nod off undisturbed? I think this is a great idea for a book and perfect for anyone who struggles to blissfully sleep.

“…night time is the best time for communication with your inner voice”

The Insomniac Society is a novel about a group of “hard-core, incurable” insomniacs, who, at first glance, have nothing in common but their inability to sleep at night. A woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, a girl who can’t sleep past 4.30 am, a retiree who hears what others don’t, a middle-aged accountant whose greatest wish is to go unnoticed, and an aloof psychiatrist addicted to sleeping pills. Claire, Lena, Michèle, Hervé, and Jacques. 

The opening of the book is a short paragraph that sets the story, describing an insomniac’s perception of the darkest hour of the night. The narrative comprises of different days, each devoted to one of the insomniacs’ storylines. These come together during the morning meetings with the sleep psychologist, as shown from Claire’s perspective. 

I haven’t realised until reading this book how severe insomnia can be. It starts with a single sleepless night, then turns into a patterned behaviour that can carry on for decades, while you grow too weary to fight it. The only lasting solution would be to find the cause, some psychological and emotional distress buried deep in your past, and by facing it head-on, strip it of its control and allow yourself to “relearn how to sleep”. Whether one can achieve this depends on their willingness and readiness to break free from their addictions. After all, insomnia is an addiction too. Michèle is addicted to her late-night visits to church, Jacques – to the midnight phone call from his troubled patient. The author shows us that night-time is when you can be someone who is no longer tied down by their anxieties and fears of judgement, as it is for Hervé. For Claire and Lena, however, it represents something to hold onto, whether they want it or not. One has grown used to the feelings of panic and dread that come with the nightfall, the other can’t let go of the habit that once made her feel reassured. 

The Insomniac Society is the sort of narrative that talks about the emotional journeys, the kind that does not necessarily have a lot of action and focuses on character development, reflection and retrospection. It’s a mesmerising, thought-provoking read, and if you’re suffering from insomnia, you just might find your cure on the pages of this book. 

Note: I understand this is an uncorrected proof, so to any potential readers, do bear this in mind when you read it.