As someone who does have trouble with sleeping the premise of this book did interest me. Dealing with a group of 5 people who suffer badly from insomnia it made me realisye that perhaps I'm nowhere near as bad as they are.
The book starts off slowly as it flits from one character's viewpoint to another, which is confusing to start with, but I found that I did get used to this and it let their reasons for their problems to be gradually revealed. The story did start to grow on me as it went on, the subject matter can be depressing but this is part of the character of the book, which never pretends to be a light read. Instead you can see how the characters struggle as the course continues and their lives start to intermingle and hoping for a successful outcome. Again not an exciting or romantic book, but an insight into other people's problems against which you can relate your own and, hopefully, make you appreciate your life.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

A group of 5 strangers from different backgrounds and interests all have 1 thing in common. They are all struggling to fight against the tide that is slowing drowning them, insomnia. There is a glimmer of hope with the sessions from a sleep specialist but it’s not as straightforward as they expected, following the strict sleep schedules is too hard of a challenge. Each member of the group slowly realises that they need to let go of their very own personal demons before they can move on but that’s easier said than done.

Fiction gives a window into different situations and allows the reader to see through the eyes of someone else. I found the characters of Claire, Jacques, Michèle, Lena and Hervé interesting and appealing. As each of their backgrounds were unravelled, their emotional traumas became easy to sympathise with and you genuinely hoped they could break their cycle of misery.

My only issue was the switching of the characters by the times of the evening. At times, I felt that it could’ve been clearer as sometimes it took a few moments to understand which character the story was focusing on.

I think my expectations of this book were out of sync with what it actually ended up being. I found it to be a fairly depressing book, with most of the characters struggling with anxiety or depression, and all of them suffering with Insomnia. I think if I was an insomniac I might have related better. The ending of this book was my favourite part, and I loved the insomniac society that was created out of a need for insomniacs to manage in a world made for the awake. I thought that this book would be a quirky look at insomniacs but it was a real life look at the problems that they face. While it was saddening to me, I love my sleep, it did raise an awareness of the type of things those that suffer with insomnia struggle with. I would recommend this novel if you do have the same affliction, but also if this is a topic that interests you. I would actually love to see a sequel but set in the world of the society, not just as an afterthought but as the setting, and the characters that would inhabit this space.

An inspiring and insightful reading! It gives an interesting viewpoint of people with insomnia. Multiple character narration allows it to explore the topic from different points of view!

Five strangers are brought together by one common problem, insomnia. They join a group together in the hope it will help them to achieve their goal of managing to sleep. The group is made up of men and women of varying ages and stages of life. Each character has their own reasons for insomnia and it is interesting to have each reason revealed throughout the book. The friendships that develop help them deal with their challenges and are at the heart of the book.

Wow. I’ve actually learnt so much from this book. It intertwines the lives of 5 people all suffering from insomnia. But when you read it you learn so much more than they can’t sleep. You learn how it’s effective their lives and their emotions. I really like how the stories are interlinked and it was a good read however not thrilling and whilst attention grabbing.

As some one who finds it hard to sleep I was looking forward to reading the insomniacs society, however I found it really rather disappointing wether it was the fact that it had been translated or not I don’t know!
A group of very different people who for one reason or another can’t sleep meet up once a month at a support group to learn strategies to overcome their sleeplessness, the success rate doesn’t appear to be that good but we get to meet a diverse range of characters snd follow their lives for a few months.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

"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.