For some reason I can't seem to get away from my childhood perception of Stephen King. Every time I begin to read one of his books I expect something dark and macabre. Some of his books are definitely darker than others, but some of them are light and beautiful as well.
When my brother first told me to read "Insomnia" I thought I had the story line all figured out. It was about a guy who had insomnia and went insane something something something murder and death something something. I love Stephen King's writing, so I gave it a shot. I was only partially right about this book. The main character does suffer from insomnia.
The side effects of the insomnia are really what interested in me once I started reading. After losing so many hours of sleep, the sufferer begins to see auras. It's like a different plane of existence and awareness. Through the aura, details can be gleaned about someone's life. Are they sick at the time? Are they depressed? Are they perfectly content? Each color means something different. When the colors merge, mix and intertwine, it means something else. Other things that can be seen in this other plane are "little bald doctors". King named the three that the main character sees after the three fates of Greek mythology: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. These "doctors" are in charge of enforcing a person's lifespan, like the fates. Of course, there is a lot more in this other plane than just the doctors. There are evil beings, good beings and neutral beings. Some get involved and some you only hear of.
If you think about the book as a whole, I would say it is kinda dark, but the moments of the auras really balances the book out. After I finished reading it, I was kinda disappointed because I had hoped it would have been darker. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am continually astounded by King's imagination. I love that I think I know what a book is going to be about and then am totally surprised when I actually read it. I would recommend this book to someone who needs a good entry to Stephen King's works. It's a good balance and really shows off the diversity of his writing abilities.
When my brother first told me to read "Insomnia" I thought I had the story line all figured out. It was about a guy who had insomnia and went insane something something something murder and death something something. I love Stephen King's writing, so I gave it a shot. I was only partially right about this book. The main character does suffer from insomnia.
The side effects of the insomnia are really what interested in me once I started reading. After losing so many hours of sleep, the sufferer begins to see auras. It's like a different plane of existence and awareness. Through the aura, details can be gleaned about someone's life. Are they sick at the time? Are they depressed? Are they perfectly content? Each color means something different. When the colors merge, mix and intertwine, it means something else. Other things that can be seen in this other plane are "little bald doctors". King named the three that the main character sees after the three fates of Greek mythology: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. These "doctors" are in charge of enforcing a person's lifespan, like the fates. Of course, there is a lot more in this other plane than just the doctors. There are evil beings, good beings and neutral beings. Some get involved and some you only hear of.
If you think about the book as a whole, I would say it is kinda dark, but the moments of the auras really balances the book out. After I finished reading it, I was kinda disappointed because I had hoped it would have been darker. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am continually astounded by King's imagination. I love that I think I know what a book is going to be about and then am totally surprised when I actually read it. I would recommend this book to someone who needs a good entry to Stephen King's works. It's a good balance and really shows off the diversity of his writing abilities.
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