Insomnia (novel)
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Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine.
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[edit] Summary
The novel deals with Ralph Roberts, a retired widower who begins to suffer from insomnia. As the condition worsens, he begins to see things that are invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people auras, and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors", due to their appearance. Roberts becomes perceptive of other planes of reality and their influence upon the "real" world. Eventually, he finds that a friend of his, Lois Chasse, is also a sufferer. She joins him in his efforts to thwart the growing evil and learns the truth about the doctors — Lois and Ralph refer to these beings as Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, the Moirae of mythology. The background for the story is an approaching confrontation between women's rights groups and pro-life activists.
The story climaxes with Ed Deepneau, a deranged maniac and former neighbor of Roberts and Chasse, attempting to crash a light plane containing C4 explosives into the Derry Civic Center during a heavily-attended rally while under control of an entity called The Crimson King. Ralph and Lois think Ed's intention is to kill thousands of people in the immediate area; however, Ed is only brainwashed into becoming a kamikaze to help fulfill The Crimson King's true motive. The Crimson King wishes to kill a boy named Patrick Danville who plays a key role in The Dark Tower. Ralph defeats the King and forces the light plane to crash into the parking lot, sparing Patrick's life and allowing him to fulfill his destiny and setting the path for the Dark Tower series. The doctors explain that Ed's innocent daughter Natalie will die if things are left to their own, but Ralph makes a deal which will allow him to trade his life for Natalie's.
[edit] Derry's mystical nature
Of interest to those following King's body of work is the fact that this tale goes some way in explaining the mystical nature of Derry (see, for example, It). Also, some of the metaphysical concepts underlying the Dark Tower series, and background story of Patrick Danville are discussed.
[edit] Trivia
- Joe Wyzer, a pharmacist, reappears in Bag of Bones.
- The Crimson King is the main villain of The Dark Tower.
- Patrick Danville returns in The Dark Tower VII. In Insomnia he describes both the Crimson King and "another king" named Roland being in his dreams.
- King's novel Pet Sematary is referenced when Lois and Ralph are in Atropos's lair, they find the shoe of Gage Creed, "run down by a speeding tanker-truck on Route 15 in Ludlow." Pet Sematary takes place in Ludlow, Maine and Gage is killed by a speeding tanker-truck whose driver was not paying attention. In this book, however, it is implied that his death was caused by the power of Atropos.
- The Dark Tower, from King's series of the same name, is shown to Ralph while being told about how life actually is.
[edit] Nominations
Insomnia was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1994.
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| Bibliography |
| Novels: Carrie (1974) • ’Salem's Lot (1975) • Rage (as Richard Bachman) (1977) • The Shining (1977) • Night Shift (stories) (1978) • The Stand (1978) • The Dead Zone (1979) • The Long Walk (as Richard Bachman) (1979) • Firestarter (1980) • Cujo (1981) • Roadwork (as Richard Bachman) (1981) • The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (1982) • Different Seasons (novellas) (1982) • The Running Man (as Richard Bachman) (1982) • Christine (1983) • Pet Sematary (1983) • Cycle of the Werewolf (1983) • The Talisman (written with Peter Straub) (1984) • Thinner (as Richard Bachman) (1984) • Skeleton Crew (stories) (1985) • The Bachman Books (novel collection) (1985) • It (1986) • The Eyes of the Dragon (1987) • Misery (1987) • The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987) • The Tommyknockers (1988) • Dark Visions (cowritten with George R. R. Martin and Dan Simmons) (1988) • The Dark Half (1989) • Dolan's Cadillac (1989) • My Pretty Pony (1989) • The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (1990) • Four Past Midnight (stories) (1990) • Needful Things (1990) • The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991) • Gerald's Game (1992) • Dolores Claiborne (1993) • Nightmares & Dreamscapes (stories) (1993) • Insomnia (1994) • Rose Madder (1995) • Umney's Last Case (1995) • The Green Mile (1996) • Desperation (1996) • The Regulators (as Richard Bachman) (1996) • Six Stories (stories) (1997) • The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997) • Bag of Bones (1998) • The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) • The New Lieutenant's Rap (1999) • Hearts in Atlantis (1999) • Dreamcatcher (2001) • Black House (sequel to The Talisman; written with Peter Straub) (2001) • From a Buick 8 (2002) • Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales (stories) (2002) • The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition) (2003) • The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003) • The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) • The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004) • The Colorado Kid (2005) Cell (2006) • Lisey's Story (2006) |
| Non-fiction: • Danse Macabre (1981) • 1988 Nightmares in the Sky (1988) • 2000 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000) • 2005 Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (cowritten with Stewart O'Nan) (2005) |
| Original ebooks: Riding the Bullet (2000) • The Plant: Book 1-Zenith Rising (2000) |
| Audio Recordings |
| Audiobooks: L.T.'s Theory of Pets • Blood and Smoke (2000) • Stationary Bike (2006) |
