At 40, her mother went mad and ended up in a psychiatric facility. Emma is just like her mother because she is also the second child. Is she doomed to the same terrible fate?

Insomnia: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough, Paperback | Barnes Insomnia: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough, Paperback | Barnes

What I didn't like: sigh...yawn...I believe I mentioned repetitive. Caroline and Robert. Caroline just came out of left field even the friendship blew my mind on how comfortable Emma was with Caroline and her home. Example: I'm dirty and bloody and I barely know you but can I just use your shower while you leave for work? Sure...yeah no. Then Robert.....supportive much? Nope. But as Emma’s fortieth birthday approaches, her world begins to shift. Because thirty-five years ago her mother quite literally lost her mind on the cusp of her own fortieth birthday. Even worse, she had spent the first five years of Emma’s life warning her that she would lose hers as well. Now with the date looming, she finds herself unable to sleep and is plagued by terror drenched memories of her childhood. Is her greatest fear of following in her mother’s footsteps actually coming true? In this mind-bending thriller from the bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, Emma Averell worries that her sudden insomnia is a sign that she’s slowly going insane—like the mother she’s worked so hard to leave in her past, soon to be a series on Paramount+

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It’s twelve days until Emma Averell’s fortieth birthday which is much more significant to her than most people as it links to her childhood and what happens as her mother approaches forty. Emma is still carrying the trauma of it as it haunts and overhangs her life. We’re on a countdown to her birthday and that’s a rollercoaster ride as we hurtle towards it with a number of serious incidents accumulating and careening Emma to the edge of a mentally destructive precipice. A cruel bout of insomnia exacerbates her state, is she going mad, losing her mind …. Or??? Emma Averell loves her life—her high-powered legal career, her two beautiful children, and her wonderful stay-at-home husband—but it wasn’t always so perfect. When she was just five years old, Emma and her older sister went into foster care because of a horrific incident with their mother. Her sister can remember a time when their mother was loving and “normal,” but Emma can only remember her as one thing—a monster. And that monster emerged right around their mother’s fortieth birthday, the same age Emma is approaching now.

Insomnia: A Novel - Kindle edition by Pinborough, Sarah

And the repetition. It’s been said that the pace is a little slow, I didn’t notice that as I read this mostly (or should I say, listened to it mostly) on audio. I play the speed a bit faster as I like listening to my books like this so maybe that’s why I can’t comment on the slowness.The synopsis alone had me wanting to read this one ASAP! Unfortunately, I did feel like this book read a little bit long at times, and I truly felt like I was experiencing every single ounce of fatigue and anxiety as our protagonist! I knew that there was something more at work here than just the paranoia that accompanies insomnia, but I was conflicted in what exactly I thought could really be happening and I feel like this could have been less drawn out. Emma Averell loves her life—her high-powered legal career, her two beautiful children, and her wonderful stay-at-home husband—but it wasn’t always so perfect. When she was just five years old, Emma and her older sister went into foster care because of a deeply disturbing incident with their mother. Her sister can remember a time when their mother was loving and “normal,” but Emma can only remember her as one thing—a monster. Sarah Pinborough is an adult fantasy, thriller, screenwriter, cross-genre novelist with numerous awards under her name. Sarah has managed to publish more than 20 novels and has even written for BBC. Currently, Sarah is working with numerous television companies on fresh, original projects. Some of the author’s most recent works include a dystopian love story titled, The Death House and a thriller, 13 Minutes that was bought by Netflix. Harper Fiction in the UK published the author’s subsequent adult novel, Behind Her Eyes, a psychological thriller this year in January. This book has been sold in more than 20 countries and has also been sold during an action. There are numerous discussions currently going on about adapting the novel for a screenplay. Emma desperately wants to keep her childhood trauma in the past, but as she stops being able to sleep, she also can’t stop thinking about what happened all those years ago. Is the madness in her blood? Could she end up hurting her family in her foggy, half-awake state, just like her mother? Or is there another explanation for the strange things that keep happening around her? Emma must unravel the dark strands of her past to protect the people she loves… or risk losing it all, including her sanity. I have been intending on reading a Sarah Pinborough book for some time but have never gotten around to it, so this was my first. I have no idea about her other books, but this one was a winner!

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough | Waterstones Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough | Waterstones

Even though Emma isn't a character I loved, she works well given the context of the story. You just don't know what to think as the author successfully strings everything along. I'm not going to lie, the ending is not the most satisfying, but I didn't exactly hate it either. Once again, Sara Pinborough delivers a book that is ripe for discussion. And that monster emerged right around their mother’s fortieth birthday, the same milestone Emma is approaching now. The conclusion devolved into chaos and it took me a little while to acclimatise to what was revealed. Once I had done so, I could only applaud Pinborough for her repeated ingenuity and the different elements she brings to the genres she pens in. Emma is a solicitor in Leeds who specializes in high profile divorces. She’s worked hard and has built her reputation up to the point that she is about to be made a partner at her firm — all right before her 40th birthday. The only problem is that the milestone is even more anxiety-ridden for Emma than it is for most women, because she's been keeping a big secret from her husband and kids - Emma’s mother suffered a psychotic breakdown when she turned 40 and tried to smother Emma’s older sister, Phoebe, with a pillow. Emma has told Robert and the kids that her mother died years ago. When Phoebe, who has been estranged from Emma, turns up at Emma’s house right before her birthday and tells Emma that their mother, who has been in a sanitarium since her breakdown, is dying, Emma knows she cannot keep her secret much longer. She has already been experiencing sleepless nights, and Phoebe tells Emma that she has the same “bad blood” as their mother. Even more chilling is Robert’s accusation that she is terrorizing their young son by standing beside his bed at night with a pillow in her hands. Emma has no memory of this behavior, but it’s hard to think straight when she’s functioning on so little sleep. Is she really a monster or is someone just going to great lengths to make her think so?

The cover definitely gave off a far more sinister vibe than was ever experienced underneath it, but there was a subtle eerie undertone that dogged all that occurred. This never became a truly horrifying novel but remained an entirely thrilling and intriguing one, throughout. I’ve finally read my first Sarah Pinborough thriller, and it absolutely won’t be my last. INSOMNIA—available today in the US—is one of the most genuinely unsettling and utterly gripping psychological thrillers I’ve read in ages, and it’s sure to be one of my favorite books of 2022. In this twisty, paranoia-inducing tale, a woman anxiously awaits her 40th birthday—but not for the reason you might think. When Emma’s mother turned 40, she lost her mind…and now, as Emma’s own 40th birthday approaches, she begins to fear the very same thing might be happening to her. INSOMNIA is an “unreliable narrator” thriller done right—Pinborough expertly draws readers into Emma’s increasingly terrifying world, where no one and nothing can be trusted, not even Emma’s own mind. This book will keep you on your toes, never quite sure who to trust, and who might be hiding dark secrets. INSOMNIA is a story about what we inherit from our family, and the pieces of those inheritances that we wish we could escape. It’s also one of the most downright entertaining thrillers I’ve read in ages. Clear your schedule and—cheesy as it may be to say, it’s true—prepare to lose sleep over INSOMNIA. I became completely immersed in this story and felt as if I were going crazy along with Emma. I had no idea how this one was going to play out and for once I didn't even try to guess or figure it out. If you pay attention, there is even a nod to Behind Her Eyes at the end of Insomnia.