Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough

 

As Emma Averell approaches her 40th birthday she begins to suffer from insomnia. This fills Emma with dread as exactly the same thing happened to her mother and for the past 35 years her mother has been in a secure unit after attempting to murder Emma's sister. Emma is terrified that the family curse is about to strike her.

This book really lives up to it's title as you'll have insomnia wanting to find out how the story ends. The introduction really grabs the reader. Snippets of seemingly unrelated events:- a car crash, an acrimonious divorce, a family feud, a mentally ill mother and trepidation about an approaching birthday all pique the interest of the reader. How do the events fit together?

Emma Averell is a likeable character, she appears to have it all. She's a successful solicitor, has a lovely home and a stay at home husband raising the children. As we peek into Emma's life we realise that things aren't as perfect as they initially seem and added to this is the family history she has kept secret from everyone around her.

As Emma's fortieth birthday approaches the insomnia begins to set in. Her perfect life begins to unravel. As things begin to go wrong you get a real sense of fear intensifying. The loss of control starts to spiral and the descent into madness kicks in. Is Emma losing her mind or is she being manipulated?

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough will be published in hardback and ebook format on 31st March 2022. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.