The Insomniacs by Marit
Weisenberg, 336 pgs. Flatiron Books, 2020. $19.
Language:
R (53 swears, 13 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (drug and alcohol use, drug
overdose (victim recovers), affair between student and coach (off page)),
Violence: PG-13 (diving accident is described).
BUYING
ADVISORY: MS, HS—
AUDIENCE
APPEAL—HIGH
Ingrid
is a high school star diver on her way to national acclaim and scholarships
when in a moment of distraction, she falters and suffers a major injury.
Recovering from her injury, Ingrid has turned into an insomniac and begins to
watch the abandoned house next door, convinced something is going on. When her
neighbor and crush, who is also fighting insomnia, joins her in her nightly
vigils, secrets will be discovered and futures will be changed forever.
A
fast paced read that has all the elements to thrill. Romance, mystery, and
secrets to uncover will keep the reader intrigued and allow some of the
shortcomings in the plot to be forgiven. The main character has an incredible
amount to deal with and is realistically portrayed in her downward spiral as
her perfectly organized world begins to crumble. As with most YA novels, the
adults are withdrawn or conveniently out of the way allowing for many of the
antics of the teens to occur, which otherwise would have been impossible to
pull off. Readers will be satisfied with an ending that brings all of the plot
threads to a close; however, more could have been said about the benefits and
absolute need for many of the characters to seek and receive therapy. Serious
situations with long-term consequences, which many readers may themselves have
experienced, should be acknowledged to have no easy answers and a healing
process that could take more than a few weeks.
Reviewer:
AEB
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