sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

Insomnia
  • Rated 0 stars
Read Insomnia

Insomnia (1994) (edit title/settings)

by Stephen King (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations--and the nightmares that keep coming to life.

Summary edit see section history

The novel deals with Ralph Roberts, a retired widower who begins to suffer from insomnia following the death of his wife. 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... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The novel deals with Ralph Roberts, a retired widower who begins to suffer from insomnia following the death of his wife. 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", based on their appearance. Roberts perceives other planes of reality and their influence upon the "real" world. He finds that his longtime friend, Lois Chasse, is also a sufferer. They eventually discover that their insomnia has in fact been induced by the two little bald doctors to enable them to defeat the agents of the Crimson King.

Lois and Ralph name the doctors Clotho and Lachesis (the good guys) and Atropos (the rogue doctor), after the Moirae of mythology. Ralph overcomes Atropos and forces him to promise to stay out of their business, the doctors all being bound by their word, but Atropos has his revenge by showing Ralph a glimpse of the not too distant future in which he claims the life of the innocent Natalie Deepneau. Ralph is able to counterbalance this however, by striking a deal with Clotho and Lachesis whereby he trades his own life for Natalie's.

The story climaxes when Ed Deepneau, a deranged maniac and former neighbor of Roberts and Chasse, under control of an entity called the Crimson King attempts to crash a light plane containing explosives into the Derry Civic Center during a heavily-attended rally. At first Ralph and Lois think Ed's intention is to kill thousands of people in the immediate area; they discover however, that Ed has been possessed by the Random and 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. Danville is the focus of a prophecy concerning the salvation of The Dark Tower (and indeed returns with a key role in the seventh book in The Dark Tower series). Danville cannot, for undisclosed reasons, be killed directly by anyone born under either the Random or the Purpose.

However, from time to time a being is born who is "undesignated". An undesignated person is described as being like a blank card, and is up for grabs by either side. Deepneau is one such person, in fact the only person on earth at that time of undesignated status. Ralph defeats the King and forces the light plane to crash into the parking lot; killing Deepneau and sparing Danville's life, allowing him to fulfill his destiny and setting the path for the Dark Tower series.

The story ends on a tragic note as Ralph, to uphold his bargain with Clotho and Lachesis, is hit and killed by a car to prevent Natalie Deepneau from being killed in his place. The story closes on the remark that Ralph is finally able to rest.

Characters edit see section history

Show all 29 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

First Sentence edit see section history

No one-least of all Dr. Litchfield-came right out and told Ralph Roberts that his wife was going to die, but there came a time when Ralph understood without needing to be told.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 5 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels In 1994. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Gift, and followed by Politically Correct Bedtime Stories.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Stephen King (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Country: England
Publication Date: 1994
ISBN: 0340632682
Page Count: 704

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3561.I483 I56 1994b
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Some violence

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Gunslinger
  • It

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close