Book info

• Title Nod
• Author Adrian Barnes
• Year 2012
• Genre Science Fiction

Dawn breaks over Vancouver and no-one in the world has slept the night before, or almost no-one. A few people, perhaps one in ten thousand can still sleep, and they've all shared the same golden dream. A handful of children still sleep as well, but what they're dreaming remains a mystery. After six days of absolute sleep deprivation, psychosis will set in. After four weeks, the body will die. In the interim, panic ensues and a bizarre new world arises.

Thoughts

Nod is a very intelligent book, with a smart premise and plenty of philosophical and thoughtful prose throughout. The concept - what would happen if the majority of the world failed to sleep one night, and then the next, and then the next - is really fascinating. A strong idea that could lead to hundreds of possibilities and conclusions.

The story takes a while to get going, and the pacing is very uneven. As soon as the sleepless night takes place, things ratchet up really quickly, and as you can imagine society descends into chaos.

The problem is, about halfway through, I felt like I was getting left behind. There was less plot and more meandering through ideas, and yet none of them came to any conclusions, and none of them felt like the right thing for the character to be wondering.

Overall, a good book, strong in concept and writing, but not really for me.

Rating: 2 / 5