Insomnia

Published: 1994

Insomnia (1994) follows Ralph Roberts, a 70-year-old widower in Derry, Maine, who begins suffering from progressively worsening insomnia after his wife's death. As his sleeplessness continues, Ralph starts seeing colored auras around people and witnessing small bald doctors—the agents of purpose and random chance—invisible to others. Drawn into a cosmic conflict between higher powers, Ralph and his elderly neighbor Lois Chasse must stop local activist Ed Deepneau, who has been manipulated into planning a catastrophic attack that threatens more than just their town. At over 700 pages, Insomnia is one of King's more metaphysical novels, exploring the nature of reality, mortality, and the unseen forces that shape human destiny. The book directly connects to King's Dark Tower series, revealing that certain characters are crucial to the larger multiverse. Upon publication, Insomnia received mixed reviews, with critics praising its ambitious themes while finding its pace occasionally sluggish and its metaphysical aspects somewhat convoluted. Though it reached #1 on bestseller lists, it's considered one of King's less commercially successful novels from this period. No film adaptation has materialized despite occasional development rumors. King himself has expressed mixed feelings about the novel, acknowledging its ambition while noting it may be overlong. For devoted readers, Insomnia is significant primarily for its connections to the Dark Tower mythology, introducing concepts like 'higher purpose' and the 'random' that would resonate throughout King's multiverse. The novel is notable for featuring elderly protagonists facing supernatural threats—unusual in horror fiction—and for its explicit political themes regarding abortion rights and extremism. The Derry setting connects it to the shared universe of IT and other King works, expanding the town's mythology beyond the Pennywise narrative.

Themes

• Aging
• Reality
• Fate vs. randomness
• Higher purpose
• Sacrifice

Adaptations

Collector Notes

Contains significant connections to the Dark Tower series through the character of Patrick Danville. One of King's few novels featuring elderly protagonists.