Let's Talk About Books

This book has been on my radar for a little bit. A Buzzfeed quiz told me it should be my next scifi read and I decided to take it up on that. For once, Buzzfeed did not disappoint. 

Nod takes place in a world where the majority of people on the planet are unable to sleep. Not like, "Oh, gonna toss around for a bit" or "I slept for five hours but it feels like even less". No, it's point blank no sleep. And if you didn't know, going without sleep for too long will make you go crazy and eventually die. A small population of humanity, though, are able to sleep and all share the same dream. Paul, our narrator, is one of those few and he tells the tale of how the world and his partner, Tanya, descend into sleep-deprived madness. 

This book was amazing. I really enjoyed it. The concept itself is just incredible. I get really sick when I don't sleep well enough for one night. I can't imagine the Hell the characters go through in the 24 days this book takes place during. The book also is just as much an exploration of linguistics and the nature of reality as it is what happens when you sleep deprive people for too long. Seriously, the language and exploration of language in this book is seriously beautiful. 

The plot of Nod is seriously sound and well constructed. There were twists and turns but nothing that felt thrown in there for the sake of drama. It all served a purpose and fell into place. The characters themselves were seriously well constructed. Charles was an incredible villain and I can't decide if I liked him or was frightened by him. Paul himself wasn't necessarily the best character but he was an amazing narrator. All the characters were interesting and awesome. The scares were incredible, the laughs were great, it all was just great. 

I'm sure you're wondering why, if I liked this book so much, why only 4 1/2 stars? Why not the full 5? Well, it could drag a little. Paul's writerly style, while awesome and poetic, could get a bit monotonous at times and I'd find myself skimming. It picks up fairly soon, but the first couple of chapters, while not bad by any means, did take away from the book as a whole. 

Final rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Really good, definitely recommend and will probably buy since payday is Friday.