Sleepless By Louise Mumford

”Sleepless’ is the latest book by Louise Mumford.

Thea is an insomniac; she hasn’t slept more than three hours a night for years. So when an ad for a sleep trial that promises to change her life pops up on her phone, Thea knows this is her last chance at finding any kind of normal life. Soon Thea’s sleeping for longer than she has in a decade, and awakes feeling transformed. So much so that at first she’s willing to overlook the oddities of the trial – the lack of any phone signal; the way she can’t leave her bedroom without permission; the fact that all her personal possessions are locked away, even her shoes. But it soon becomes clear that the trial doesn’t just want to help Thea sleep. It wants to control her sleep.

‘Sleepless’ is an unsettling story that is cleverly crafted to keep the reader on their toes.

The story is seen mostly through the narrative of Thea, who hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep in years. Admitting defeat and after seeing the clinic advertised a number of times, Thea signs herself up to Morpheus, which guarantees her a cure for her sleep deprivation. The clinic is on an remote island and even though her mother was convinced she’s joining a cult, Thea wonders if her mother is correct when her new friend called Rosie is brutally attacked and Thea finds herself the subject of unwanted attention with her sleep issues.

Right from the offset, this book is an uncomfortable read, from the claustrophobic island to the secretive testing, it’s obvious that something sinister is happening to the participants of the clinic but as Thea delves into the clinic’s work, it brings up some nasty surprises.

The story is vividly written and descriptive from the description of the island, the metal discs that are stuck to the participants head and are unable to be removed to the vivid dreams the keep the people awake.

Thea is an interesting lead as she is determined to find out what’s really happening at the clinic and seems to be able to thrive on little or no sleep. Other elements from the story are seen from the perspective of her mother Vivian. I loved Vivian with her viewpoints and outspoken behaviour and determination to save her daughter.

With a gripping and unsettling plot line that hooks the reader in, ‘Sleepless’ is a chilling thriller with suspicious characters that will leave the reader unable to sleep until they reach the final page.

You can buy ‘Sleepless’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.