Here's the thing about Insomnia - I started this 25-hour beast thinking it would be my companion through two weeks of commutes. Ended up finishing it in ten days because I kept "accidentally" missing my stop. At 6AM. Multiple times. Kevin had to pick me up from San Jose once. Worth it? Honestly... yeah, mostly.
When Stephen King Decides 25 Hours Is Reasonable
Look, I love King, but the man has never met a subplot he didn't want to marry. Insomnia is set in Derry (yes, that Derry, IT fans), and it follows Ralph Roberts, a widower in his seventies who starts seeing auras and weird little bald doctors after his wife dies. The premise is wild - insomnia as a gateway to perceiving reality's hidden layers. The science doesn't hold up (obviously), but King commits so hard to the mythology that you just... go with it.
The first third drags. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. There's a lot of setup about Ralph's daily routines, his neighbors, local politics around an abortion clinic, and honestly I zoned out during a few 6AM stretches. But then around hour 10, things click into place and suddenly you're dealing with cosmic entities, fate vs free will, and stakes that tie into King's larger universe. If you've read The Dark Tower, there are connections here that made me gasp out loud on a packed train. King does similar universe-building in Outsider, though that one's way tighter on pacing. (Yes, people stared. No, I don't care.)
This is basically IT meets metaphysical thriller, but for senior citizens. Speaking of IT, if you haven't listened to that audiobook yet, do it—same Derry setting, similar cosmic horror vibes, but with kids instead of retirees. And I mean that as a compliment? Ralph is genuinely one of King's most likable protagonists - kind, brave, confused in a very human way. His friendship with Lois Chasse is sweet without being saccharine. King writes old people with such dignity here, which honestly surprised me.
Eli Wallach at 80-Something: Frail Voice, Perfect Fit
Eli Wallach narrates this, and yes, THE Eli Wallach - Tuco from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The man was in his eighties when he recorded this, and you can hear it. His voice has this slightly frail quality that actually works perfectly for Ralph. You believe this is a tired old man losing sleep and losing his grip on reality.
His character voices are distinctive without being cartoonish. The little bald doctors sound appropriately creepy-cute. The villain (no spoilers) sounds genuinely menacing. Wallach's emotional delivery during the grief scenes hit me harder than expected - there's this rawness that a younger narrator might have over-polished.
But here's the problem. The MUSIC.
The Audio Production Choices That Haunt Me
I need to talk about the musical interludes because they almost ruined this for me. Between chapters, there's this... I don't even know how to describe it. Screeching, discordant noise that comes in SO LOUD compared to the narration. I nearly threw my phone across the train car the first time it happened. Multiple times I thought something was wrong with my AirPods.
The mixing is genuinely bad. Wallach's quieter moments get swallowed, and then BOOM - horror movie reject soundtrack at full volume. I ended up keeping my hand near my phone to quickly lower the volume during transitions. Not ideal when you're also trying to hold coffee and a backpack strap.
Some people apparently like the music? Say it adds atmosphere? I... cannot relate. It's 2024, we have better production standards now. This audiobook was clearly produced in the 90s and it shows.
The Slow Burn That (Mostly) Paid Off
Here's my honest assessment: the first 8-10 hours are a slog. King is building something, but he's building it SLOWLY. If you're impatient, you'll bail. But if you stick with it, the back half delivers some genuinely creepy, emotionally satisfying payoffs. The climax ties together threads I'd forgotten about from hour 3, which is impressive given the length.
Perfect for: long commutes, road trips, anyone doing a King deep-dive. Skip if: you need tight pacing, you're a casual listener, or loud audio transitions make you want to throw your phone.
The ROI Calculation
You're investing 25+ hours, and not all of them are winners. But the highs are high, Wallach's performance is genuinely good despite the production issues, and if you're a King completist, this one matters for the larger mythology.
I finished this in 3 commutes... okay fine, 10 commutes. But I kept coming back. That's gotta count for something.
(Kevin asked if I was okay after I kept muttering about "the Crimson King" in my sleep. I told him to read The Dark Tower. He said no. We're working on it.)
