The Insomniacs

July 15, 2020
Star diver Ingrid is trying to figure out why she had her first diving accident. The Austin high school junior, who has a concussion and insomnia, is desperate to remember what she saw right before she fell that threw her off so she can feel confident returning to practice. The teen and her mom are barely managing on Ingrid's nurse mom's salary. Diving is Ingrid's passion and her last connection to her estranged dad, a former diver himself. Ever since they witnessed the humiliation of her father's leaving, Ingrid has distanced herself from the three neighbor boys who had been her closest friends in their affluent cul-de-sac, but now she is drawn back to Van, her former best friend and the boy she is secretly in love with. When Van, seeing her light on every night, confesses that he too has insomnia, they begin to spend late hours in Ingrid's room while her mom is at work. Their romance grows even as they figure out what is going on with clandestine activities taking place in the empty house next door. A secondary theme regarding an inappropriate adult-teen sexual relationship is unfortunately not thoroughly explored. Ingrid's deep exploration of her emotions feels realistic, but the deliberate, earnest, night-by-night description of Ingrid and Van's relationship plods along. Most characters are presumed White. Ingrid's father is Jewish, and her mother is a Swedish immigrant; Van is biracial (Japanese and White). A slow-paced novel that takes on weighty topics. (Fiction. 14-17)

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September 18, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Ingrid, who is part Swedish, is an All-Star swimmer and U.S. Nationals contender recovering from a recent diving accident. She can't remember what happened that day to cause her concussion and now has insomnia. In the wee hours of the morning, she observes her neighbors in Austin, TX, and discovers secrets that people close to her hold the key to unlocking. Ingrid's single mother works nights as a nurse, and that separation makes Ingrid believe she needs to do everything on her own. She notices her mother's exhaustion, realizes they are struggling financially, and wants to get back into diving, with mounting pressure from her sweet yet overbearing coach. As the minutes leading up to Ingrid's last dive become clearer, she finds love with her old friend Van, who is Japanese American. Van's dedication to helping Ingrid get some sleep unlocks emotional doors for her, while she learns of Van's own issues with his family and drugs. All her life Ingrid has been shown that emotion translates to weakness, and she aims to show others that she is strong. Ingrid is a resilient character whose inward reflections allow her to make thoughtful decisions but also help her confront the pains of her past. This book has an ebb and flow of slowness and intensity that might lose some readers. However, it is worth finishing in order to unearth Ingrid's memory. VERDICT A bittersweet, mysterious romance that will leave readers yearning to discover the secrets of the seemingly normal cul-de-sac.-Kharissa Kenner, Bank Street Sch. for Children, New York City

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