DC Pierson's debut book, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To, explores both the promise and pitfalls of insomnia along with the power and problems of imagination. Pierson's novel looks at the world of two high school outcasts, united through the fake worlds they create, who quickly find themselves in situations that are rapidly getting out of control. And while there's a lot of humor in Pierson's book - particularly in his (through the narrator, Darren) observations on human behavior - the book itself isn't just a lark: it's about regret, stupid drama, hormones, first experiences and finding out about who you really are - even when that answer isn't exactly to your liking. In short, it's about growing up.
Insomnia is a helluva thing. Your mind rattles on, refusing to let you slip away into the land of fantasy and confusion promised by falling asleep. And while you may find yourself pursuing some random tangent or another - like finding out everything you can about the long forgotten cartoon show Kissyfur - you rarely get up to anything really productive. You may read more, or watch more television or movies, but you're not working diligently on a cure for disease or a practical version of the flying car.
I've had some version of insomnia since I was about 13 or so; it came with the onset of puberty & depression - I like to call it the Awesome Trifecta. And in all of my long hours spent speedily rushing about, coming up with insane ideas that wither like a syphillitic vampire in the harsh light of day, I never felt like I was adding much to the world.
Concurrently, along with my insomnia, I have a very rich imagination. It's shameful to admit, but I have seasons of nonexistent television series lodged in my brain - complete with character arcs and serialized plot beats. I have volumes of comic book characters, with all their own twists and turns and ridiculously involvedbackstories. Movies are constantly being written and edited in my head, revised and touched up like a phantasm George Lucas endlessly making changes to fit his mood and his insecurities.
Being unhappy with my life, and inundated with so many different fictions of other creators, I constantly construct new possible realities to explore what might have been, what would be cool, to keep telling stories. And nowhere does this imaginative side express itself better than those late night hours as the dawn is beginning to break through and I've been up for far too long.
I first heard of Pierson's book through this glowing advanced review by Devin Faraci of CHUD. It sounded like something I'd very much be interested in, so I pre-ordered it that day and waited for it to be published. And while I never had the world building experiences of those who play D & D, I do still have all those universes floating around in my brain, hidden away from the judgmental eyes of others. It sounded interesting and fun and relatable - so I scooped it up and read it when it first came out.
The book is a great retread for any of us who survived high school. Note that I said survived - some people go through High School, with their cliques and activities and sense of belonging. Others don't exactly ever have that identifier. They're not in the group photos in the yearbook, they don't get any superlatives assigned to them, they just exist and suffer through the various humiliations that every day high school thrusts upon us. All the while, these people who are segregated from the rest of the herd are trying to be as interesting and unique and cynical as possible, sometimes painfully.
Pierson captures all of this fake posing, the awkward coordinating and plotting people have to do just to get through every day without being ridiculed or shit on by everyone else. Darren, the narrator and protagonist, is a nerdy guy who doesn't below to any clique in particular - he's not in with any group or type, he just exists on his own and carefully cultivates an outward personality to ensure that he's invisible to most people.
He and other resident weird, yet invisible, kid EricLederer become friends while creating a shared universe together - a world that will eventually lead to a trilogy of films, a few books and some graphic novels to fill in any remaining narrative gaps (not to mention a MMORPG for the inevitable fanbase to continue to explore the worlds they've created). As their friendship deepens and they spend more time with each other and with these characters they're creating, Eric reveals to Darren his unique ability: he doesn't sleep. Not as in he gets very little sleep, or he has occasional insomnia - he doesn't sleep. He never has. Darren is understandably skeptical about Eric's "thing" - but once he's accepted it, it just becomes another part of their relationship that they share apart from the rest of the world.
Along the way there are girls, misadventures, sex, video games, drugs, movies, betrayals and awkward social moments - the same as anyone in high school. And this all culminates with the pair realizing why some things need to be kept secret and the hidden power we can all find in the worlds we create.
Like I said before, Pierson (of the sketch group Derrick Comedy) does an amazing job capturing the tones of high school kids along with the mindset of all those who shuffle through the lockered hallways. He is able to depict what it's like to not care about something while caring about it all too much simultaneously - cognitive dissonance being the rule of the day for most high school students. There's lots of hilarious moments with the duo of Darren & Eric interacting with the world around them, a world that would just as easily mock them as it would ignore them. The pair experience a lot of firsts together - while being only too aware of how different they are from each other and how isolated they are from everyone else.
There are lots of painful moments - some funny, some not at all - all delivered with a unique and honest voice that I can't wait to read again. The book reads quickly - partially because of its easy, conversational, confessional tone - and its easy to get caught up in the adventures of Eric & Darren - the adventures in their fictional worlds, the adventures that come with someone having superpowers and lastly the adventures of trying to get out of high school alive and (relatively) sane. If you find yourself with late night hours to fill, instead of trying to figure out how to barbecue meat over a volcano, I would recommend picking up this book and witnessing the power that can be found in imagination.