Mark Genevich, narcoleptic detective, is caught between friends and a police investigation in this wickedly riveting PI novel with a twist–a follow-up to The Little Sleep Mark Genevich is stuck in a rut: his narcolepsy isn’t improving, his private-detective business is barely scraping by, and his landlord mother is forcing him to attend group therapy sessions. Desperate for companionship, Mark … for companionship, Mark goes on a two-day bender with a new acquaintance, Gus, who is slick and charismatic–and someone Mark knows very little about. When Gus asks Mark to protect a friend who is being stalked, Mark inexplicably finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and soon becomes the target of the police, a sue-happy lawyer, and a violent local bouncer. Will Mark learn to trust himself in time to solve the crime–and in time to escape with his life?
Written with the same “witty voice that doesn’t let go”* that has won Paul Tremblay so many fans, No Sleep Till Wonderland features a memorable detective whose only hope for reconciling with his difficult past is to keep moving–asleep or awake–toward an uncertain future.
*Library Journal, starred review for The Little Sleep
more
I eagerly dove into No Sleep Till Wonderland by one of my favorite authors, Paul Tremblay. When I had learned that Tremblay also had a series of mystery fiction in addition to his renowned horror/suspense stories and books, I was prepared for an immersive experience.
What I did not know was that this was the second in the Mark Genevich series (the first being The Little Sleep). So I was unexpectedly thrust into the noir world of a sarcastic, self-deprecating narcoleptic Boston-based investigator. Under the thumb of his mother/landlord, Mark is compelled to attend group therapy meetings as a condition for free rent. It is at one of these meetings that Mark encounters Gus, a magnetic stranger who first befriends and later hires him to help out a lady friend “in need.” As is typical in these types of stories, the dame is bad news and leads our sleepy hero on a twisting and dangerous quest. It is obvious that Tremblay is having a bit of fun poking at the tropes of the hard-boiled detective novel and the misanthropic/misogynistic traits of the narrator. In between racing into fires, getting beat up and having awkward sex, Mark battles with his condition and the constant dream-like state it produces. Since the reader is only privy to his point-of-view, the storyline becomes a meandering series of confusing episodes that may or may capture reality. The gritty vibe and caustic humor is enjoyable at first, but becomes wearing after a while. Mark is “too clever by half” and knows it, and his treatment of women makes him difficult to embrace. Perhaps I would have had a better appreciation for his quirks if I had read the first book. As it was, the impression that I got was that while Tremblay playfully toys with provocation and extremes, the unfortunate result is a collection of wisecracks and misogyny with a plot that fails to be compelling. The novelty of a narcoleptic narrator is unique, but also contrived and unnecessarily distracting. No Sleep Till Wonderland requires a lot of patience from the reader-who may struggle to empathize with Genevich and question his puzzling choice of a profession for which he seems so ill-suited. I could go back and read The Little Sleep to give Tremblay the benefit of the doubt, but I am much more likely to anxiously await his next thriller release instead.
Thanks to the author, St.Martin’s (Griffin), and Edelweiss Plus for an ARC of this book in return for a partial review.
Literary fiction that still makes you turn the page
The problem I have with Literary Fiction is that you are supposed to love it, but it doesn’t always add anything to your literary life.
You’ll read The New Yorker, and it mentions some new auteur on the scene, pushing the boundaries of literature – and you read them.
You can see this author’s talent, and this author’s innovation, but do you enjoy reading them? Are you rushing home from work to read them? After you’ve read them, do you feel like you are a better person?
Well I know that I –
* Enjoy authors like Bracken MacLeod and Dan Chaon
* Rush home to read Ruth Ware
* Feel smarter and better whenever I read anything by Yuval Noah Harari
Of those authors – maybe Dan Chaon could be considered a writer of Literary Fiction?
Maybe – it’s hard to tell.
I know that Harari isn’t and his books change the way I, and many others, see the world.
The one thing that MacLeod, Chaon, Ware – and even Harari have in common is that they make you want to turn the page.
Paul Tremblay puts literature into every sentence, but he still pushes the plot forward
Tremblay puts a great deal of thought into every line of his book. His main character is a narcoleptic – but Tremblay finds a way to put a The New Yorker style analysis on every move Mark Genevich makes –
>
Sleep won’t solve any problems or answer any questions. My mornings are false starts, and I have them throughout the day and night. And sometimes, mornings are the promises that never come.
>
Tremblay doesn’t let a single action go without bringing in his words – for example, take this analysis of Genevich’s fight with his benefactor –
>
After she sprang the deal on me, we had an argument that went atomic. We’re still in its nuclear winter. I avoid talking to her, and she does the same. She used to come to Southie and crash at my place two nights a week, but Ellen has quarantined herself on the Cape for the entire summer.
>
And yet – the tale just moves ahead
This detective story just keeps moving forward.
Genevich just can not give a straight answer – he is an anti-authoritarian with every bit of his being, and this leads to enemies with most everyone he meets. But this gives an edge to the dialogue, and keeps the tale moving forward.
In short, a good entry point into Genevich and Tremblay, even though this is the second in a series
This tale is apparently the second in the Genevich series, but it functions as a standalone. The main character Genevich repels so many people that most any Genevich book might be a standalone.
But it’s great, and I recommend it!