The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To

The plot of The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To is neatly summed up by its title. Darren is a high school sophomore – he’s at the bottom of the school’s social ladder, ignored rather than reviled. His idea of a good time is to hide in his bedroom inventing complex worlds for the cyborgs he draws in his notebook during classes. He finally finds a kindred spirit in Eric, a similarly antisocial classmate. As their friendship grows more solid, Eric lets Darren in on his secret: he has never slept. He has been awake ever since he was born, wandering, learning, and developing his mind while the rest of the world is unconscious. The secret can’t stay hidden for long. In a fit of jealous anger, Darren reveals Eric’s “power” to The Man, a mysterious agent (of the government? A pharmaceutical company? Their collective imagination?) determined to kidnap Eric, and the hunt begins. Darren must salvage his friendship with Eric and protect the friend he has betrayed from the forces he has unleashed.

D.C. Pierson’s debut novel finds a perfect balance in its precarious situation. It is a book about teenagers, but written for adults. It is certainly science fiction, but it reads like (and is being marketed as) literary fiction. Best of all is Pierson’s ability to channel the voice of a smart, disaffected teenager from a new generation. Younger adult readers, particularly those who remember the pain and embarrassment of their teenage years, will find much to love in The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To.

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Recommended by Sara D.