This novel by Adam Roberts (actually a YA novel) is about something that caused all the adults in the world (17 and over) to fall asleep and stay asleep. For some, obviously this had immediate devastating consequences – think airline pilots, or anyone driving a high speed vehicle, or performing surgery, or anything vital like that, but the slower repercussions were just as terrible – sleeping bodies become dehydrated, emaciated, etc and the young adults left behind had to take responsibility for the younger children as well as trying to keep their sleeping adult family members alive.
Some groups revelled in the removal of constraints – raiding off-licence shops and partying/looting/joyriding etc, others tried to organise rationing of resources, learning how to fix generators and grow food, ie, survival skills, as well as trying to figure out what had happened and what they could do about it, especially as anyone turning 17 would join the ranks of the sleeping (or mostly dead after not too long).
I mostly really enjoyed the novel – the main character was likeable and the situation was intelligently explored. I however, found the ending to be rushed and unsatisfactory – maybe a sequel is planned, or just the writer didn’t like pat endings that tied things up too neatly?
Sarah Wray Writer 