Dave Torres, a night watchmen in the coastal town of Santa Mira, California, is no stranger to sleep troubles. As someone who suffers from debilitating night terrors, Dave self-medicates to deal with his insomnia hoping to establish some kind of normal life for himself, but has failed to maintain a relationship with his ex, Katie, and has only one real friend in his coworker, Matteo. One night, when Dave and Matteo go to a party that was supposed to head into the early morning hours, they find that people who have drifted off to sleep have died. Unsure if a disease or something darker, caused it Dave and Matteo go in search of survivors, finding that Katie and a nurse named Linda have managed to stay awake past the event. The four then race against time to find answers before their own eyes close forever.
The Edge of Sleep by Willie Black and Jake Emmanuel is an intriguing novel for how it came into being as well as for the story content itself. Beginning as a podcast before shifting to a television series and then finally to a novel, The Edge of Sleep was an idea predicated on the limitations of the podcast medium, which restricted the number of characters to a relatively small number compared with more traditional approaches to storytelling in novels, which can have a far more expansive cast than a couple of people are likely to handle on their own. However, the novel goes beyond this to create a rather unique scenario for its story: the idea of rest, as represented by the necessary function of sleep, becomes the very thing people must avoid if they want to avoid the danger that’s been unleashed by the world.
For Casual Readers
The Edge of Sleep already has built-in fandoms if someone enjoyed the podcast or television series, but it also offers something more for people who came to it for the first time. The story is unique for its approach to terrifying a reader, with a focus on what could happen when someone falls asleep being the main driver of the problem people face. While it may not have the immediacy that comes with a traditional scary story, it takes the natural desire for someone to rest and turns it into something dangerous for the character. It’s a scenario which could have alienated a reader, but Black and Emmanuel managed to turn it into a situation that’s relatable for anyone who’s relegated to the economic margins of their community.
What’s even more intriguing is that rather than making the terrifying entity a creature like Freddy Kruger, The Edge of Sleep opts for something stranger, less concrete, and far more terrifying as a result, because there’s nothing to get acclimated to.
For Writers
Black and Emmanuel’s book offers a unique case study in what it takes to adapt a story for different formats. While I haven’t explored the podcast, interviews indicate the story had remained largely the same across mediums, but had to be adjusted to fit the medium and the interest of the authors, which provides two valuable lessons for any writer looking to do something similar.
The first and most obvious is that writing for one medium doesn’t always translate across mediums unless it’s done with intentionality. The Edge of Sleep may not have been thought of as a novel, but the story format was flexible enough and compelling enough as it stood that Black and Emmanuel were able to tweak the narrative to fit with whatever the new medium required, and that makes it useful for writers looking to turn their story into a franchise. Additionally, if a writer is interested in pursuing this avenue, there’s a podcast and television series that they can use to learn more about the specific adjustments that Black and Emmanuel made to fit the given medium.
The second important lesson that a writer can take away from The Edge of Sleep is that as a writer, it’s important to keep a story fresh for yourself as you progress in a given narrative. While writing any story can be challenging, even for well-established writers, it’s easy to fall into the habit of writing something for the sake of writing something rather than because you enjoy the process. When this happens, it can make it harder for audiences to connect with the story, and that makes for a less enjoyable experience for everyone as a result.
If you’re interested in picking up a copy of The Edge of Sleep and want to support both The Coffeehouse Creative and independent bookstores, you can use the Bookshop.org affiliate link here.
Next Up: The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Final Note
The Coffeehouse Creative is a place to flex creative muscle while working on other projects. That means that alongside book reviews, you’re likely to find:
Travel pieces that have brought joy the writer’s life
Reflections on writing and the life that it brings with it
Recommendations on marketing and management practices
Notes from a graduate student looking to survive the studies
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