Michelle Herbert reviews Nod by Adrian Barnes…
With so many books to read, it has been a while since I have read such an intriguing idea regarding an apocalypse, Adrian Barnes’ novel Nod is ingenious in how real it feels, as it concerns itself with the breakdown of society meshed with the mental breakdown of this world’s inhabitants. Welcome to Nod, be ready for all your notions of what an apocalypse is and can be, to be reinvigorated.
We are thrown into Nod, starting on Day 18, so we know that the world is no longer functioning the way it should, but we don’t know why or how this has happened. We also find out that our focal character is just about ready to give up the struggle to continue and he mentions all of the characters that we will soon get to meet. Nod is told from Paul’s perspective; he is an ordinary man who writes books on the meaning of words (etymology), Paul lives with his partner Tanya and is seemingly content enough with his lot in life, even if he is more comfortable being alone than mixing in social situations.
Set in Vancouver the story properly begins on Day 1, where the majority of the world’s population greets the morning without being able to sleep. Paul having slept well doesn’t realise that he is soon to become an abnormality, but we soon find out that the world’s news agencies are reporting this phenomenon as if there is a chance that humanity will never sleep again! It is also announced that if the world’s scientists are correct then within six days of not sleeping the human mind will have a psychotic break and they continue to predict that after thirty days with no sleep the human body will start to break down if you are not already deceased. This sets us up for the grimness ahead as Paul and Tanya’s lives fall apart.
Whilst reading Nod, which for a short novel is filled to the brim with details on how various groups of people deal with this tragedy, whether it is Paul seeing the collapse of society around him, with the prices of food being raised to an extreme, to people starting to not care about how they act or are seen by other people. It is also quite scary how quickly the infrastructure we take for granted breaks down, with no access to clean water or sanitation. Paul as a sleeping man seems sane in this strange new world until we realise that he is actually in denial about how the world ends for the majority of people.
It is also interesting to see how the main people in Paul’s lives change as they become more sleep deprived. Tanya becomes more aggressive, but is also more passive, depending on her energy levels and it is sad to see her decline, as you realise how much Paul cares for her especially when he is thinking about the life they will never get to lead or the past they have shared. Then there is Charlie, a vagrant, who in this new world order is a self-styled prophet renaming himself The Admiral of the Blue. With Charlie’s character, it is interesting to see how a person who is mostly ignored by those with homes and jobs to go to, manages to rise to be a leader, maybe not of men, but of sheep-like former individuals.
Paul is pragmatic and although he doesn’t feel like he fits into this world, he is a survivalist of sorts, as the streets of Vancouver become more violent, he manoeuvres his way out of a number of tricky situations; whether that is agreeing with Charlie’s plans or just surviving a walk to the supermarket, Paul has to always be wary of those around him, as he is one of the few dreamers left. Paul meets other dreamers, but in a way they seem very different to him, they have either been killed or want to stay asleep. Of the children still around, those who are dreamers are now silent, they seem happy enough living in the woods surrounding Vancouver, these children no longer speak and although wary of adults, they do not seem capable of staying alive whilst there are still Awakened around.
Paul has to wonder if he is still awake so that he can document this transition period. During this time, Paul is able to name those around him as Awakened and Blemmeyes, but what keeps him alive is making sure that the silent children, maybe the last remnants of humanity, survive. There are a number of religious allegories at play throughout the novel, especially in the scenes between Paul and the Admiral. These can also be seen in the way the dream is viewed by the Awakened and by Paul himself, Paul’s dreams when he recounts them are always filled with golden light and I couldn’t tell if the dreams were sinister or were meant to represent salvation. Paul finds out from other adult dreamers that they also dream of this light.
Adrian Barnes has written a gripping novel, which is at times thrilling in its intensity and yet fatalistically grim. I really enjoyed the pop culture references that are strewn throughout Nod, I like the way that the book uses words to not only explain Paul’s predilections for the subject, but also the irrationality and forcefulness that some words can have and how the meanings of certain words have changed completely over the years. I find I am still haunted by the events of this book, but if you enjoy survival stories this is something that I urge you to pick up.
Michelle Herbert
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