Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Cafe Insomniac - Mark Capell (Nikki)

Book: Cafe Insomniac
Author: Mark Capell
Genre: Mystery/fiction

Book Synopsis: 
"The trick is not to fear the shadows but to embrace them… Night-time has become a good friend," says Justin.

But for how long?

Twenty-five-year-old insomniac Justin Brooks opens an all-night café. But soon after opening, one of his customers is murdered.

The fallout from the murder makes his insomnia worse -- much worse. It completely takes away his ability to sleep.

Strange things start to happen in Justin's world, things that are hard to explain.

.....His eyes stream when it rains outside..... Another café appears, out of the fog, out of nowhere..... Footsteps follow him everywhere..... The dead person talks to him, though it's not a ghost..... And a magician waits for him, perched on a high wire, high up in the night sky.....

Strange things indeed. But these strange things can't possibly have anything to do with the murder. 

Can they?

Nobody who visits Café Insomniac can ever look at the world in the same way again.

"I don't know what's real and what isn't -- and which is most dangerous."



Book Review: 
To start this off, I must tell you that you will be confused, but it's a good kind of confused. There was a point where I was reading, turned to Sam, and said "I have no idea what the fuck is going on here". I'm pretty sure this is how Justin, the main character, would describe as he dealt with the events. However, this doesn't mean it was a bad book. I actually found it pretty spectacular. A lot of the writing flowed very well, even being poetic at times. The story was full of characters who were deadly, odd, or even appearing to be from Wonderland. The story pulls readers immediately into the life of a man with severe insomnia, which helps to give the confusion a meaning. My favorite part of this book was the confusion, once I got to the end and learned what it was. It was fascinating to think about, definitely had me on my toes. 

Quotes: 
“In the main café area next door, Delilah is coming to the end of Moonlight Sonata. The final notes are deep, sad — placed in a way only Beethoven knows how to place notes. They drill a hole in my stomach and place a lead weight there. If death has ever been portrayed in music, it’s in those final bars. And yet, at the same time, they’re so beautiful.” 


“I settle for a radio station that’s currently playing a Tom Waits track. That man has so much gravel in his voice that, if he coughed, you could build a road with the contents of his phlegm.” 


"The trick is not to fear the shadows but to embrace them… Night-time has become a good friend,"



"I don't know what's real and what isn't -- and which is most dangerous."



All In All: I would highly recommend this book to everyone I meet. I loved the confusion this book entailed and it's such a fun read, not even counting the fact that it was written beautifully. On a scale of one to ten, this book gets an eleven.


Connect With Him On:

Twitter:  @MarkCapell

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