Welcome to the age of medical miracles. The new millenium has brought an array of drugs that treat everything from obesity to sleep disorders to sexual dysfunction. But as we pop pills and marvel at the awesome effects (namely, how effortlessly we lose weight, fall asleep and have great sex), are we slowly forgetting that people are, in fact, meant to be flawed?
In his latest novel, Inspired Sleep, Robert Cohen examines this dilemma and seeks to define the fine line between effective and excessive medicine. Bonnie Saks, a divorced middle-aged mother of two faced with a dead-end job, an unfinished doctoral thesis, and an unwanted pregnancy, and she can't remember the last time she had a good night's sleep. As she struggles with an impending midlife crisis, she unexpectedly crosses paths with Ian Ogelvie, a young and ambitious research scientist at Boston General Hospital involved in a study of a new sleep aid that seems too good to be true. Their collaboration is a collision of two worlds that leads them both to question the human condition.
Embodying an intelligent combination of science, politics, emotions and morals, Inspired Sleep is complex yet coherent. It is both a satirical criticism of the inner workings of money-hungry pharmaceutical giants and a sensitive examination of the joys, disasters, and disappointments that are inherent and inescapable in life.
The miracle drug more than lives up to its promises; from the moment she begins to take the magical drug, Bonnie experiences not only relief from her insomnia but also glorious dreams, increased productivity and awakening of the senses altogether. But it becomes apparent that these baby-blue pills will never solve all of life's dilemmas. Both Bonnie and Ian must realize that the pharmaceutical industry, medicine, and science itself are not without fault.
An eclectic array of characters creates the lens through which Cohen carefully examines contemporary America and its various obsessions. From Larry Albeit, the over-medicated, idealistic, unrealistic lawyer, to Cress, the drug-addicted Shakespeare-hating babysitter, to Marisa Chu, a competitive researcher at the hospital and the object of Ian's sexual appetite, each of the characters in Inspired Sleep is vivid and well developed. They have been carefully chosen by Cohen to play clearly defined roles within the context of the novel and its goals. The result is a work of fiction replete with interesting, intricate personalities that contribute to an already rich plot.
Cohen's distinct style of writing is a combination of wry humor and careful but genuine emotion. Thoughtful dialogue and descriptive narrative make the characters endearing and convincing in their plight to eradicate the imperfections and complications that they are convinced are at the root of the difficulties that plague them. Cohen inspires thought and consideration in the reader through his characters, bringing light to the issues which he seeks to examine in the novel.
More than a work of fiction, Inspired Sleep is also a form of social commentary that enlightens the reader about certain elemental flaws that have come to pervade modern America in recent years.
Though careful and astute in his perceptions and comparisons, Cohen occasionally gets caught up in unnecessarily lengthy and meticulous narrative observations that belabor the point he is trying to make. Such passages are distracting and tedious to decipher, often requiring a second or third read. There are many places in the novel where this kind of attention to more subtle or elusive details is effective and impressive. Certain segments, however, remain difficult to navigate and, unfortunately, detract from the otherwise powerful impression made by the novel.
Despite this shortcoming, Inspired Sleep is a relatively flawless novel in a sea of the unimpressive, unoriginal literature that has come to constitute American fiction. Creative and thought-provoking, Cohen has written a novel that is actually worthy of the recognition it received last year as a New York Times Notable Book.
Though not an easy read by any means, Inspired Sleep is worth the time it takes to read it. Cohen does exactly what a novelist is supposed to do - open your eyes, make you think, and leave you with a fresh perspective on the world around you.
