Series: N/A
Publication Date: March 24, 2014
Daniel Whitlock is terrified of going to sleep. And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper’s house—with Kenny inside it—after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night.
Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn’t believe Daniel’s absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night—for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel’s fascinating, but Bel’s not going there.
Yet as he’s drawn further into Daniel’s dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he’s ever known. But Daniel’s demons won’t leave him alone, and he’ll need Bel’s help to slay them once and for all—assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.
***
My Thoughts
Bel didn't even know what the hell he meant by trying to help Whitlock, what he planned to do, or whether it would work. He just knew he had to try. He wasn't gonna watch Daniel Burn.
When All the World Sleeps was creepy, heart wrenching, rage inducing, and just plain awesome. I loved Bel. LOVED. He was such an amazing character. His evolution from condeming Daniel like the rest of the town, to being with there for him through the craziness that was his life. Learning how to deal with his sleepwalking and the stigma of dating a murderer in a small town. He was Daniel's rock through it all. Gentle, caring, and a hard ass when he had to be.
I felt horrible for Daniel. All the shit he has to go through because no one understand his condition. His parents don't believe and get pissed at him at first, then they just give up on him. Wash their hands off him. It was messed up. Having to deal with his sleepwalking by himself, being terrified of what he would do while he slept, the potential to really hurt someone again. It was heart wrenching to read.
This was his life, and he wasn't going to stand for this.
But Daniel grows so much. He stops cowering and taking everyone insults when they don't understand what he has to go through every night. He starts believing in himself more, and realizes that he deserves to live and have a full life just like the rest of them.
He was done being scared. They had no right, no fucking right, to keep hounding him this way. It's all right to be scared. Maybe so, but he was goddamn sick of it.
What Kenny, Clayton and his crew did to Daniel was so fucked up in so many ways. Kenny beats him to within an inch of his life. Clayton messes with his head. I thought that was actually the worst. Daniel already thinks he is half crazy and Clayton playing on this, making Daniel think he hallucinating things is just so creepy and fucked up. But Daniel perseveres and he wins. He gets to live his life.
Daniel pressed his forehead to Bel's."There's no magic fix for me. Not therapy, not drugs, not even you.""I know that. I ain't in this to fix you. Just to be with you and help you any way you need."
So...
Would I Recommend it?
Wow, poor Daniel. You have me curious, and I am glad someone was finally there for him, despite the town and family.
ReplyDeleteYou should give it a try! It's heart wrenching, but in a good way xD
ReplyDelete