Why had I never heard of The House of Sleep? - Jonathan Coe

I love when booksellers recommend books. I love it because I know how important it is for them to do so. I also love book recommendations because the books are always very unexpected. I went into The House of Sleep completely blind knowing only that this book had “the best love story in literature ever”.

So the question is: is it “the best love story in literature”?

Firstly: what is it about? Sarah is a narcoleptic who doesn’t know when she is dreaming and when she isn’t, Terry loves his dreams and Robert has a very clear crush on Sarah. Ten years later, Sarah, a teacher, reconnects with the past, Terry doesn’t sleep and Robert… well we don’t know. Every chapter is in a different time: past or the present and slowly you start to realise why they are connected.

This books is addictive, funny and extremely entertaining. I laughed out loud, cried and loved this book with my entire heart. It has everything I loved connections, relationships and extremely carefully crafted characters who feel real and I wish I could meet.

Now, let’s get back to the question. Is it the best love story that I have ever encountered in literature? No. Absolutely no. That bookseller believed that it was but I think it’s because he has never read any other romance novels. I disagree with him but I still loved the book. The “love story” is just an obsession plot line that in my opinion, doesn’t seem to work.

However, the rest of the book is amazing. The connections made form past to present I loved. The characters, I loved. And finally, the writing I loved.

So, why didn’t I know about this book? I still have this question. Why is no one talking about it? Well, now I am. Thank you to that bookseller that introduced this fun book to me.