Fears are realized in this creepy tale.
Dr. Sam Carlson works as a physician on Carratuck, a quaint island filled with vacationers soaking up the sun. On a typical day he might treat sunburns and sprains, but this is no typical day. A timid young boy ends up in Sam’s clinic with nobody to claim him. The boy won’t speak and offers no clues as to his mysterious appearance. Things begin to unravel quickly on the small island as a mass outbreak of insomnia begins to infect everybody. The sleep deprivation is linked to the boy, and Sam works to find a solution while the Chief of Police works to keep the populace calm during a long, sleepless vacation.
“Sleep, of course, will defeat sleeplessness. It has never not.” Until now, that is. Deprivation is a realistic portrayal of a waking nightmare, an examination of how we cope when deprived of a most basic human need: Sleep. In vivid detail, Roy Freirich takes readers on a journey from weariness and exhaustion to mania and delirium. Fighting fatigue, Dr. Sam proves to be a tender yet troubled character. The addition of partying teens glued to their social media while on vacation and a few beach-bum locals makes for a credible backdrop. The story becomes sinister as people lose control and fears are realized in this creepy tale. Roy Freirich proves to be a master of suspense in Deprivation.
