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Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
D. Michael Hewlett’s And All Because I Couldn’t Sleep One Night follows Carter Jackson, whose restlessness pushes him into the humid night in Williamstown, where he sees a mysterious figure planting For Sale signs on the Bonners’ lawn. That figure turns out to be Lindsey White, the school’s most popular girl, who makes Jackson’s heart beat faster, even if he thinks he is out of her league. She has been secretly converting insomnia into elaborate suburban pranks. Over spring break, Carter and his friends, Tony and Jason, join Lindsey’s nighttime circuit, creating a fake construction site on Chisholm Circle, hoisting bras up a flagpole, stretching a stolen hose across Old Cart Road, and staging an out-of-season Christmas display in April. Their mischief collides with something sinister as it disrupts the activity of a black van used to plan robberies in the neighborhood. Carter and his friends draw the ire of two masked assailants, and the adventure culminates with revelations that will shock everyone.
And All Because I Couldn’t Sleep One Night was a fun read for me. Apart from the adventure, D. Michael Hewlett creates an unforgettable hero in Carter, who is torn between his unexpected attraction to Beth Jones and Lindsey’s reckless charisma. The characters are authentic, right down to every detail of their portrayal. The story comes off beautifully through the voice of Carter, laced with absurdist humor and anxious sincerity. The “what-if” jokes he trades with Tony and Jason reflect their adolescent world. Lindsey has a unique gift for strategizing and invents pranks to rebel against the suffocating nature of suburban popularity. The setting is detailed, with Williamstown County Park, the service road behind Capt.’s Harbor, and the swing sets creaking. This book reminded me of the young man who used to be me. Fans of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the nocturnal suburban quests in John Green’s Paper Towns will love this story.
