The Dreamers: A Novel

The Dreamers is a frighteningly beautiful novel that delves into the inner workings of consciousness—mainly dreaming. The small town of Santa Lora, in California, has been hit with a sleeping sickness that causes the unconscious pupils to dream extravagant dreams. The story follows several different characters and their journeys as they try with everything they’ve got to survive, all the while keeping their loved ones from falling victim to the sleeping disease. I knew this would be a fascinating read as soon as I opened up to the first page. At times I felt the writing was haunting and terrifying in a way that made it seem like it was realistic. I loved how Walker incorporated all the extraordinary brain activity that happened while victims remained sleeping. It was like nothing science had ever seen before. I wish we had a little more background on the sleeping phenomenon and the characters who went through big changes after having woken up, much like Thomas Peterson. He was a father of two who I would have loved to have seen more of, mainly because he was so interesting. If you take anything from reading this novel it is this; pay attention to your dreams, people! If you don’t believe they have any hidden meanings, at least have fun with them. If you’re looking for an interesting book that in no way will be like anything you’ve read this year, pick this one up!