The Dreamers
By Karen Thompson Walker
Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780812984668, November 2019, 336pp.
The Short of It:
This book originally came out in January 2019, way before our own pandemic hit and yet, the pandemic detailed in this story could have been taken right out of the headlines of today, minus the sleeping illness, of course.
The Rest of It:
The story takes place in the fictional town of Santa Lora, California. Santa Lora is a sleepy little college town (pun intended). Many of its residents work at the local university or at the very least know someone who goes there. In the dorms one day, Mei notices that her roommate is still sleeping although morning has come and gone. Her attempts to wake her are futile. The girl will not wake.
In another part of town, people are falling asleep where they are whether that is in the middle of a jog or walking the family dog. As more and more victims are discovered, the government is called in along with several medical professionals to determine what is actually happening. Is it psychological? Is the water contaminated?
As the story unfolds and the situation becomes more dire, Walker introduces us to the survivors as well as those who will eventually succumb to the sickness. What does it all mean? Why do some wake and others don’t and why are they different after surviving?
So much of this story resonates with me, given the pandemic that we are currently living with. The way the sickness spreads, the lack of understanding in the early days of the sickness, the conspiracy theories hinting at government control. The true winner here is the way Walker plays with dreams and memory. Some of the survivors remember vivid dreams that they had while sleeping. Some feel they are premonitions of the future, others believe they are memories from the past. What’s real anyway?
There are a lot of characters but they are all so distinct and their situations unique enough where I never felt confused over who was who or what was going on. It’s very well done. I cared enough about each of them to worry about their survival and that says a lot.
If you can tolerate a book about a pandemic, and I must say a sleeping sickness sounds a lot better than what we are dealing with now, then pick it up. Someone on FB said that when they read fiction now, they feel uncomfortable when reading about gatherings without masks and the like since they are so conditioned now to meet safely. Well, you won’t have that issue here because masks are the norm in this story.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
I read this when it first came out and really liked it. I wonder what I’d notice about it now if I reread it considering our current situation.
Besides the illness itself, it is exactly what we went through in those early days. The initial panic, the hoarding, the whack conspiracy theories about the government controlling us. The only thing different is that this community WORE masks. Willingly.
I can’t read books about pandemics or the like right now and I have a hard time reading police/mystery books too.
I am weird this way. I like to read about things while I go through them. I was so jonesing for The Stand when this pandemic first hit even though I have read it at least three times. I never did re-read it though.
I think I have an eGalley which I never got to, must check although there are so many books I want to read right now.
That’s the thing, I requested this from Net Galley when it first came out and they just granted me access a little while ago. Since it came out so long ago I felt the need to get it read quickly. It was good but you can probably wait on it. I liked it better than her other book, The Age of Miracles.
What are you anxious to read? I am about to read Klara and the Sun!! And then the new Murakami collection!
I read this (reviewed here) at the end of 2019, just a few months before our pandemic hit! I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not quite as much as her previous novel (The Age of Miracles). She certainly tells a good story!
I would love to reread The Stand, but it’s soooooo long! I loved it and another one that’s a bit similar called Swan Song by Robert McCammon.
I just read your review. I agree. The ending wasn’t a big surprise really but I was surprised at the fate of one character. I am guessing you will know which one I am referring to. I asked for a review copy ages ago but just got it a little while ago so I was late to the party. It was weird for me to read how similar the pandemic was to what we are experiencing now even though the virus is completely different.
You are a reading machine this year!
I don’t remember hearing about or seeing this book before but I think I’d like to read it.
“Santa Lora is a sleepy little college town” lol!
Re: the pun. Couldn’t resist.
I wondered how long it would take for novels featuring pandemics to come out, but it’s funny that this one was published before March 2020! Sleeping a whole bunch sounds creepy, but it this book seems like a good one.
My husband read this one before the pandemic. I haven’t read it yet but your review made me want to! I was going to recommend The Age of Miracles to you but I see you’ve already read it!
It was very good!! Do read it if you have the chance.