In a small town, a mysterious sleeping sickness begins to spread, causing its residents to fall into deep, unending slumber. As the phenomenon intensifies, families are torn apart and society descends into chaos, all while the afflicted dream vivid, intertwining fantasies. The story unfolds through the eyes of various characters who grapple with loss, love, and the blurred lines between reality and dreams. Amidst the uncertainty, the town's inhabitants must confront their deepest fears and desires. 'The Dreamers' invites readers to ponder the power of dreams and what it truly means to awaken.
By Karen Thompson Walker
Published: 2019
"In the end, the dreams we create in the midst of chaos reveal the depths of our humanity."
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An ordinary town is transformed by a mysterious illness that triggers perpetual sleep in this mesmerizing novel from the bestselling author of The Age of Miracles. “Stunning.”—Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven • “A startling, beautiful portrait of a community in peril.”—Entertainment Weekly NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Glamour • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping One night in an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a first-year student stumbles into her dorm room, falls asleep—and doesn’t wake up. She sleeps through the morning, into the evening. Her roommate, Mei, cannot rouse her. Neither can the paramedics, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital. When a second girl falls asleep, and then a third, Mei finds herself thrust together with an eccentric classmate as panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. A young couple tries to protect their newborn baby as the once-quiet streets descend into chaos. Two sisters turn to each other for comfort as their survivalist father prepares for disaster. Those affected by the illness, doctors discover, are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, higher than has ever been recorded before. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what? Written in luminous prose, The Dreamers is a breathtaking and beautiful novel, startling and provocative, about the possibilities contained within a human life—if only we are awakened to them. Praise for The Dreamers “Walker’s roving fictive eye by turns probes characters’ innermost feelings and zooms out to coolly parse topics like reality versus delusion. . . . [It has] the perfect ambiguous frame for a tense and layered plot.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[Walker’s] gripping, provocative novel should come with a warning: may cause insomnia.”—People (Book of the Week) “Powerful and moving . . . written with symphonic sweep.”—The New York Times Book Review “2019’s first must-read novel . . . Alternately terrifying and moving . . . The Dreamers is overflowing with humanity.”—Jezebel “This is an exquisite work of intimacy. Walker’s sentences are smooth, emotionally arresting—of a true, ethereal beauty. . . . This book achieves [a] dazzling, aching humanity.”—Entertainment Weekly
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“In the end, the dreams we create in the midst of chaos reveal the depths of our humanity.”
The Dreamers
By Karen Thompson Walker
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Karen Thompson Walker is an acclaimed American author known for her thought-provoking and imaginative storytelling. She gained widespread recognition with her debut novel, 'The Age of Miracles,' which explores themes of human resilience and the consequences of a slowing rotation of the Earth. Her subsequent works, including 'The Universe Versus Alex Woods' and 'The Last Thing He Told Me,' have captivated readers with their poignant exploration of complex characters and emotional depth. Walker's writing style often blends elements of speculative fiction with intricate narratives, drawing readers into richly detailed worlds that provoke reflection on contemporary issues.
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