The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker Published by Random House on January 15, 2019
Pages: 320
Genres: Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
Also by this author: The Age of Miracles
A mesmerizing novel about a college town transformed by a strange illness that locks victims in a perpetual sleep and triggers life-altering dreams—by the bestselling author of The Age of Miracles, for fans of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.
In an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a freshman girl 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 who carry her away, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital. Then a second girl falls asleep, and then another, and panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. As the number of cases multiplies, classes are canceled, and stores begin to run out of supplies. A quarantine is established. The National Guard is summoned. Mei, an outsider in the cliquish hierarchy of dorm life, finds herself thrust together with an eccentric, idealistic classmate. Two visiting professors try to protect their newborn baby as the once-quiet streets descend into chaos. A father succumbs to the illness, leaving his daughters to fend for themselves. And at the hospital, a new life grows within a college girl, unbeknownst to her—even as she sleeps. A psychiatrist, summoned from Los Angeles, attempts to make sense of the illness as it spreads through the town. Those infected are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, more than has ever been recorded. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what? Written in gorgeous prose, The Dreamers is a breathtaking novel that startles and provokes, about the possibilities contained within a human life—in our waking days and, perhaps even more, in our dreams.
About Karen Thompson Walker
Karen Thompson Walker was born and raised in San Diego, California, where The Age of Miracles is set. She studied English and creative writing at UCLA, where she wrote for the UCLA Daily Bruin. After college, she worked as a newspaper reporter in the San Diego area before moving to New York City to attend the Columbia University MFA program.
A former book editor at Simon & Schuster, she wrote The Age of Miracles in the mornings before work—sometimes while riding the subway.
She is the recipient of the 2011 Sirenland Fellowship as well as a Bomb Magazine fiction prize. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
I apologize you guys, this doesn’t come out for ages (it’s not even on Amazon or Book Depository yet) but I’M SO EXCITED.
Do you remember The Age of Miracles circa 2012? This is the long-awaited follow up! Sleeping disorders make me immediately think of Sleeping Beauties, however, this sounds even better.
What are you waiting on this Wednesday?
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy
Oooh I’m excited too! I loved The Age of Miracles, and I didn’t realize she had a new book coming out. Adding to GR!
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Barb (boxermommyreads)
I immediately thought of Sleeping Beauties but I haven’t read that one yet either so I might as well go ahead and add this one too. It sounds awesome. Of course, I can hear my husband now. He says I love to sleep so he will probably think if something like this were to happen, it would happen to me.
Great choice!
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Bonnie
hahaha I am also a big fan of sleeping. Being scared to sleep sounds horrifying.
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Heidi
I was thinking like you that this sounds a lot like Sleeping Beauties, but I am sure it is entirely different .Sounds interesting.
Bonnie
Does have some slight differences in the summary alone… here’s hoping it’s not a read-alike. 🙂
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