You know how things in one book really annoy you but don't annoy you in another? In The Dreamers, the pace of the book is extremely slow. The omniscient narrator begins several chapters with long descriptions of the scene or what is, has, or will take place. It is almost like how a narrator will set the scene before the action begins in a play. Normally this might drive me crazy but it works here. Just as the students and citizens of Santa Lora slowly succumb to sleep, so the reader is lulled in to the realization that in the same situation, they would be as defenseless as these people. It was just plain beautifully written and I kept wanting to read more even though I didn't have that urgency to find out the conclusion. And, really, that just doesn't make sense.

I guarantee you won’t 😴 while reading this dystopian novel about a sleeping virus that triggers an epidemic. If you loved Station Eleven, The Dreamers is your brand of thriller. I could not put it down. I honestly suffered a bout of insomnia for the single overnight endured between my start and finish. Walker’s lyrical prose evoked a buoyant feeling, almost like floating on water or drifting off in slumber. The overlap of the ordinary (sleep) and extraordinary (dreams) was mesmerizing. Imagination and fear are contagious elements for the reader, she harnessed these beautifully. Multiple relatable character perspectives (young love, parenthood, marriage), enough science to lend credibility, and a wildly possible medical pandemic elevated both my interest and my blood pressure. I did wish the ending provided more resolution, felt there were several outstanding loose ends that readers will want closure on. Pick this up next week, publication day is 1/15/19! Would fuel a book group conversation for hours. 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for my free copy in exchange for this honest review. #thedreamers #netgalley #sleeptodream #epidemic #dystopianbooks #thrillerbooks #readwithme #bookbarct #bookgroup #wakeup #dreamscape #contagion #stationeleven

Brilliant illustration of society in chaos, reminiscent of STATION ELEVEN and GOLD, FAME, CITRUS. Happy to discover this second novel is of a kind thematically to the author's debut, but stands utterly on its own as a timely read to recommend.

I loved this so much! A lot happens in this story —about a mysterious epidemic that sweeps over a small college town, putting many of its inhabitants into a deep sleep — yet it’s written in such an unassuming, beautiful way. There were passages that made me sigh they were so gorgeous. I love when books walk the line between fantastical and fully human; this one did. Thank you to the publisher who shared an e-copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

The book started out with an interesting premise and kept my attention. There was a dreamy quality to the writing which fit well with the topic. There were a number of characters introduced but the focus jumped around between them, never fully coming to conclusions about them. At least it didn't seem that way to me.

The story lost steam near the end and felt rushed like the author was trying to wrap things up whether they made any sense or not. After an investment of time in reading a book, I always feel vaguely cheated and frustrated when the ending is somehow anticlimactic. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but for me, it just wasn't a satisfactory ending.

4.5 stars! This book was one of my most anticipated for the year, even though I only recently found out about it, and it delivered even more than I had hoped! The style of writing alone drew me in, and kept me hooked from the first line.

I found the premise interesting - a small town in California is hit with a sort of sleeping disease - and it goes beyond that, exploring all of the effects that this has on the town and how it can change those in the town. Something that really drives a good story for me, regardless of genre, is characters and character relationships, and for me, this book certainly succeeded. The advanced copy I have is an e-book (on Kindle) and I actually found myself highlighting multiple passages, and when I reread it (which I know I will!), I am certain I will find more.

This book makes you think, and it makes you wonder, and, rather appropriately, makes you dream about new worlds or the ways in which our world could change even if only by a slight shift.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the chance to read this novel!

You know that part in Sleeping Beauty (the Disney version) where everyone in the castle falls asleep until Aurora wakes up? This is kind of like that....except there is no Prince or happy ending at the end of this sleep.

In Santa Lora, a few weeks into the school year, a freshman falls asleep after a night out...and doesn't wake up. Slowly at first, and then rapidly, others in the dorm and surrounding town fall into the terrifying sleep. Vital signs are good, but still people sleep.

Split into a few narrators, The Dreamers provides different views of the "sleeping" virus. A doctor, the college roommate of the first sleeping girl, a father and his two daughters, and a couple with a new baby. As the virus spreads, the anxiety in this story builds - is it in the water? Is in the air? Will anyone wake up?

Karen Thompson Walker has created a terrifying and beautiful story of human nature and survival. The Dreamers will surely be on many year end lists at the end of 2019 - and it's only January.

Thanks to NetGalley, Karen Thompson Walker and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a philosophical and imaginative read. Set in a sleepy remote Californian college town, something strange is happening to the residents. They're falling asleep and not waking up. It starts with teenagers but it soon spreads to young and old with no pattern or reason. The people who live in Santa Lora don't understand what's happening and the government is trying to contain the "virus" but once the quarantine is in place, it gets worse. Imagine parents trying to get to their college kids, people falling asleep at the wheel and pets being abandoned.
It's intriguing to think about what happens to the brain when you're asleep. And what about dreams? Do you remember your dreams? And in the case of someone in a coma, do they have any sense of time passing or awareness of their surroundings?
The author did a fantastic job of getting into each character's head. From the college students Mei and Matthew to Ben and Annie and their newborn to Sara and Libby and their father... each character's experience with the sleeping sickness was so varied and changed each person dramatically.
This book doesn't make a big splash or have a big revealing moment - it's a quiet story and like the title, feels very dreamy in parts. It was a plausible storyline and very thought-provoking!

This stunning novel had me drawn in from start to finish. The whole time I couldn't figure out where it was going, which I love.

The entire story takes place within the confines of a small college in drought stricken California. The mystery begins, when Kara, six weeks into her freshman year, becomes ill while out partying with her new friends. She returns to her dorm, and falls asleep fully dressed, which is how her roommate Mei finds her late the next day.
And so begins a series of this instances, people suddenly falling into a deep sleep.

Appropriately, Walker's sparse yet thoughtful writing style combined with a fast pace, gives the story a dreamy quality. We alternate between a confused, frantic energy of the "survivors," to the assumably peaceful slumber of the "sickened," We follow several different families as their lives are affected and intertwined by what's happening to their town.

Wow! Beautiful! This book had just the right amount of magical realism/science fiction while still making it completely believable. A perfect love story with just the right amount of horror blended in. Highly recommend!

There are so many wonderful books in the speculative fiction coming out these days and this is one of them. I was excited to receive an ARC from the publisher. It is quite a thought provoking and beautifully written book.

Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a tough book for me to review as I’m not sure where I sit with it. I had high hopes for it being a solid 4 star book but I am swaying between a 3 to 3.5 star.

The book is set in a small university town Called Santa Lora, in California. A virus sweeps through the town until so many are afflicted the town is locked down. Those who succumb to the virus fall into a deep sleep, lasting between a few weeks and a year. When, those lucky enough, to survive, finally wake they retell stories of vivid dreams, sometimes of the past, sometimes of the future but always very convincing.

The premise of the book was great, and I was often drawn into the story, however other times I felt it dragged out a little too long and that I didn’t really get any great sense of the individual characters. I was left feeling wanting at the end as if some questions hadn’t been answered and thinking ‘is that it?’.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

There has been a decent amount of hype regarding this release in the past few weeks and after reading this I was a little surprised and disappointed. I kept feeling like I had read this book before because the plot is similar to other novels released in the past couple of years, while this is definitely not a bad book, I found it to be mediocre at best.

I’m not a fantasy or sci-fi genre reader, but nonetheless, when I read the blurb for this book about a whole town being plagued by a mysterious deep sleep, I was irrevocably intrigued and requested for an ARC. The writing in this book was lyrically beautiful and I did like the characters that were presented, although I wish that we were allowed to get to know some of them more on a personal level rather than only ever seeing them from a bird’s view perspective.

My only gripe with the book is that although many people got infected by the sleep disease, they eventually woke up, and we never understood what had caused them to wake up or if there was an inkling to a cure. My second issue was that it was alluded to that some of the sleepers spoke of how their dreams were visions of the future, and I would’ve enjoyed the book more if we could’ve known more about people’s dreams and how this sleep disease affected their brains, since some of the other sleepers didn’t have these same prophetic dreams.

I really enjoyed following the perspective of college Freshman Mei the most, probably because to me she was the most relatable in the sense of a girl trying to fit in but finding out that she didn’t fit in anywhere, not even in a time of crisis. I wished that she could’ve had a better story-arc as hers was the saddest, but I guess someone had to be the tragic heroine in the novel, and poor Mei was the one for this one.

I recommend this book if you’re interested in dystopian novels or are fascinated by dreams or comas and how that affects people, as that’s what had drawn me into the book. The writing as I mentioned above is top-notch, and it reads like a fairytale of sorts. It has a dreamy quality to it and maybe in that way the author managed to have the reader feel that blissful-balmy sleep that befell the college town of Santa Lora.

The Dreamers is essentially A Mid-Summer’s Night Dream with a twist, and if you enjoy mesmerizing writing, then this book is for you.

This was a book that I flew through and didn't want to put down. I was drawn in by the sci-fi/mystery elements and was curious to see the resolution of the illness infecting an entire town. My only complaint is that the ending was pretty abrupt as it left some loose ends.

In the small and isolated town of Santa Lora, California a college student comes home from a party, goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. Soon after this is followed by another and another. Slowly but surely the sleeping sickness will wind its way through the small town. Where it comes from or how it spreads it anyone's guess. Doctors and psychologists each try to figure out what is going on, meanwhile those under the sleep seem to be having the most real and vivid dreams.

The Dreamers is a very driven novel. For me, an possibly many others, the story starts out being driven by what is going on, or trying to figure out what is going on. As the story proceeds this drive took on a new form in wondering if everyone who has fallen under the sickness going to survive or will it end up sweeping the nation killing everyone? It's definitely a thought-provoking read and Karen Thompson Walker chooses a few very distinct characters from all walks of life to take us through the journey.

Probably the thing I felt stood out the most for me while reading was the idea of life moving on, moving forward, while these people are staying still in their sleep. I liked the idea that the world didn't just stop in the story because all the focus was on the sickness, instead the outside forces oftentimes enhanced my feelings while reading. There was a certain cast of characters that readers follow throughout that are more prevalent than others. Mei the college student whose roommate was the first to fall into sleep, Sara and Libby - sister whose father is taken away after he falls to sleep and have to fend for themselves, new parents Ben and Anna - who worry for their newborn daughter. The list goes on, but those mentioned are the main characters and Karen Thompson Walker uses them deftly to form the connection with readers, making you care about the outcome.

There's so much conjecture presented in this book, it's difficult to talk about because I feel like it's a book best experienced and not spoiled. Karen Thompson Walker definitely brings some interesting ideas that make one question how they view certain things, and possibly makes you take a closer look at your dreams.

A mysterious outbreak strikes a college community, its victims falling into a deep, unyielding slumber. The contagion spreads, the town is quarantined, and those still awake scramble for answers - and survival.

My first great read of 2019! Beautifully written with a style that embodies an almost dreamlike quality, The Dreamers is part suspense thriller, part contemporary sci-fi, but overwhelmingly a character-driven exploration of how our experiences may or may not shape us, and our reality. Walker tackles some lofty philosophical themes in a provocative, compelling, and incredibly entertaining manner. The spread of the contagion and struggles of the various survivors makes for a fast-paced, mesmeric read, but its when the story shifts to the victims, their bizarre dreams, and what they portend that this novel really transcends expectations.

What happened to these dreamers? What was the meaning behind their varied dreams? I have a theory but, in the interests of keeping this review spoiler free, I'll hold off on discussing for now.

Lots of wonderful little surprises throughout, with more than a few narrative twists and authorial sleights of hand I never saw coming.

This book is set in a small college town in California, where several college students fall mysteriously ill - they go to sleep and don't wake up. They don't die, they just keep sleeping, and apparently dreaming, and whatever the sickness is starts to spread out from the college. The book sort of floats between the perspectives of a variety of different characters in the town, some of whom get sick and some of whom don't. The writing is beautiful, sort of dream-like itself and very mesmerizing. Like Karen Thompson Walker's first book "The Age of Miracles" or Emily St. John Mandel's "Station Eleven," it's a literary book set in a realistic world very much like our own, but with a slight science fiction aspect to it. It's not quite at the level of those two books, but if you enjoyed them, you will probably enjoy this one too.

It's official. She's 2 for 2 and I will read anything Karen Thompson Walker writes for the rest of time.

Smoosh together HBO's The Leftovers and Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, and you'll get a solid taste of this book. It's dystopian and sci-fi, but not in the way that feels familiar. There's no angst, no fight scenes. There're no aliens or superpowers. There's only the muck we all try to swim through as humans. It feels more like thought-provoking contemporary literature than anything else.

Walker's prose is immaculate. In a similar vein to her first book, The Age of Miracles, Walker writes a sweeping story that is, at its heart, about that human experience. There was a lot here about philosophy, science, and tough choices, but ultimately it's about life and how we all experience it so differently. This is the type of book that I will think about (and dream about) for a long time to come.

And I will patiently wait for the next little masterpiece that Karen Thompson Walker writes for us.

"The Dreamers" is a lyrical, haunting book, with as much to say about dystopian small towns as it does about aging, family, and community. Comparisons to "Station Eleven" are apt, but Walker's story is unique and her voice is distinct. I may just be a fan of stories about epidemics, but I found myself engrossed in the story and trying to figure out exactly what the sickness was and what it was doing to people, and worrying about when and if the characters I'd grown to really like would also fall ill. I was particularly taken in with the way she described the spread of the sleeping sickness -- the mundane ways we interact with people without even realizing it, which take a somewhat sinister turn when something unknown is also being passed along. I was also impressed by how the mood shifted from ominous to sad to hopeful to resilient, and back again through all of them. It struck me as very true to life when disaster strikes or trauma occurs.

I only have two complaints, but they are pretty minor. In general, Walker balanced poetic descriptions with direct, active sentences pretty well, but sometimes the prose was a little tiring -- for example, the periodic descriptions of the baby's development were a bit heavy-handed. I found myself needing to put the book down frequently, even while I was really enjoying the story, just because I found myself skimming through paragraphs for action. In an effort to keep this review spoiler-free, I'll be vague about my second complaint, and simply say that I grew attached to one character who I don't think was given enough justice in the story. With how beautiful the rest of the story and the ending was, that felt like a disappointment.

All of that said, I think this is going to be a book I gift to many people this year. It was a wonderful read to kick off 2019, and I'm looking forward to reading more from Walker in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.