{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Historical Start – Karen Thompson Walker began The Dreamers with a brief rundown of sleeping illnesses over the centuries. I thought this glimpse into the past gave her story some historical gravitas, lifting it beyond a dystopian tale.

Walker’s Writing – It was just SO GOOD! She could turn a phrase to make me stop and take note, while still feeling completely authentic to her story and propelling the reader deeper in its grasp.

“But whoever shares her lipstick that day, whoever borrows her eyeliner, whoever kisses her cheek that night or dances too close of clinks her flute of champagne, whoever touches her hand to admire the ring, whoever catches the bouquet at the end of the night – all of them, every one, is exposed.

This is how the sickness travels best: through all the same channels as do fondness and friendship and love.”

A Large, Rich Cast of Characters – The Dreamers was ultimately the story of an unknown illness that took over a small, isolated college town, but its story was told through the people who lived there. Walker used no true “main” characters, but instead a variety of community members to track the disease’s arc. Favorites included:

Mei – Roommate to the very first victim, Mei was a young woman already isolated, finding her voice.
Sara & Libby – Sisters left alone when their survivalist father falls into sleep.

“His voice is rising to a shout, and the more he talks, the less the girls do, as if the volume were like oxygen, a thing that runs out.”

Ben & Annie – Fragile new parents fearing for themselves and their tiny daughter.
Catherine – A psychiatrist looking for ways to help survivors and families affected by this strange new disease.

A Far from Neat and Tidy Ending – I have mixed feelings about the ending of The Dreamers. I appreciate that Walker leaves the reader with elements to ponder and a conclusion to think about long after turning the last page, but….

What Didn’t
A Far from Neat and Tidy Ending – …at the same time, the ending felt very abrupt. I’d liked to have seen just a little more closure on both the disease and the people living in its wake. Still, this was just a minor flaw for me.

{The Final Assessment}
I adored Walker’s debut, The Age of Miracles, so was somewhat nervous about picking up her sophomore novel, but I needn’t have worried. I think her second book was every bit as good as the first and had the same “new reality” quality that made me a fan. The Dreamers proved to be a wonderful start to my 2019 reading and a book I can highly recommend. Grade: A-

Note: I received a copy of this book from Random House (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

This book is like nothing I've ever read before. I finished it in a day. I feel like this is the sort of novel that everyone gets something different from. No two people walk away feeling the same about this sort of book. There are multiple narrators, more than I care to recount the story from. You can read the synopsis yourself as well. The beauty of this novel almost lies in how gorgeously Walker writes about the virus itself, how it skips from one host to another, an airborne beauty that floats from one person to another via kisses, shared drinks, a chance hand placed on the same doorknob, laughter in closed elevators. A small town where thousands go to sleep in such a short span of time. If you're looking for the sort of story where there's a satisfactory explanation as to why all these people went to sleep, and only some of them woke back up, the why's, what's, and wherefores, this isn't your story. This story is for the people that like to read about other people. The beauty in a shared glance. The backyard sitters that stare up at stars. This is their story. And it's absolutely gorgeously written.

Karen Thompson Walker's THE AGE OF MIRACLES is one of my favorite books of all-time, so you can imagine I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for seven long years for her sophomore release. And THE DREAMERS truly did not disappoint. Unlike her first book, DREAMERS follows an interconnected cast of characters and is written in multiple POV -- among them we have two college students, two pre-teen sisters, a married couple and their newborn baby girl, and a psychiatrist. It can be difficult to write multiple POV and keep each character feeling unique, and above all, interesting, but I was never bored by any of the characters, never wished that I were spending more time with another instead. Each was compelling in their own ways. I loved the plot, which, like in Thompson's debut, is this beautiful mix of post-apocalyptic insanity and the mundanity of every day life. I confess I may never love another of Thompson's book as much as MIRACLES, but this was an incredibly solid runner-up.

In the Dreamers, a disease has beset a college in California where people go to sleep but never wake.

As the highly-contagious sleeping disease slips into the general populace, the book follows a number of narrative threads to track the disease’s effects — a young couple with a newborn, two girls and their overprotective father, the college students who are quarantined in their dormitory, and so on.

Notably, people with the sleeping disease seem to dream exceptionally vivid dreams.

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The premise of the book is reminiscent of her previous novel, The Age of Miracles. They’re both centered around a slowly progressing apocalyptic scenario and seek to explore people’s response to it. Whereas The Age of Miracles focused on one character and told the story from her perspective, The Dreamers has a broader scope.

But, while the wider sweep of The Dreamers could have made it a stronger book, it instead presents the issue of having a book full of partially-formed characters. The Dreamers has more characters, but they aren’t really fully-realized. And instead of using the multiple perspectives to highlight different aspects of the epidemic, the characters each approach the disease in much the same way.

Walker’s writing has a lovely quality to it, where it manages to be vivid without being overly flowery. However, the book is also written with a kind of dreamy detachment which — along with the slowly paced beginning and large cast of characters — made me struggle to get invested in the story.

Half-way through the book, I was still on the fence about whether to finish it. Walker does a good job of highlighting aspects of the sleeping disease that are compelling to consider. I appreciated the quiet drama of never knowing if someone is just sleeping or will never wake up. And while there are a number of intriguing plot developments, I kept waiting for something more from the book.

Without giving anything away, the ending is what finally soured my opinion on the novel. The ending is unexpected, but in the wrong way — it comes up out of the blue without a proper setup in the beginning. The plot events build up throughout the book, but simply fizzle away at the end, with very few explanations of anything. The character arcs end up being incomplete, and thematically, the ending seems disconnected from the majority of the book.

The Dreamers was a disappointing read for me, since I had enjoyed her debut novel and the premise seemed to be full of unrealized potential. Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to review this book.

I am typically not an avid reader of science fiction or dystopian fiction, but I had heard such good things about this book and about Walker's writing that I decided to give it a try. I am incredibly glad that I did - it has a very interesting premise where seemingly healthy young people are struck by a mysterious illness that induces long, coma-like sleep and causes wild dreams in an isolated college town. Karen Thompson Walker's writing is so clear and well crafted that the book feels very accessible to any reader, and the switching perspectives and large number of characters make it tense as the feeling grows that not all of them will make it out of this situation alive.

In The Dreamers, a mysterious illness is spreading throughout the town of Santa Lora. Those who get it fall into a sleep from which they can't be woken up. The illness starts with one college student, but as it spreads quickly to other students. When it becomes apparent that the virus is highly contagious, everyone in the town becomes at risk. Much like her previous book, The Age of Miracles, this is a unique and intriguing story. It's also thought provoking as it explores the idea of dreams and the bonds that exist amongst people. This was a book that hooked me from the beginning and had me engaged all the way through.

What is going on in Santa Lora, California?!
At the University, a young college girl comes home to her dorm, so tired ..., collapses in bed and doesn’t wake up..no one can wake her, not even the doctors at her hospital.
This comes to be some kind of virus attacking first a handful of students, then the surrounding population. People stay in this “dream” state of being.
All hell breaks loose as so much of the population is coming down with this, no one can leave the city for fear of exposing others, quarantined areas... helicopters and humvees out looking for collapsed victims, a real disaster!

I really liked stories of the handful of characters who’s stories are focused on, some college students, some families. A novel that really makes you think!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

I devoured this book in a weekend. This book is so beautifully written and the story hooked me from page 1. About a college town where people fall asleep and don’t wake up - it is dystopian but don’t let that keep you from reading it even if you typically dislike the dystopian genre. This book will appeal to all different kinds of readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Dreamers! I was excited to read this one, as I kept seeing it everywhere. The cover art is beautiful and made me want to jump right in!

First, Karen Thompson Walker's writing is exquisite! She writes so artfully and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her words. The premise of the book was quite interesting, and I fell in love with two of the main characters, Mei and Sara. I was hooked early in the book, and was on the edge of my seat when it seemed that central characters may get the illness. I was relieved when many awoke from a deep sleep, and shocked when some finally got it. I liked the descriptions of the reactions from the public as the disease spread - I could definitely see how this would play out similarly in "real life."

I did find that perhaps there were too many characters. For instance, Nathaniel's storyline got a little lost for me. While I was gripped by the first half of the book, the second half got a little slow at times. The dream vs. reality angle felt more confusing than mysterious occasionally toward the end. I didn't connect with Rebecca's final chapter as much as I would have liked, even though her storyline was a great one.

Overall, an enjoyable read!

I really loved this book and I'm so glad I started my 2019 reading year with it. It was so thought-provoking, mesmerizing and different. The whole book is written in a dream-like way, almost as if it's a dream itself (if that makes any sense at all). There were a few loose ends, which I don't normally like, but I don't mind it with this book because the last chapter, and especially the last sentence, almost ties it up for me in a way.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I can't wait for everyone else to get to read this and I hope they love it as much as I do.

"The Dreamers" was about just that -people falling into a dream-filled sleep brought on by a mysterious virus that spreads with equal mysteriousness. It infects an entire town, people panic, fall asleep, the people are described doing things, then falling asleep, or discovering others asleep. There was a bit of repetition without any look at anyone making discoveries or decisions, like most disease-spreading disaster books. I think I could've used some of that to break up some of the tediousness of the same thing continuing to happen. And then the question of what is real and what is a dream was definitely the point. An okay read, but one that felt done before.

4.5 - this was lovely and fascinating. We follow the experiences of various characters (an awkward, isolated college freshman, an aging professor, a married couple who are new parents, two girls who live with their survivalist father) as people begin falling asleep, unable to be woken. It shifts deftly from the broader movements of the world to the personal hopes and fears of the characters and back again, though the focus is definitely on the characters themselves. 👌🏽 I think there’s a lot here to appreciate for a broad audience, and won’t be surprised if this becomes highly popular.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Karen Thompson Walker for the opportunity to read her new book - 4.5 stars for a beautifully-written story!

In a small college town in California, a girl comes back to her dorm and falls asleep. Her roommate, Mei, thinks she's just sleeping in and tiptoes around her in the morning. But she doesn't wake up. Not even the doctors can wake her up. Soon another girl falls asleep. Before long, the dorm is on lockdown while doctors scramble to figure out what's causing the illness and what to do about it. Mei, who has never fit in at school, soon gravitates to another different student, Matthew.

Those affected by the illness are many - a single dad leaving his two girls alone, two professors and their new baby, the list goes on. As does the mystery. All of the sleeping appear to have more active brain movement than has ever seen before but what are they dreaming? Is it of the past or the future or nothing at all?

The way this book is written is stunning. I loved the parts about the new life growing intermixed with the chaos of the illness.

Highly recommended!

Science Fiction isn't really my genre, but wow I really loved this book. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down.

Absolutely phenomenal. Somehow both slow burning and fast paced thriller about an epidemic sweeping through a small community. Characters just jump off the page.

Can't wait to order it for our library! Will definitely be recommending for thriller fans!

"I loved Walker's 2012 debut The Age of Miracles and have been impatiently waiting for a follow-up. It's finally (almost here): this one doesn't come out till 2019, but its release date is right around the corner. The story begins with a college student crawling into bed and falling asleep. Her roommate thinks she has the flu ... but she doesn't wake up. She's patient zero of a strange illness that plunges its victims into deep sleeps some never wake up from. The community is quarantined, but as the illness nevertheless spreads, so does the sense of panic. I flew through this unusual book: equal parts mystery, fantasy, and dystopian novel, all overlaid with a dream-like quality."

A beautifully written character study of a community’s reaction to the spread of a mysterious illness and the panic that follows.

SUMMARY
It comes quietly, like the wind. It starts at a small college town in Southern California. A college coed leaves a party early, telling her friends she feels sick, sick like a fever, sick like the flu, and she is tired, more tired than she has ever been. Her roommate cannot wake her the next afternoon, nor can the paramedics or the doctors. Then another girl falls asleep, and then another and the college is quarantined. Panic spreads as this mysterious sleeping illness relentlessly takes more victims. Two college professors try to protect their new born baby and next door a prepper father boards up his house to protect his two daughters. A psychiatrist is called in from Los Angeles who tries to makes sense of the illness as it spreads through the town. Those infected display an unusual high level of brain activity. The sleeping victims are dreaming. Dreaming heighten and life-altering dreams. So what happens when they wake up...if they wake up?

“She sleeps through sunrise, and she sleeps through sunset. And yet in those first few first few hours, the doctors can find nothing else wrong. She looks like an ordinary girl sleeping ordinary sleep.”

REVIEW
THE DREAMERS is a quietly beautiful chronicle of a multitude of diverse characters in the face of adversity. The story was fascinating and I was particularly enamored with the story of Rebecca who become pregnant during the ordeal. The writing was smart, descriptive and immersing. We are skillfully transported to the town of Santa Lora surrounded by a dry forest and a drought stricken-lake. You can smell the dorm rooms during quarantine and you can see the multitude of cots in the college library. The well-drawn characters are diverse and you watch them evolve as the panic spread. The character development was indeed the highlight of the book. Mei, was the first victim roommate. Her metamorphosis during the panic was inspiring. And you can’t help but fall in love with the two young girls, Sara and Libby, as they trudge to the grocery store to get food for their kittens. Author KAREN THOMPSON WALKER, best selling author of The Age of Miracles, has written a stunning and thought-provoking story of human nature in the face adversity. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher PenguinRandom House
Published January 15, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I’d been hearing a bit of buzz about this one, comparing it to “Station Eleven,” which is one of my all time favorites.

A strange sleeping sickness begins at the college in Santa Lora, California. The first girl is found in her dorm room after a night of partying. Both her roommate and the paramedics are perplexed when she won’t wake up. After more students succumb to the sickness, no one can quite figure out what is happening. After a failed quarantine and the continued spread, the government issues a cordon sanitaire.

Like Station Eleven, The Dreamers shares a post apocalyptic vibe with stunning, descriptive prose. It follows multiple characters various experiences through the sickness outbreak, the sickness itself, and response to the sickness.

I’d definitely recommend for fans of Station Eleven and give it 4 stars.

This book was amazing. It’s a little sci-fi, a little dystopian, mixed with fiction. It was a roller coaster of emotions that kept me glued to this book wanting to know how it ended.

The premise is captivating: a pandemic that starts with a freshman girl at the local college. She stumbles home from a party, falls asleep on her bed, and then never wakes up. It’s spreads throughout the town with everyone ranging from the young to the old all being affected.

I’m not putting to much else in the review because I don’t want to ruin anything for the reader. But I would highly recommend this book!!

This super original novel — Walker’s sophomore follow up to The Age of Miracles — explores a mysterious illness that quickly infects residents of an allegedly cursed college town in California, trapping the infected in a perpetual state of sleep. With a premise that’s as intriguing as her first novel (if you’re not in the know, it’s set in a world where the earth’s rotation begins to gradually slow down), it’s no surprise that I was immediately hooked. Pick up The Dreamers for the unique story, stay for the beautiful prose.