The Dream Hotel || Laila Lalami

3.5 stars

"Entire generations have never known life without surveillance. Watched from the womb to the grave, they take corporate ownership of their personal data to be a fact of life, as natural as leaves growing on trees. Detaining someone because of their dreams doesn't exactly trouble Americans; most of them think that the RAA's methods are necessary."

"'What does my sleep data have to do with crime?' 'Some entries showed a high risk of violence.' 'Entries? You mean dreams?'"

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Sara Hussein finds herself at detained on her way home from London after her risk score deems her a danger. Months before, Sara had a neuroprosthetic implanted to help her sleep. As a new mom to twins, and working full time, she was desperate to get a restful sleep. However, she didn't read the terms and conditions fully, and the government is using dream data to predetermine if someone is a danger to others.

She finds herself brought to a facility with other women who also have risk scores requiring them to have extra surveillance. Her stay was supposed to be only 21 days, but here she is, nearly 300 days later without an end in sight. As she becomes more and more desperate to get back home to her husband and children, she joins with others in the facility to form a strike, as she has learned that the facility needs their cooperation for essentially free labor, and to potentially have free guinea pigs for research.

I really liked the concept of this story, but at the end of the story, it feels incomplete. There were some plot points that felt unfinished and left me yearning for more. This story also had such slow pacing that I would lose interest. The first 50% was a bit of a drag to get through. It was an eye opening concept that reminds readers to take time to step away from technology and to always read the terms and conditions. If you enjoy books like 1984, chances are, you'll enjoy this one.

-sci-fi
-dystopian
-surveillance
-big-brother
- injustice
- single POV
- 3rd person POV

Absolutely phenomenal read. Had a hard time putting it down and was a good palette cleanser after my last read. Worth the recommendation and read, 100%!

This book was a really interesting take on dystopia, not only because it's not far from being plausible, but also because it alluded to the time when women were placed in asylums for no real reason and every attempt at proving her innocence was met with gaslighting. It also shows the ineffectiveness of incarceration in terms of rehabilitation.

The premise here was SO interesting and it was definitely a thinker, but I think it may have had more of an impact if it was a true sci-fi/thriller and less literary fiction.

Sara is “retained” in a facility when she is classified as a risk to her husband based on a score calculated using all sorts of her surveillance data as well as her dreams; she is initially supposed to be held for 21 days, but somehow continuously finds her stay being extended. It tells a story of the use of artificial intelligence to deem people an increased risk for crime and some of the potential consequences and touches on power dynamics of incarceration.

I found this story to be mostly build-up without a whole lot of payoff- there was endless plot development and the tensions were high so I was intrigued, but where the story is meant to peak, it came to an abrupt end and left me with a different message that what I thought was intended though out the entire novel.

I did like that the writing style was straightforward while still offering a sort of provocative prose that wasn’t too lyrical or difficult to understand. I’d recommend this one if you’re looking for an eerie speculative sci-fi/literary fiction about the use of technological surveillance and its potential ramifications, and if you’re okay with it not being an outright thriller.

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for the eARC!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was disappointed in this to say the least. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a book is labelled sci-fi, but turns out to just have a skeleton of a sci-fi story. This is a literary fiction book with whispers of sci-fi. We spend a majority of the time in the main characters head, reading about her experience. Yes, it is set in a somewhat "big brother" futuristic world where dreams are used to convict someone of a crime before they even do it, but the sci-fi aspects are never fleshed out. The tech that is brought up is never explained. We don't get to understand how the government is able to use the dreams.

When I first read the synopsis, I thought it would be similar to Minority Report and their PreCogs, but where that was fast-paced and we actually get to see the sci-fi aspects, this instead was introspective. It never really picked up pace. It was like Lalami focused entirely on themes (racism, big brother, controlling tech, etc), and not on plot whatsoever. I am a very plot-based reader, and prefer the books I read to go somewhere. This went nowhere. Sara was just doing the same thing the entire time. Yes, there were flashbacks, but it was like things were happening to the character, rather than the character doing things.

One of those books where your enjoyment comes from thinking through the ideas posed by the characters and their circumstances, and not necessarily the story of their journey itself.

Plotwise this was a hard book to get through. These characters are angry, frustrated, and trapped. Not only do you witness their experience, you actually feel it. It's 300 pages of feeling increasingly infuriated and increasingly helpless to do anything. Is it an enjoyable headspace to be in? No. Does it make you think? Yes.

While I've read similar "big brother" themed books, I thought this was particularly well written and well presented. I especially appreciated the author's commentary on the power of collective action. In American culture we're often encouraged to be independent, to be an individual, and to only act in the interest of ourselves, family, country, etc. This book gives an example of how over reliance on that mentality actually works against the common person, and can help keep harmful institutions in place.

Would recommend if you're looking for an immersive, slower paced read with thoughtful commentary. Would not recommend to those looking for a high action, plot heavy book.

A thought-provoking premise about sacrificing privacy for convenience, with engaging writing but slow pacing and characters that could have had more depth. The idea of detaining people based on dreams of future crimes raises compelling ethical questions. While some parts were hard to follow, the unique concept makes it an intriguing read for fans of speculative fiction.

The Dream Hotel is both a cautionary tale and a comment on government control, technology, and power imbalances in detainment centers. It was an incredible read, and I will certainly be using it for a book club pick in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

@pantheonbooks | #gifted How to tell you about 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗟 by Laila Lalami without telling you too much? That’’s a tough one! I’ll start with the genre. Edelweiss lists it as literary fiction and I agree with that. The story is very much character driven, primarily following one woman who finds herself quite unexpectedly “detained.” But, it’s so much more than just that. This novel also has a heavy dose of sci-fi? Fantasy? Dystopia? In fact, we’d have no story without this element, so perhaps one of those is its true genre.🤷🏻‍♀️⁣
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Regardless of all that, this is a book that just might leave you haunted. I’m going to tell you very little about it because it’s one best gone into blind. I will say that it takes place at a future time that’s not all that far away. It’s a future where people have less control over their own lives than they think they do; a future that’s easily imagined arriving at. THAT makes it scary. Very scary. (Could this be horror?) We see this future world from the perspective of Sara, the woman who’s been detained for reasons she’s completely unclear on. As the story progresses Sara begins to piece together the larger picture, but what can she do?⁣
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That’s all you get. While I found this book frightening in the potential realities of it, I was also completely drawn into the story and couldn’t wait to see what Sara would do next. Like her, I wanted to know the “why” of her detention, the “how” of its onset, and the “when” of its resolution. I’ve always found Laila Lalami to be a gifted storyteller and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭 further cements that opinion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Just wow! The Dream Hotel hit the ball out of the park with its unique exploration of the consequences of intrusive technology in the most intimate parts of our daily lives.

In this originally written masterpiece Sara Hussein is interrogated by LAX officials upon returning from a work conference. The mother of young twins is not only interrogated but subsequently detained based on data collected from her dreams. Placed in a locked detention facility and alienated from her family, Sara tries to follow the ever changing rules in hopes of release. What starts as a 21 day hold quickly evolves into a months long battle for freedom. But how does one prove they won’t commit a crime they haven’t committed yet?

Oh boy! I loved this gripping story and the internal turmoil it caused me. Lalami does an excellent job exploring the desire, necessity and ease we have to make technology a part of every facet of our daily lives while simultaneously highlighting the invasive and dangerous effects of technological perception.

Rich in character development and plot, The Dream Hotel will pull you effortlessly into its elaborate web.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pantheon Books and Laila Lalami for an early digital copy.

Ooh this hits just a bit too close to home, in a sci fi future that’s not too far off. Where crimes are “prevented” and everything in our lives are digitally monitored—including our dreams. This dream saver software that guarantees rest and better life quality with fewer hours of sleep sounds allllllll too lovely. And it’s one slippery slope away from this type of timeline. This one is a thought provoker. It’s not fast paced but it keeps moving. You feel the desolation and despair. You feel the ache and hope. And you start to pray this isn’t our future.

This book is so disturbing because I can imagine this actually happening.. and those are some of my favorite stories. The social commentary on technology and surveillance to social injustices is intriguing.

WOW this one is a stunner. I had never read any of this author's work before, but I'll certainly be seeking it out now. It's like Minority Report meets Jessamine Chan's THE SCHOOL FOR BAD MOTHERS. It's dystopian fiction that feels distressingly close to something that could actually happen. Lalami's prose is stunning, clear and vivid, and her character work is truly excellent. I was deeply unsettled by this book in a way similar to hjow I felt when I finished NEVER LET ME GO by Ishiguro--a high compliment!

Thanks to NetGalley, Pantheon, and Laila Lalami for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel is set in a chilling near-future where prison is privatized and incarcerated people are laborers earning profit for the prison corporation; a near-future where technology aids our sleep but also allows the government a way to monitor our dreams; a near future where environmental disaster impacts safety and our food supply.

The Dream Hotel begins when Sara is returning to Los Angeles from a work trip to London. She is detained at LAX because the Risk Assessment Administration (RAA) reviewed data from Sara’s dreams and determined that she is likely to commit a crime. Sara is sent to a retention center for 21 days for observation. All the women at the retention center are at risk of committing a violent crime. The privately owned retention center uses the women to complete work contracts that profit the retention center owners. With ever changing rules and a guard who has it out for her, Sara finds her stay continually extended, separating her from her husband and toddler twins for months.

The Dream Hotel is Sara’s story while she’s in the retention center, including the friendships she forms with other retained women, how she entertains her mind, and her work to organize the women into a strike. It’s also the story of Sara’s marriage and the early days of her motherhood. It’s ordinary events from her marriage and parenting that cause the RAA to label Sara as potentially violent. The structure of the retention center, role of detainees as forced laborers, government’s use of technology to intrude into personal thoughts, and environmental disaster are easy to imagine as part of the near-future in America.

Readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, family stories, and strong, smart, independent female characters will enjoy Lalami’s The Dream Hotel.

In a not too distant future dystopian world, humanity is managed by technology that analyzes dreams. If you are deemed to be a future threat, you are essentially imprisoned and made to work to earn your freedom. The plot brings up some obvious issues about future technological developments, how much surveillance individuals will accept, and what rights to privacy are most important. This is a thought-provoking novel and, perhaps, a nightmare for our future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon Books for the ARC to read and review.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Netgalley for an ARC of The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami in return for my honest review.

I enjoyed how this book really made me think about all the data that’s collected on us on a daily basis via social media, word of mouth, etc. Where something you do today that seems minuscule can be taken apart and put back together and held against you.

A near dystopian where a crime you never committed or thought you could commit and you’re being “detained” for it to prevent it.

The Dream Hotel is a near future dystopian that explores consequences of ever present surveillance. Not only is every waking moment tracked, but now dreams are collected and surveilled through an innocuous sleep aid. This data is used to detain citizens who may be at risk of committing future crimes.

The story follows Sara while she is in retention under suspicion that she might harm her husband. While their initial retention period is 21 days, most of the women in Sara's facility stay for much longer sentences.

I found the initial premise fascinating, but the story didn't quite land for me. The messaging was a little heavy handed and I felt like that came at the expense of character development. Most of the side characters felt flat which diminished the emotional impact of the choices that Sara was forced to make.

Set in the near-future, this dystopian sci-fi takes place in a world that FEELS LIKE IT COULD HAPPEN RIGHT NOW. The government has rolled out an AI that monitors all info about each person (including their dreams) to give them a risk score. And if you are too high of a risk, they incarcerate you because you *will* commit a crime in the future, not because you actually have committed one. In this story, Sara, a mother of twins who has done no questionable things, is taken and kept for a long time. A story of government, AI, capitalism, the info we give companies and the very real lack of privacy we have in that data (WE NEED PRIVACY LAWS IN THE US), and power. It was terrifying but also very good.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. The Dream Hotel is out now.

I’m typically quite fascinated by Science Fiction stories written in a realistic manner by an author who grew up in a culture different from my own. I count Indian computer scientist Aniel Menon’s The Beast with Nine Billion Feet as one of my favorites. It’s engaging, enlightening, and intriguing with important things to say about differences amongst people and modern beauty standards.

Laila Lalami, a Moroccan-American novelist and professor, has written several books and essays that depict the culture she was raised in and involve things like immigration, American citizenship, and maintaining your identity. Her latest book, The Dream Hotel, is her first Science Fiction novel and incorporates some of the themes she has previously addressed.

The book takes place in a “near future” semi-dystopia in which individuals can be “detained” for potential crimes they’ve yet to commit. The detainings are based on a risk scores assigned to each individual that are based on a variety of factors. That includes dreams, as Sarah, the book’s protagonist, finds out in the early pages of the book upon her return to LAX.

Some time before her flight, to battle the insomnia she was plagued with, Sarah allows herself to be implanted with a device called a Dreamsaver. Unbeknownst to her, and most others with Dreamsavers, their dreams are uploaded to servers somewhere in the cloud. Those dreams are one of the aforementioned factors used to determine risk scores. A recent dream of Sarah’s in which she murdered her husband is one of the reasons she becomes detained.

The book follows her throughout her time in “The Dream Hotel,” which is a very prison-esque facility that the people in charge of adamantly tell the public isn’t a prison. Sara becomes friends with many of the other wrongfully detained prisoners and eventually plants the seeds of a revolution within “The Dream Hotel’s” walls.

This is an excellent Science Fiction tale done in a very believable manner. I’ve been on a big Severance kick lately and have been on the hunt for books with a similar feel. This definitely qualifies as such. There’s also a SMIDGE of a Phillip K. Dick and Margaret Atwood influence. I highly recommend The Dream Hotel to fans and non-fans of the genre. There’s something here for anyone to love.

I found this book to be so creative and intriguing! It's titled "Dream Hotel," but we soon find out that it is more like a prison. In this work of Dystopian Fiction, dreams are under surveillance by the government. If your dreams indicate that you MAY commit a crime, then you are detained and then transferred to The Dream Hotel for further observation. This is exactly where we find our main character Sara. She and the other women at The Dream Hotel are attempting to prove their innocence for crimes not yet done. The women form a sisterhood of sorts and try to figure out actions they can take that will lead to their release. We really see the humanity in Sara's story, as she is visited by her family. She has a husband and two young children, that she is trying to come home to. This book explores themes of technology, privacy and freedom. I won't soon forget this book. It is truly unique!