I sometimes do gambling with a book. I pick it up, never heard of it before, never heard of the author too, but somehow it propagates an energy to me and I get tempted to read it. The Dreamers was one successful gamble on NetGalley- I am so glad I requested it.

Now dear reader, there’s a guarantee I am giving to you: If you liked Station Eleven you will love this book. You can trust me.

I can summarise this novel as a borderline science fiction that’s heavier on character drama- just like Station Eleven it swirls around lives of a bunch of people after a catastrophe- although in this book it’s not a world-wide event, but a small town disaster, Walker masterfully delivering the intense feel of a lock down. There is sadness in this book that really touched me, of course it’s not cringe-y, instead beautiful as if a form of art.

Set in fictional university town Santa Lora in California, the book starts when a college girl falls asleep and fails to wake up. It doesn’t take long for the sleep to spread. After a bunch of students are hospitalised, medical inspection reveals that they constantly dream. But no one knows what’s causing this. Story moves between different point of views, Sara and Libby with their paranoid dad; a young married couple, Ben and Annie with their new born baby girl Grace; two castaway college students, Mei and Matthew, and a man named Nathaniel. I found almost all character’s point of views really enjoyable and loved the way the story was delivered. The last chapter is one to remember.

I personally think the situation of a virus spread was handled excellently- no exaggeration, o unnecessary drama, as if a dish with all proper ingredients and a spot on pinch of spices. If you like psychological books with touch of sci-fi I will highly recommend.

An elegant book of memory, sadness and human weaknesses.
5 stars and will definitely read Walker again. (less)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.