Karen Thompson The Dreamers

The Avid Reader Show

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another edition of The Avid Reader. Today our guest is Karen Thompson Walker. She is the author of The Age of Miracles, which we had a discussion about a couple of years ago. (at my age everything is a couple of years ago).
Her new nook is The Dreamers, and the title describes perfectly what goes on in the book, which was just published last week by Random house.
An epidemic, which starts very slowly, but accelerates at an alarming rate, begins with a girl who falls asleep. Even breathing, rosy cheeks, seemingly healthy. The problem and the crux of this book which has a very dreamy (no pun) quality is one which I would not qualify as SF though some have.
This problem is that the girl doesn’t wake up and soon, other girls in the same dormitory at the same college also begin to fall into this Sleeping Beauty state. Soon the problem becomes widespread and there is no explanation. Because of this increasingly emotionally charged situation, all hell breaks lose. Fear, suspicion, paranoia erupt, much as you might expect.
The Dreamers dream, and their dreams are heightened to a state that is way beyond what we perceive to be a normal sleeping “consciousness” if you will...
What happens as the book progresses is enlightening, confusing and as is her wont, Karen leaves us in a state of Wonder, not unlike that in her first book. I like books that do that.