Review: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

In the small Californian university town of Santa Lorna, something is brewing. When Kara returns from a night out and won’t wake up in the morning, she’s taken to hospital. Later, several of her friends also fall victim to deep sleep from which they cannot be roused, and panic spreads. Soon, the illness spreads beyond the confines of the university, and people all over the town are collapsing into deep, prolonged sleep, from which no amount of pleading or medication can rouse them.

While the town is slowly drawn under the spell of slumber, speculation abounds about the cause of the mysterious disease, from those not yet affected and the rest of the country. However, when quarantines are implemented, with no further movement into or from Santa Lorna, the world can only watch.

The Dreamers is an incredibly original plot in which an inexplicable scenario is unfolded and gently probed in a careful and dream-like manner. Through gorgeous prose akin to a collection of poetry, Karen Thompson Walker reminds us that the unknown can house more than fear and doubt – it can shelter beauty and possibilities such as we could never imagine.

In addition to an original plot is a discussion on the differences between our waking and dreaming lives, and which has more sway over our emotions and experiences. The dual nature of dream scenarios and waking moments compounds the sense of wonder and mysticism that is carefully crafted throughout this story.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this novel is not just the magic of its prose, or the unique plot, but the feeling that remains with you after completing the story – that some things should remain unexplained, and that not every question can, or should, be answered. The Dreamers is a literary achievement – it is moving, thought-provoking and engaging, and you cannot help but become immediately entranced by its secrets and mysteries.

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker is published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.