A review by spearly
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I've unintentionally read way too many books about a pandemic during our actual pandemic.


A college girl falls asleep and can't be roused awake. An entire college dorm floor is quarantined, but the virus is new and unknown, and soon, the entire town of Santa Lora is cordoned off before the virus can spread to the rest of the world.


This was a cool read! I'm usually not a huge fan of 3rd person POV but it really worked in this case. We really got to see the way this virus quietly infiltrated the lives of of these small-town folk.

The end leaves readers with questions, but personally, this still worked a lot better for me than Wilder Girls (which was my last pandemic read). Sometimes not knowing has to be enough.

Given the nature of the way this was written, I can't speak much to the characterization. Matthew made me mad, that's for sure. People were certainly acting stupid, given the dangers of the virus, but hey, people are being equally as stupid during our very real virus, so I guess Walker gets points for accuracy. 

I wouldn't say this is a great read if you're trying to use reading as an escape from these ~trying times~ but maybe in a few years?
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