A review by moodreadingmagic
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if every facet of our lives was documented and controlled by AI, including our dreams? The Dream Hotel offers a stark view of how technology, and particularly AI systems can control our not too distant future. 

Sara Hussein is used to extra questioning in airports but when she is flagged at LAX after returning from a business trip in London based on her risk score, specifically her sleep data, she quickly learns the consequences of allowing AI to scan personal data for risk. After reasonable pushback on Sara’s part, in combination with the nature of her dreams, she is deemed a risk to her husband and sent to a retention center for 21 days. She had no idea that the digital sleep program she opted to have implanted is actually recording and analyzing her dreams and that what happens in her dreams can be used against her. 21 days come and go and she soon realizes she will remain detained unless and until she figures out a way to disrupt the systems that placed her here.

This story could easily be an episode of Black Mirror, it evokes the scary side of technology and highlights its flaws in truly analyzing and understanding human nature. I loved the characters and found myself turning every page hoping to see Sara, and her friends, reunited with their families. This story evoked a level of anxiety I haven’t experienced since reading the School for Good Mothers. As someone who uses technology to track biometrics on a daily basis (Apple Watch, Oura Ring, etc.) stories like this are a good reminder that we must retain a balance in the use of technology and never trust AI to fully replace the ability to understand the human psyche. 

If you’re looking for some motivation to disconnect from your digital footprint or scale it back, this is definitely the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for my copy of this book; all opinions are my own.