paperbackmorning 's review for:

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

4.0

---

The Dream Hotel is both surreal and far too realistic for comfort. In a near future society where your every move is surveilled to assess your “risk score,” your actions and communications can result in forcible retainment before a crime has even been committed. In our protagonist Sara’s case, her dreams have made her a risk to society and she’s retained at a correctional facility for months where it seems impossible to prove that she deserves to be released. She’s not technically a prisoner, but she certainly isn’t free. This story teems with injustice while we watch Sara navigate life in this facility and it’s hard to imagine how the story can end. My only criticism is the slight repetitive nature of the plot, but that can be attributed to the author wanting to paint an image of the futility and senselessness of life in such a place for an innocent individual.

 Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the early reading opportunity. All opinions are my own.