A review by aclypse
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

medium-paced

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

3.0

I was surprised to find out when reflecting on the book that there is no character development at all. Mei just basically dies, Nathaniel falls asleep with his lover, Ben and Annie stay the same and even the family of Sara, Libby and their father don't change. I'm quite disappointed that neither of the characters’ pasts were revealed – I am still curious about why Sara’s and Libby's father has such a paranoic worldview. Maybe it's the use of the “iceberg theory” where you reveal only a little part about the character, or the writer just didn't finish her novel?

But i havent talked about the most important part of the book – the virus. First of all, i found myself disappointed i didnt pick up this during the pandemic, cause some parts really crawled this atmosphere of uncertainty and despair. Then i was shocked after finding out that the book was published a year before the pandemic – as if the author knew it’s going to come.I've also noticed Karen uses “tell” instead of “show” when describing the characters’ dreams. It works for me as our dreams usually fly by so fast that we dont even notice them and wake up with the illusion that we havent dreamt that night. Especially that dream of Rebeca.Oh Rebeca. Another person I havent grown to condole with. I really enjoyed all the passages when she was tied to bed, sleeping, unable to do anything else. It woke up the sense of something disgusting and medical in me.
I also liked the references to other stories, myths and experiments mentioned in this book. It always makes me curious about these cases and google them.So, the main problem is that it's too short. Karen doesn't give us enough time and reason to like the people.