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The dream apocalypse: Facing the end of the world with eyes wide shut

Dan Hawk Photography LLC

The dream apocalypse: Facing the end of the world with eyes wide shut

The year in literature begins with a sleeper hit about staying awake.

In the college town of Santa Lora, students are falling asleep and staying there. Some die, but most remain unconscious, with brainwave patterns that resemble deep dreaming.

Their mystery illness soon spreads to the town at large, leaving the few people unaffected to fend for themselves. This unsettling premise launches Karen Thompson Walker’s “The Dreamers,” a speculative meditation on consciousness that encourages readers to question reality.

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"THE DREAMERS"
By Karen Thompson Walker
Random House ($27).

The killer virus scenario is familiar genre fiction territory, but Ms. Walker (”The Age of Miracles”) chooses existential dread over apocalyptic hysteria.

As the townspeople wrestle with the possibility of death by dream, they waiver between thought, action and feeling; ironically, they must first wake up from indecision before they can choose fight or flight.

Consciousness is not an easy choice, however, and Ms. Walker’s characters struggle with their options.

Mei reacts to the sleeping sickness with the same guarded silence with which she navigates the casual racism of college life; forced into action by the eccentric Matthew, she rouses herself to care for the sick and comfort the frightened.

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Matthew, for his part, is logical and quick to act, though his personality is a bit abrasive. He’s also more comfortable spouting political theories than expressing emotions.

Their strengths seem complementary, and crises create strange alliances, but can Mei — or the reader, for that matter — trust Matthew’s intentions?

Elsewhere in town a married couple bicker and worry but fail to act; by the time they decide to leave Santa Lora, it may already be too late for their infant daughter. Two sisters must rely on their survival skills when their doomsday prepper dad falls asleep.

Ms. Walker’s use of third-person point of view allows her to fully explore these and other character journeys — from a sleeper’s unborn child to an elderly professor’s partner — with objective detachment.

Chapters from the court of public opinion pierce the novel’s existential haze from time to time.

The outside world believes Santa Lora’s dilemma is a hoax or conspiracy; keyboard pundits post internet commentary that blames everyone from the government to Big Pharma, and their cynical reasoning will look all too familiar to anyone who frequents social media. The genius of these interruptions is that they remind the reader that they, too, are dreamers, spending time with a novel, and that their own reality is only a page flip away.

Ms. Walker’s simple, direct language allows readers to focus on the questions she raises. Are the dreamers awake in an alternate universe? Will the conscious characters evolve or collapse in the face of the unknown? Do readers recognize that they, too, are being subtly pushed to explore their own self-awareness?

The ethical dilemma at the heart of the plot is far less subtle. Fans of “The Good Place” who are ready for the next level of philosophical argument will appreciate the mental workout but may find it hard to stay objective.

Forced choices are harder to make when likable characters are involved, and Ms. Walker’s choice of sacrifice tests the limits of reader sympathy.

Despite its high anxiety quotient, “The Dreamers” ends on a hopeful note, with faint echoes of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Unlike Shakespeare’s comedy, however, there’s no gentle Puck offering comfort.

When readers wake up from Ms. Walker’s speculations, they’re once more left alone in their search for meaning in a broken world. Some will find this disappointing, but those who prefer the journey to the destination will consider it time well spent.

A thought-provoking read for our troubled times.

Leigh Anne Focareta is a freelance writer and friendly neighborhood librarian.

First Published: January 26, 2019, 3:00 p.m.

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Karen Thompson Walker.  (Dan Hawk Photography LLC)
"The Dreamers" by Karen Thompson Walker.
Dan Hawk Photography LLC
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