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There are currently 19 member reviews
for The Dream Hotel
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Susan P. (Mount Vernon, WA)
A not so unimaginable future
This dystopian novel supposes that technology has advanced to such an extent that "Big Brother" is not only monitoring our travel, social media traffic, and fitness metrics but is also monitoring our very dreams. The book begins with our story's main character in a Dream Hotel where she is literally incarcerated for dreams that she can't even recall.
The Dream Hotel is a regimented hell as each "inmate" is awaiting the government's decision to let them go back to their normal and even mudane lives. Follow along and see what happens. It's worth the read!
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Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)
Engaging and Disturbing
Truly engaging, yet so potentially realistic that it is disturbing enough to make me want to disconnect from all the tech that monitors our lives. The main character, Sara, returns home from abroad and is detained at the airport by the Risk Assessment Administration (RAA) whose algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming someone. For her safety and that of others, she is sent off to be "kept under observation" at a detention facility for "twenty-one days." From that point on, Sara endures a much longer detainment and the novel details it all.
As the author describes the methods used to provide information for the algorithm, details the RAA and it's creation based on "preventative crime management" and the entanglement of big business and profits, the reader is shown a potential dark side of our increasing reliance on technologies and what is sacrificed, unthinkingly, for the sake of convenience. I found myself relating to Sara, her thoughts, dreams, weaknesses and totally human responses that are tangled and used against her.
Well worth the read. Potentially a good book for book clubs - lots to generate discussion.
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Maren C. (HARVARD, MA)
What Dreams Decide
The premise of the book and the incredible cover design are what drew me in initially. Laila Lalami's writing style kept me interested. A mix of Kafka's The Trial and the film Minority Report, The Dream Hotel is an interesting thought exercise about a future that might not be so far away.
Ultimately, while there were moments where the reader could connect to Sara, it seemed as if The Dream Hotel may have benefitted from being a short story. The reader never truly gets a sense that Sara is in danger, nor do they share the same frustrations Sara mentions repeatedly. I would have liked to see the story presented in such a way that Sara's isolation was more impactful.
Perhaps it is more difficult to connect to the inherent dangers presented in the novel because the author came up with the idea ten years ago. Our current political landscape makes any attempt at dystopia seem like a pleasant distraction!
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Carl C. (La Canada Flintridge, CA)
A frightening future world
A gripping tale of a complete loss of privacy amid a bureaucratic entanglement. The novel kept me hooked with one exception. I feel that Julie's role should have either been expanded or eliminated. What relevance does Julie's dinner party have to the plot? Is the author setting up a hook for a sequel?
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Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)
The Dream Hotel
This story started out very confusing, and unfortunately was confusing for most of the book. The time lines kept jumping back and forth, and dream settings and administration memos were added to also interfere with the flow of the story. The concept of the story was really quite good, but I never felt like I was into the story, and I didn't get a real connection with the characters.
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