The Dream Hotel: A Read with Jenna Pick by Laila Lalami
on March 4, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Dystopian, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Political
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
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Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel offers a chilling and thought-provoking glimpse into a near-future society where dreams are no longer private—and freedom is conditional. When Sara returns to Los Angeles from a work trip, she’s stopped at the airport by a shadowy government agency and told she’s a risk. Not because of something she’s done, but because an algorithm—fueled by data from her dreams—has predicted she will soon harm her husband.
From that moment, Sara is thrust into a high-tech dystopia where she is detained “for his safety,” placed in a government-run facility alongside other women accused of future crimes. The facility is filled with surveillance, constantly shifting rules, and a gnawing sense that innocence doesn’t matter when the system is designed to keep you confined.
Lalami masterfully blends psychological suspense with social commentary, exploring themes of surveillance, state control, and the blurry line between security and oppression. The premise feels eerily plausible, especially in an era of rapidly advancing technology. While this is clearly speculative fiction, it doesn’t feel far-fetched—it feels like a warning.
As a reader, I couldn’t stop thinking about how easily Sara’s reality could become ours. The helplessness she feels, the bureaucratic maze she’s trapped in, and the mounting sense of dread made this a deeply immersive, often anxiety-inducing read. I kept imagining myself in her place—and the thought was terrifying.
The writing is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the characters—especially Sara—are vividly drawn and emotionally resonant. The Dream Hotel is the kind of novel that stays with you long after the final page, raising urgent questions about autonomy, privacy, and the cost of safety in a digital age.
Highly recommended for fans of dystopian fiction with a deeply human core.
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