Although Puchner’s novel is a long, deep ride that traverses half a century, it never labors under the weight of its broad scope. Instead, with every chapter, the story feels animated only by the spontaneous possibilities of moments in which loyalty is respected or ignored, passion resisted or sated ... The book’s effect is hypnotically telescopic, a vision of people we come to know across decades. Puchner’s manipulation of time is among his novel’s most magical elements.
At its best when Puchner allows his characters to be unpredictable even to themselves ... Moments of precision shine, and I found myself wishing they had been set free of the dream smothering the landscape.
Unhurried ... Dramatic plot points bob upon a flat-line surface rather than rising, reflecting the rhythm inherent in actual human life ... There are innumerable dramatic moments, each vividly written with illuminating perspective and following on the heels of its predecessor ... One may question whether the laying of the foundation is adequate to rationalize the shock ... As significant as these structural issues might be, they are countered by the strength of Eric Puchner’s writing.
A colossus: a vast, bright behemoth of a book, panoramic as the Montana skyline ... Puchner carries off his novel’s first act with aplomb, deploying the elements of the love triangle as the formula demands, but deftly, and with humour ... Feels, at times, like a Victorian novel: an unhurried depiction of a rich, full world, in which actions have consequences that ripple across generations ... Puchner seduces us with a familiar and deeply secure narrative structure, only to undermine that structure, to force it to tell a tale of profound and fatal insecurity. But he tells his tale so compellingly, so engagingly, with such warmth and humour, that it’s not until you set the book down that you can appreciate the breadth and brilliance of what he’s done.
Oprah and I agree that Dream State is a novel you should read ... Puchner writes about families and relationships as well as any writer I can think of. The depth of engagement with his characters, along with the scope of the story spanning 50 years Puchner brings to Dream State make for a powerful reading experience ... I will not share more of the plot because seeing how Puchner braids the individual threads into a whole and moves these people through time is one of the chief pleasures of the novel.
This family saga is 100 pages too long—but who cares, the writing’s great ... I like it when a novel surprises me .... Dream State, the American writer Eric Puchner’s second novel, went somewhere I wasn’t expecting ... Puchner does an incredible job of depicting the almost masochistic, magnetic pull all three feel towards each other ... As climate change books go, Dream State deals with the issue cleverly and sensitively, allowing it to bubble under the surface of the action until its inconveniences start to look like disasters ... Other elements, though, do feel a little out of place. Lana and Jasper, the trio’s children, are never fully fleshed out, meaning sections that deal with their adult lives are weaker ... The frequent references to Russian literature are a clue to Puchner’s ambition. Dream State has many of the ingredients of a great state-of-the-nation novel, but as a whole it doesn’t quite coalesce ... On the sentence level, Puchner’s writing is almost flawless—I can’t think of another book I have annotated so heavily, underlining phrases on almost every page. ... Dream State is a tale of two novels. If Puchner had chosen just one it would have made for a tighter, more technically proficient book. But as it happens, I prefer the slightly baggier version, which is moving, funny and utterly engrossing.
Riveting ... With interwoven perspectives, Puchner’s layered saga is a deeply felt exploration of relationships and self-identity, and the imperfections hidden by the heart’s pull.
Puchner draws readers right into the seemingly charmed world of a multigenerational summer lake house in the imaginary town of Salish, Montana ... Don’t miss Dream State, whose memorable characters leave readers with plenty to contemplate about life’s most vital aspects.
A moving, psychologically acute, formally surprising family saga ... Sprawling and elegant—a novel that feels both old-fashioned and bracingly inventive.
