Dreamland (Dessen novel)

Last updated
Dreamland
Dreamland (Dessen novel).jpg
First edition
Author Sarah Dessen
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
September 1, 2000
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages250
ISBN 978-0-14-240175-0 (Paperback) 0-670-89122-3 (Hardback)
OCLC 55857711

Dreamland (2000) is a teen novel by the American author Sarah Dessen. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot summary

The book is split into three parts.

Part I: Cass

Part II: Rogerson

Caitlin and Rogerson's relationship becomes more physical. Rogerson introduces Caitlin to drugs and a woman in her mid-twenties named Corinna. They become best friends and begin to smoke pot.

Caitlin starts skipping school and cheerleading practice so Rogerson won't have to wait for her when he picks her up. He soon begins to be abusive. He hits Caitlin in the face when they're in the car and he is upset with her; a pattern develops where he hits her but only in places covered by clothes. Caitlin begins writing in the gift that she received from Cass, a dream journal. Meanwhile her mother spends every afternoon watching the TV show that Cass's boyfriend works on, and gets occasional glimpses of her daughter.

On Christmas Eve, Caitlin finally agrees to sleep with Rogerson. She says later in the book that whenever they have sex it is the only time she feels safe.

One day, Caitlin's friend, Rina, decides to take her out for some fun. They go to Rina's step fathers' lake house, but Caitlin was terrified because she knew that Rogerson was waiting outside of her house. She tried calling him, but he never picked up the phone.

Caitlin walks away and heads home. She sees Rogerson parked in front of her house. She gets into his car and Rogerson becomes angry with her and begins to abuse her, until she is pushed out of the car. He continues to abuse her until Caitlin's mother shoves Rogerson away from her and calls for help. One of the neighbors calls the police, and Rogerson is arrested.

Part III: Me

Caitlin joins the Evergreen Rest Care Facility after Rogerson is arrested. She comes in because of drug addiction, and after all Rogerson did to her, she still loved Rogerson. She starts counseling and begins a slow improvement.

Caitlin gets a letter from her friend, Corinna, saying that she left her longtime boyfriend, Dave, and is in Arizona living her life, trying to forget her past. She says she hopes to see Caitlin again soon. She also gets a letter from her sister, Cass, saying that she did not want to go to Yale. She was having a tough time and wasn't happy with her parents' plans for college, which explains her sudden departure. She wanted to be able to do what she wanted to do with her life, and if her parents knew where she was they would try and come get her.

Rina tells Caitlin that she ran into Rogerson at the Quick Zip and he briefly passed by her not saying a word or looking her in the eye. Caitlin realizes that she must prepare herself for the next time she sees Rogerson.

At the end of the book, Caitlin is released but before she goes she takes a picture of the new her, and compares it to the old picture she once ripped but has put back together. Her family has a welcome home party with a special guest, Cass.

Characters

Allusions to other books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Dessen</span> American novelist

Sarah Dessen is an American novelist who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Born in Illinois, Dessen graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996. She has since published more than a dozen other novels and novellas. In 2017, Dessen won the Margaret Edwards Award for some of her work. Two of her books were adapted into the 2003 film How to Deal.

<i>The Truth About Forever</i> 2004 novel by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever is a novel by Sarah Dessen. It's her sixth novel and was published in hardcover on May 11, 2004, and in paperback on April 6, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethany Platt</span> Fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street

Bethany Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 4 June 2000. She was played by Mia Cookson in 2000 and by twins Amy and Emily Walton from 2000 until 30 December 2007, when the character departed. The character was reintroduced with Lucy Fallon taking over the role, and Bethany made her return on 20 March 2015. On 2 May 2019, Fallon announced that she had quit the show. She filmed her last scene on 16 January 2020 and Bethany departed on 4 March 2020. In August 2023, it was announced that Fallon would be reprising the role after three years away. Bethany returned on 31 December 2023.

<i>Valiant</i> (novel) 2005 novel by Holly Black

Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Holly Black. It was published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, who recommended it for ages "14 up". Valiant is a sequel to Black's debut novel Tithe, and the second in a trilogy that is sometimes called [A] Modern Tale of Faerie (2002–2007).

<i>Someone like You</i> (novel) 1998 young adult novel by Sarah Dessen

Someone Like You (1998) is a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen. The movie How to Deal was based on this novel as well as one of Dessen's other novels, That Summer.

<i>This Lullaby</i> 2002 novel by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby (2002) is a young adult novel written by Sarah Dessen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Diamond Girls</span> 2004 novel by Jacqueline Wilson

The Diamond Girls is a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson. The protagonist and narrator is Dixie Diamond, the youngest in a family of four sisters, who all have different fathers. Their mother Sue, pregnant with her fifth child, which she believes to be a boy, decides to move them from their domicile on a council estate to a larger council house on the "Planet Estate." All her children are unhappy about this, especially the oldest, Martine, whose boyfriend Tony lives next door. As an avid believer in astrology, tarot cards, and destiny, Sue believes she knows her baby is going to be a boy, and that, regardless of her daughters' opinions, moving will be the best thing for the family.

<i>Boo</i> (2005 film) 2005 American film

Boo is a 2005 American horror film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante.

<i>Holiday Heart</i> 2000 film by Robert Townsend

Holiday Heart is a 2000 television film directed by Robert Townsend and starring Ving Rhames, Alfre Woodard, Jesika Reynolds, and Mykelti Williamson. It aired on the cable TV channel Showtime, and was distributed on DVD by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on a play by Cheryl L. West, and involves a gay drag queen befriending a single mother and her daughter and trying to protect them from the criminal environment around them. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, for Woodard's performance, among other award nominations.

<i>Lock and Key</i> (novel) Book by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key is a novel written by author Sarah Dessen. It is her eighth published novel. It was published by Viking's Children's Books in 2008.

<i>Along for the Ride</i> (novel) 2009 novel by American author Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride is a novel by Sarah Dessen. It was released on June 16, 2009. The novel focuses on Auden West, who never sleeps at night due to her parents' continuous fighting when she was in high school. Before heading off to college, Auden decides to spend her summer before college with her father, his wife and their new baby. Although Auden is at first reluctant, she comes to really like her stepmother and half-sister. Auden also ends up spending her nights making up for her lost childhood with Eli, a loner and insomniac with an intriguing past. She learns that second chances are possible and questions if people can truly change.

<i>Geek Charming</i> American TV movie

Geek Charming is a 2011 Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Jeffrey Hornaday from a screenplay by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy, based on the novel of the same name by Robin Palmer. The film stars Sarah Hyland and Matt Prokop. It premiered on November 11, 2011, on Disney Channel, on January 27, 2012, on Disney Channel, and on January 28, 2012, on Disney Channel Asia. The premiere was watched by 4.9 million viewers, the fifth largest number for a cable show of that week.

<i>What Happened to Goodbye</i> 2011 novel by Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye is a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen. The book chronicles the life of a teenage girl, Mclean, and her journey of self-discovery. The book was released on May 10, 2011, by Viking. It received mainly positive critical reception.

<i>The Poker House</i> 2008 film

The Poker House, subsequently retitled as Behind Closed Doors, is a 2008 American independent drama film written and directed by Lori Petty, in her directorial debut. Based on Petty's early life during the 1970s, the film depicts a painful day in the life of Agnes a teenage girl who is raising her two younger sisters, Bee and Cammie, in their mother's whorehouse.

<i>No One Would Tell</i> (2018 film) 2018 American TV series or program

No One Would Tell is a 2018 film that aired on Lifetime and is a true-story remake of the 1996 film of the same name. It features Shannen Doherty, Matreya Scarrwener, Callan Potter, Chanelle Peloso, Louriza Tronco, Trezzo Mahoro, Ricky He, Sarah Grey, Avery Konrad, Ona Grauer, and Mira Sorvino.

The Shannon family is an American family whose members are best known for their involvement in reality television. The family first appeared on TV in 2011, when June "Mama June" Shannon and her at-the-time five-year-old daughter, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, appeared on the TLC series, Toddlers & Tiaras. The family then got its own spin-off show in 2012 on TLC, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. After cancellation, the show was reconstituted as Mama June: From Not to Hot in 2017 on We TV. It has since been rebranded Mama June: Road to Redemption and Mama June: Family Crisis.

References

  1. "Dreamland by Sarah Dessen". www.publishersweekly.com. 4 September 2000. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  2. "Dreamland by Sarah Dessen: Better than Colleen Hoover?". 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2023-09-04.