It’s officially summer reading season. Are you ready?
Thanks to Independent Bookstore Day last month, I have a TBR pile that will likely last me well into 2026. I tapped into it this week for my latest read, Eric Puchner’s “Dream State” — one of Oprah’s picks for 2025. Short review? It didn’t disappoint and was a great way to kick off summer.
Longer review? The choices we make … you just don’t know.
I feel like this novel should come with a few trigger warnings — if climate change and its subsequent potential consequences are upsetting to you at all (big yes for me), steel yourself. Drug addiction? Take a few deep breaths before diving in. Heartbreak that destroys almost everything in its path? Lots more deep breathing. Alzheimer’s? Why did I pick this up again?
Set against the backdrop of a semi-fictional locale in Montana, our protagonists Cece, Charlie and Garrett navigate several decades worth of friendship, love, family betrayal and redemption. Our story starts a month before Charlie and Cece’s idyllic Montana wedding in 2004 and takes about 50 years or so to grapple with all the aforementioned triggers.
Garrett’s overwhelming love for the environment is eclipsed only by his self-punishing sense of responsibility to fix what can’t ever be. Cece’s determination to love the path she chose for herself is shadowed by the constant what-ifs she manifests at nearly every turn. And Charlie’s desire to maintain a certain joie de vivre is hampered by a series of missed opportunities, unwise choices and inability to protect those he loves the most.
Puchner takes readers deep into the Montana wilderness and it’s truly an escape into something beautiful. I’m not so much an outdoorsy girl that I’m rolling out a sleeping bag under the stars and cooking on a Coleman, but I do love nature, scenery, a good hike, big mountains, big water and that sense of something larger than yourself. So it’s easy to tap into Garrett’s angst as he watches the glaciers disappear practically before his eyes and animal species marching toward extinction.
I think my only bone to pick would be that I feel like Cece was shortchanged a bit in her character arc — at the time she should have found a sense of peace about her life choices, Puchner rips that out of her hands and leaves something worse in its place. And he goes hard on Charlie. Oof. But perhaps that’s the message — enjoy what you have when you have it because this is life and life isn’t just or kind or prudent. It just is.
If you are looking for a great family and friendship drama in a transformative setting, Dream State is definitely worth your time. Probably a good book club pick as well, as there is a lot to dissect between these characters.
Looking for other suggestions? I have a bunch right here. Happy reading!
LitzyDitz 