Introducing The Dream Hotel

If you have a smartphone, you’ll no doubt have had a moment when you realized that it knew more about you than you’d ever expected. Even though you’ve agreed to the terms of service, it still feels like a terrible violation of privacy. I wanted to push this technological surveillance to the limit in my new novel, The Dream Hotel. The story follows Sara Hussein, a museum archivist and busy mom who returns home from a conference abroad to find herself accused of a crime she has yet to commit. Using data from her dreams, a government algorithm has determined that she is at risk of harming her husband. She is taken to a retention center where she is held with other dreamers, all of whom are accused of crimes. If Sara is to regain her freedom, she will have to find ways to confront and resist this surveillance.

The novel will be out in the U.S. and the U.K. on March 4, with several translations to follow. Is it a departure from my previous books? Yes. But also… no. The setting is unusual for me because I had to create a believable near future, but I’m still exploring some of the ideas about identity, power, and belonging that I’ve written about in my previous work.

The Dream Hotel has received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers’ Weekly, and Booklist. It has been featured in more than a dozen spring 2025 preview lists, including those of Time, People, the Washington Post, Marie Claire, New Scientist, and Esquire. And it has received advance praise from Rumaan Alam (“extraordinary”), Jennifer Egan (“Kafkaesque”), Kelly Link (“thrilling”), among others.

As you know, pre-orders are crucial to the success of a book, so if The Dream Hotel sounds like something you might want to read (or listen to!), please preorder a copy from your local bookstore. If you’d like a signed/personalized copy, this RJ Julia Bookstore will be happy to take your order before February 28.

I’ve set this post to publish a couple of weeks before release date, because I want to be present and able to enjoy the moment. The pandemic prevented me from touring my last book, and I’m really looking forward to seeing you in person at one of my upcoming events. Come say hi!