Dream State

The transporting, immersive book of the summer: 'a book to lose yourself in' Guardian An Oprah's Book Club pick An instant New York Times bestseller Book of the Year: The Times, Guardian, Woman & Home and BBC ' The Paper Palace meets Jonathan Franzen' Sunday Times Style ' A totally involving and moving literary page-turner' Clare Chambers, author of Shy Creatures 'Moving, funny and utterly engrossing' Sunday Times ' I did not stop reading it for three days straight' Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. After all, Garrett, a depressed baggage handler at the local airport, doesn't believe in marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, she grows increasingly uncertain about her future, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that summer reverberating across fifty years and spanning generations. More praise for Dream State 'The kind of book you don't want to put down' Oprah Winfrey 'A sprawling page-turner' Grazia 'A transporting wonder... A rare pleasure' Ron Charles, Washington Post 'I can't think of another book I have annotated so heavily, underlining phrases on almost every page' The Times '[A] brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties... Puchner tells his tale so compellingly, so engagingly, with such warmth and humor, that it's not until you set the book down that you can appreciate the brilliance of what he's done' Guardian 'As funny as it is devastating... I haven't been this dazzled by a novel in a long time' Lit Hub 'Expansive... explores how we might make meaning of our existence in the face of escalating loss' New Yorker '[W]hat begins as a high-stakes love triangle tale transforms into an engrossing family saga, spanning 50 years. The magnetic pull between the three characters is enough to sustain a third plotline: the devastating effect of climate change on Montana and the life they have built there.' Sunday Times 'I love a slightly oversized American novel, one that's going to take you on a journey' Times Radio

The transporting, immersive book of the summer: 'a book to lose yourself in' Guardian An Oprah's Book Club pick An instant New York Times bestseller Book of the Year: The Times, Guardian, Woman & Home and BBC ' The Paper Palace meets Jonathan Franzen' Sunday Times Style ' A totally involving and moving literary page-turner' Clare Chambers, author of Shy Creatures 'Moving, funny and utterly engrossing' Sunday Times ' I did not stop reading it for three days straight' Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. After all, Garrett, a depressed baggage handler at the local airport, doesn't believe in marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, she grows increasingly uncertain about her future, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that summer reverberating across fifty years and spanning generations. More praise for Dream State 'The kind of book you don't want to put down' Oprah Winfrey 'A sprawling page-turner' Grazia 'A transporting wonder... A rare pleasure' Ron Charles, Washington Post 'I can't think of another book I have annotated so heavily, underlining phrases on almost every page' The Times '[A] brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties... Puchner tells his tale so compellingly, so engagingly, with such warmth and humor, that it's not until you set the book down that you can appreciate the brilliance of what he's done' Guardian 'As funny as it is devastating... I haven't been this dazzled by a novel in a long time' Lit Hub 'Expansive... explores how we might make meaning of our existence in the face of escalating loss' New Yorker '[W]hat begins as a high-stakes love triangle tale transforms into an engrossing family saga, spanning 50 years. The magnetic pull between the three characters is enough to sustain a third plotline: the devastating effect of climate change on Montana and the life they have built there.' Sunday Times 'I love a slightly oversized American novel, one that's going to take you on a journey' Times Radio

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - "The story of relationships built and broken, mistakes inherited and repeated, and the beauty of trying again....already one of the year's best." - People Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws' lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can't imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task--an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie's shared past. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again? As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett's friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she's dreamed of and a life she's never imagined. The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents' story. Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past--both our own and the ones we've inherited. Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, both a love letter and an elegy to the American West, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - "The story of relationships built and broken, mistakes inherited and repeated, and the beauty of trying again....already one of the year's best." - People Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws' lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can't imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task--an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie's shared past. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again? As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett's friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she's dreamed of and a life she's never imagined. The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents' story. Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past--both our own and the ones we've inherited. Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, both a love letter and an elegy to the American West, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.

A book of tears, laughter, longing, regrets and filled to the brim with life . . . a wonder' ANDREW SEAN GREER, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less 'An exquisitely rendered novel about the vagaries of fate, and friendship, and love' ALICE MCDERMOTT, National Book Award winner and author of Absolution 'A masterpiece' ADAM JOHNSON, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son 'Brilliant' DANIELLE EVANS, author of The Office of Historical Corrections Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. Garrett doesn't believe in love, much less marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, her long-held expectations for her life with Charlie begin to crumble, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that July reverberating through marriage, parenthood and across generations. Simultaneously following in the tradition of the great American novel and reinventing it from within, Dream State is at once a study of the unholy catastrophe of marriage and a tender ode to the beauty of impermanence.

A book of tears, laughter, longing, regrets and filled to the brim with life . . . a wonder' ANDREW SEAN GREER, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less 'An exquisitely rendered novel about the vagaries of fate, and friendship, and love' ALICE MCDERMOTT, National Book Award winner and author of Absolution 'A masterpiece' ADAM JOHNSON, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son 'Brilliant' DANIELLE EVANS, author of The Office of Historical Corrections Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. Garrett doesn't believe in love, much less marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, her long-held expectations for her life with Charlie begin to crumble, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that July reverberating through marriage, parenthood and across generations. Simultaneously following in the tradition of the great American novel and reinventing it from within, Dream State is at once a study of the unholy catastrophe of marriage and a tender ode to the beauty of impermanence.

The transporting, immersive book of the summer: 'a book to lose yourself in' Guardian An Oprah's Book Club pick An instant New York Times bestseller Book of the Year: The Times, Guardian, Woman & Home and BBC ' The Paper Palace meets Jonathan Franzen' Sunday Times Style ' A totally involving and moving literary page-turner' Clare Chambers, author of Shy Creatures 'Moving, funny and utterly engrossing' Sunday Times ' I did not stop reading it for three days straight' Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. After all, Garrett, a depressed baggage handler at the local airport, doesn't believe in marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, she grows increasingly uncertain about her future, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that summer reverberating across fifty years and spanning generations. More praise for Dream State 'The kind of book you don't want to put down' Oprah Winfrey 'A sprawling page-turner' Grazia 'A transporting wonder... A rare pleasure' Ron Charles, Washington Post 'I can't think of another book I have annotated so heavily, underlining phrases on almost every page' The Times '[A] brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties... Puchner tells his tale so compellingly, so engagingly, with such warmth and humor, that it's not until you set the book down that you can appreciate the brilliance of what he's done' Guardian 'As funny as it is devastating... I haven't been this dazzled by a novel in a long time' Lit Hub 'Expansive... explores how we might make meaning of our existence in the face of escalating loss' New Yorker '[W]hat begins as a high-stakes love triangle tale transforms into an engrossing family saga, spanning 50 years. The magnetic pull between the three characters is enough to sustain a third plotline: the devastating effect of climate change on Montana and the life they have built there.' Sunday Times 'I love a slightly oversized American novel, one that's going to take you on a journey' Times Radio

The transporting, immersive book of the summer: 'a book to lose yourself in' Guardian An Oprah's Book Club pick An instant New York Times bestseller Book of the Year: The Times, Guardian, Woman & Home and BBC ' The Paper Palace meets Jonathan Franzen' Sunday Times Style ' A totally involving and moving literary page-turner' Clare Chambers, author of Shy Creatures 'Moving, funny and utterly engrossing' Sunday Times ' I did not stop reading it for three days straight' Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future. When Charlie asks Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, Cece can't imagine anyone less appropriate for the task. After all, Garrett, a depressed baggage handler at the local airport, doesn't believe in marriage. But as she spends time with him and his gruff mask slips, she grows increasingly uncertain about her future, leading to an impulsive decision that will alter the three friends' lives forever - the events of that summer reverberating across fifty years and spanning generations. More praise for Dream State 'The kind of book you don't want to put down' Oprah Winfrey 'A sprawling page-turner' Grazia 'A transporting wonder... A rare pleasure' Ron Charles, Washington Post 'I can't think of another book I have annotated so heavily, underlining phrases on almost every page' The Times '[A] brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties... Puchner tells his tale so compellingly, so engagingly, with such warmth and humor, that it's not until you set the book down that you can appreciate the brilliance of what he's done' Guardian 'As funny as it is devastating... I haven't been this dazzled by a novel in a long time' Lit Hub 'Expansive... explores how we might make meaning of our existence in the face of escalating loss' New Yorker '[W]hat begins as a high-stakes love triangle tale transforms into an engrossing family saga, spanning 50 years. The magnetic pull between the three characters is enough to sustain a third plotline: the devastating effect of climate change on Montana and the life they have built there.' Sunday Times 'I love a slightly oversized American novel, one that's going to take you on a journey' Times Radio