Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He's magnetic. He's compelling. He's dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else--her missing sister, her with-drawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?
Quote of the Book: "'She can be anything,' Boo told me, and this is what I remember most, her freckled face so solemn, as if she knew she was the first to tell me. "And so can you.""
My thoughts and opinion: Wow. I picked up this book thinking it would be a light read about a girl and a boy who are attracted to each other and eventually go to college together and live happily ever after. So therefore, I totally did not expect what I read. This book was much darker than the books Dessen usually writes and I actually liked how different this was. This book focused around abuse and really touched and rattled me inside.
I really felt for Caitlin because she was in love with Rogerson but he kept hitting her and she still loved him. She had the opportunity to speak up anytime about the abuse but she didn't; she held back from speaking up and thought she could hide her pain. While I don't admire how weak and timid she was, I also don't blame her for keeping quiet. I probably would have been afraid to tell anyone if I were in her shoes. I thought it was so sad when Boo or Rina suspected something but couldn't reach out to Caitlin. They wanted Caitlin to tell them what was wrong but that just made her shrink back and hide away. In a sense, I felt like I could relate to Caitlin.
I don't know how I feel about Rogerson, however. I hate him so much for hurting Caitlin and beating her, but also I knew that was because his dad did the same to him. Abusiveness is a cycle that passes down from father to son and perhaps Rogerson, being beaten all the time, felt the need to lash out at Caitlin since she was conveniently there. Since children gradually turn into their parents, Rogerson became his father whether he wanted to or not. So, I suppose I hated Rogerson but not completely.
On the other hand, Caitlin's mother irritated me so much. She was so focused on Cass's running away that she didn't even pay attention to the daughter who was there and who needed her more. Maybe I will regret saying this, but I really felt Caitlin's mother should have been a better mother.
I really liked Caitlin's friends like Rina and Corinna and as I'm typing this out, I realize that their names are really similar to each other. Rina could very easily be a nickname for Corinna. Anyway, I thought they were great friends for Caitlin and Caitlin needed people like Rina and Corinna.
Overall, I thought this book was interesting and while abuse is a very sensitive and tough subject, Dessen wrote it well. I think everyone should read this book or at least something like this. The emotions and the pain was so real and raw unlike any book I've ever read. All in all, Dreamland was a really cloudy and dark book but in a good way.
