Dream State

Reports of the death of the Great American Novel have been vastly overstated … a decade-spanning epic that’s already getting publishers excited is Eric Puchner’s Dream State. It’s set in Montana and traces how the events of one summer shape the lives of three friends and their children, who are vying to escape from their parents’ legacies – The best books to look out for in 2025 * Independent * A brilliant, sprawling epic as funny as it is devastating, Dream State unspools the aftermath of that summer over many years. I haven’t been this dazzled by a novel in a long time – Most anticipated books of 2025 * Literary Hub * A gorgeous, gripping epic that chronicles 50 years of change in friendships, families and the surrounding landscape. It’s being hailed by some as the next great American novel – 40 of the most exciting books to read in 2025 * BBC.com * I loved Dream State - I did not stop reading it for three days straight. Puchner’s depiction of passing time, of friendship and family, of the mistakes we make and the complicated joys that life brings, is astounding. This is a story of layers and richness rarely seen, and I urge you to read it. – Jessie Burton, author of THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE and THE MINIATURIST A moving, psychologically acute, formally surprising family saga … Sprawling and elegant-a novel that feels both old-fashioned and bracingly inventive * Kirkus * With interwoven perspectives, Puchner’s layered saga is a deeply felt exploration of relationships and self-identity, and the imperfections hidden by the heart’s pull – Starred review * Booklist * The book wonders about the what-ifs in life - what if I married a different person, what if I took that job path, what if guys just talked to each other instead of just letting things sit quietly between them? – We can’t wait to read these 10 books hitting shelves soon * NPR * A book of tears, laughter, longing, regrets and filled to the brim with life. Dream State is a wonder of character and craft – Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of LESS Dream State is a masterpiece. A glittering, evocative achievement – Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON Dream State is a gorgeous exploration of time, grief, love, and the way that the commitments we make turn us into the people we become … brilliant – Danielle Evans, author of THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS Dream State delivers everything I want in a novel: a love triangle, a moving friendship story, a delicious setting (including some of the best skiing scenes I’ve ever read in my life) and rumination about how we search for meaning in our lives … an absolute masterpiece – Elin Hilderbrand, author of THE PERFECT COUPLE Dream State explores several monumental themes - love, family, identity, human transience, climate change - but always with a scrupulous attention to the fate of individuals, and always with a powerful sense of intimate connection … a remarkable achievement – Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate Eric Puchner has populated his engrossing and deeply affecting novel with characters so complicated and sympathetic that we want - we need - to know how their lives will turn out, and what will happen to the glorious and fragile landscape they inhabit – Francine Prose, author of READING LIKE A WRITER Dream State is a delight. Every scene, every character, every sentence, is infused with Eric Puchner’s intelligence and wit. An exquisitely rendered novel about the vagaries of fate, and friendship, and love – Alice McDermott, National Book Award winner and author of ABSOLUTION Funny and wild, here is some of the most beautiful writing that I have ever read – Matthew Klam, author of WHO IS RICH? Lush, immersive, devastating, and stunningly alive, Dream State did the thing the very best novels do: pulled me relentlessly into its characters, its setting, concerns, losses, and triumphs, only to let me loose again with a sharper, clearer vision of the world outside – Lynn Steger Strong, author of THE FLOAT TEST Reports of the death of the Great American Novel have been vastly overstated … a decade-spanning epic that’s already getting publishers excited is Eric Puchner’s Dream State. It’s set in Montana and traces how the events of one summer shape the lives of three friends and their children, who are vying to escape from their parents’ legacies – The best books to look out for in 2025 * Independent * A brilliant, sprawling epic as funny as it is devastating, Dream State unspools the aftermath of that summer over many years. I haven’t been this dazzled by a novel in a long time – Most anticipated books of 2025 * Literary Hub * A gorgeous, gripping epic that chronicles 50 years of change in friendships, families and the surrounding landscape. It’s being hailed by some as the next great American novel – 40 of the most exciting books to read in 2025 * BBC.com * I loved Dream State - I did not stop reading it for three days straight. Puchner’s depiction of passing time, of friendship and family, of the mistakes we make and the complicated joys that life brings, is astounding. This is a story of layers and richness rarely seen, and I urge you to read it. – Jessie Burton, author of THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE and THE MINIATURIST A moving, psychologically acute, formally surprising family saga … Sprawling and elegant-a novel that feels both old-fashioned and bracingly inventive * Kirkus * With interwoven perspectives, Puchner’s layered saga is a deeply felt exploration of relationships and self-identity, and the imperfections hidden by the heart’s pull – Starred review * Booklist * The book wonders about the what-ifs in life - what if I married a different person, what if I took that job path, what if guys just talked to each other instead of just letting things sit quietly between them? – We can’t wait to read these 10 books hitting shelves soon * NPR * A book of tears, laughter, longing, regrets and filled to the brim with life. Dream State is a wonder of character and craft – Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of LESS Dream State is a masterpiece. A glittering, evocative achievement – Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON Dream State is a gorgeous exploration of time, grief, love, and the way that the commitments we make turn us into the people we become … brilliant – Danielle Evans, author of THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS Dream State delivers everything I want in a novel: a love triangle, a moving friendship story, a delicious setting (including some of the best skiing scenes I’ve ever read in my life) and rumination about how we search for meaning in our lives … an absolute masterpiece – Elin Hilderbrand, author of THE PERFECT COUPLE Dream State explores several monumental themes - love, family, identity, human transience, climate change - but always with a scrupulous attention to the fate of individuals, and always with a powerful sense of intimate connection … a remarkable achievement – Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate Eric Puchner has populated his engrossing and deeply affecting novel with characters so complicated and sympathetic that we want - we need - to know how their lives will turn out, and what will happen to the glorious and fragile landscape they inhabit – Francine Prose, author of READING LIKE A WRITER Dream State is a delight. Every scene, every character, every sentence, is infused with Eric Puchner’s intelligence and wit. An exquisitely rendered novel about the vagaries of fate, and friendship, and love – Alice McDermott, National Book Award winner and author of ABSOLUTION Funny and wild, here is some of the most beautiful writing that I have ever read – Matthew Klam, author of WHO IS RICH? Lush, immersive, devastating, and stunningly alive, Dream State did the thing the very best novels do: pulled me relentlessly into its characters, its setting, concerns, losses, and triumphs, only to let me loose again with a sharper, clearer vision of the world outside – Lynn Steger Strong, author of THE FLOAT TEST

Eric Puchner is the author of the novel Model Home, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and winner of a California Book Award, and two collections of short stories. He has received an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and is an associate professor in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Baltimore with his family.