When Caitlin’s sister runs away from home, Caitlin’s left with a gaping hole that’s just big enough for Rogerson Biscoe to fill. Charismatic and dangerous, Rogerson seems to be the perfect distraction from the confusion at home but soon Caitlin finds her life careening out of control.
Although I never read much YA, even in my teen years, there are certain YA authors that I just love and cannot pass up on one of their books. Sarah Dessen is at the top of that list and I have never passed up an opportunity to read one of her books.
What I’ve always admired about Dessen is that while she doesn’t go over the top with being controversial or writing things for the pure shock value…she also does not gloss over certain subjects. In fact, she’s known for giving me the occasional punch in the gut with some of her vivid descriptions.
Dreamland gave me the hardest punch of all her books to date. It was a violent book. There is no way to describe it any other way. As you could probably have already guessed, Rogerson is an abuser, and Dessen’s descriptions of the emotional and physical turmoil he dishes out to Caitlin throughout the book was enough to turn my stomach-the the point where I was very relieved to come to the end of the book…I could not wait to escape from him. In fact, when Rogerson pops up in my current read, Sarah Dessen’s Lock and Key, I nearly threw up or cried. That’s how intense I found Dreamland.
