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The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula LeGuin

 





George Orr lives in a speculative future where prescription drugs are heavily-regulated and violations are met with serious repercussions. In George's case, he is borrowing drugs from others to keep himself from dreaming, because of what happens when he has what he calls an “effective dream.” Therapy for his fear of sleeping/dreaming is mandated, and George feels like his problems are only getting worse as his therapist takes advantage of his power over George. How George responds to the challenges of a domineering doctor and powerful dreaming are of key importance – the future is hanging in the balance.


I am so blown away by Ursula LeGuin's writing. She gets right to the center of what drives human behavior and shines a light on it. Her writing is full of big, philosophical ideas and universal truths. I loved the character of George Orr for multiple reasons. I'm going to keep making my way through her catalog; there is so much to choose from. She is one of the authors whose works I've started reading fairly recently, and wished I had started earlier.

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