Review: Dream Lover by Louise Glass

A paranormal drama with elements of fantasy, romance, and explorations of life after death, Dream Lover by Louise Glass is an entertaining and multi-dimensional thrill for readers of a wide variety of genres.

The novel is powerfully driven by the friendship of the three young protagonists – Ali, Lizzie, and Suzanne – and their respective journeys through love, loss, and self-discovery. Ali begins as a reluctant dog walker with a deep hunger for love, as well as a secret admirer with psychic abilities, though his powers seem to hit a mysterious wall when Steve turns them toward the subject of his affection. Interestingly enough, he isn’t the only one with clairvoyant abilities, opening up a fascinating plot line for the intense emotional connection to blossom between these two.

Ali also has a delightful relationship with Fred, her precocious and affection-seeking cockatoo, which is one of the most heartwarming elements of the book. Fred captures the imagination and steals scenes whenever he can, offering levity to Ali’s story. After a sudden psychic warning about her best friend Lizzie comes true, Ali is forced to reckon with her burgeoning abilities as a psychic, and her apparent ability to summon a titular dream lover into bedrooms of the real world.

Aside from the shock of seeing Ali’s astral projected beau, and some subsequent envy over her friend’s luck in love, Lizzie is trying to find her own Mr. Right. She certainly doesn’t expect to find it in Jack Ginsberg – a swooning police officer who loves a good double entendre, initially mistaking her for a “working woman,” but his sincere attempts to make amends eventually melt her heart, opening the door for a second deeply authentic bond in this story.

Suzanne, meanwhile, may have witnessed that first awkward meeting between Jack and Lizzie, but her romantic fate is instead steered towards tragedy by a psychopathic rapist who nearly kills her in a sadistic rage. On the edge of death, she experiences a bittersweet reunion with her deceased father and the twin sister she never knew, discovering that her sororal guardian angel, Arianna, and the mysterious flashing lights that have long guided her life are one and the same. Continuing the narrative’s dive into the spiritually supernatural, Suzanne’s sister begins crossing over from one plane to the next, taking on a form that means she can once again experience the joys of life.

Dream Lover is a beautifully complex tangle of lovers, friends, ghosts, and dreams come true, delivering a uniquely multilayered read. However, the novel does stumble somewhat in the execution – there are tense inconsistencies, grammatical errors, sloppy spelling mistakes (“bugger” vs “booger”), as well as stretches of narration that give away far too much of the characters’ emotions and thoughts instead of letting readers put the pieces together themselves. While there is obviously some suspension of disbelief required, there are some overly convenient plot overlaps and serendipitous events that go too far, even if these events fit the story thematically. There are also some consent issues that might offend certain readers, including Steve’s penchant for illicit nightly visits, and the power dynamic he quietly holds with his newest employee.

Those critiques aside, the prose is rich and imaginative, and the relationships are each unique and visceral. Glass has a number of storylines and motives to juggle at any one time, and she does it well, creating an entertaining work of romantic fantasy with an engaging number of surprises throughout. All told, this is an intimate, original, and thought-provoking story that will leave readers eager for another installment.

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