finished reading

This book is an absolute must-read for a book club, offering themes and elements ripe for discussion. At its core, the novel introduces an intriguing speculative premise: a carefully vetted process designed to offer grief relief by allowing those who have suffered tremendous loss to essentially sleep through their pain.

While the concept touches on heavy topics--including medical ethics, the complexities of grief and loss, and the role of social media in modern life--the book never feels weighed down. The novel centers on the journey of four main characters who are drawn together on their quest toward the Poppy Fields. It's in creating this found family that the book truly shines. Each character brings a poignant and unique experience of loss, estrangement, and hope, which humanizes the abstract themes. This focus on personal, character-driven storytelling is a major strength, setting it apart from other, often more clinical and distant, works of speculative fiction in the same vein (I'm thinking Never Let Me Go or The Memory Police).   

The audio is particularly well done.

From the publisher:

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?