Extended Summary
When Dreamland by Sarah Dessen opens, it is Caitlin O’Koren’s sixteenth birthday and her eighteen-year-old-sister, Cassandra (Cass), has just run away from home. Caitlin’s mother, Margaret, automatically assumes that Cass has run off to be with her boyfriend, Adam. Adam works in New York on the Lamont Whipper Show breaking up fights between guests on the show. Caitlin’s father works as Dean of Students at a university. He automatically begins calling the authorities and the numbers of Cass’ friends in order to find his missing daughter. Caitlin, meanwhile, finds the present her sister left for her, a dream journal titled “Dreamland,” with a message that reads “I’ll see you there.”
In the aftermath of this loss, Caitlin slowly adjusts to life without her older sister nearby. She and Cass have always been close. The closest thing to a fight between them was a childhood incident in which Cass hit Caitlin in the head with a shovel, which left a scar. Although the scar is barely noticeable, Caitlin knows that her sister always sees it. In fact, she often reaches out to touch that scar.
However, in some ways, they differ. Cass had been accepted to Yale for her impressive academic performance and her prowess on the soccer field. Caitlin, in contrast, has second-place medals and certificates on her shelves. Now, Rina, Caitlin’s best friend, encourages Caitlin to join the cheerleading squad. Thinking that it is something that Cass would never have done, Caitlin allows herself to be talked into trying out. Rina’s looks are enough to earn her a spot on the squad, but Caitlin’s acceptance comes from her gymnastic talent. When she comes home, her mother is thrilled to see that Cass has joined a team, and she even posts the cheerleading schedule on the fridge. Caitlin notices that this is exactly what her mother used to do with Cass and her sports schedules. It is as though her effort to become someone other than her sister has transformed her into Cass in their mother’s eyes.
Still, cheerleading does seem to have gained Caitlin entrance to a new social circle. She now goes to parties that are full of her school’s most popular students. Before long, Rina has entered into a relationship with the quarterback, and she is organizing a relationship for Caitlin as well. However, when Mike, a member of the football team, offers Caitlin his jacket, she instead leaves the party with Rogerson Biscoe. Rogerson has dreadlocks, a mysterious look on his face, and a sleek BMW. When he drives her home that night, they make out in the car, an experience that she describes as going “under.”
When she next sees Rogerson, he is doing community service and they agree to go out again. Their first date is unusual compared to the dates that Rina has with her boyfriend. Caitlin and Rogerson drive off, and he takes her into a stranger’s house to sell pot to the quarterback of a rival football team. He then talks Caitlin into smoking pot before he takes her home to meet his parents. Rogerson’s mother is a successful real estate agent, and she is quickly drinking wine when she meets Caitlin. Rogerson’s father ignores Caitlin and yells at his son for being late before he punches Rogerson in the temple and leaves Caitlin to tend to his wounds. After that, Rogerson and Caitlin become a couple.
Their relationship seems to be going well. Caitlin eventually introduces Rogerson to her parents and her parents’ best friends, Boo and Stewart. Rogerson impresses them with his knowledge of trivia. Caitlin soon realizes that...
(This entire section contains 1582 words.)
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Rogerson knows everything: his grades are impressive, and his counselors report that he is “driven but misguided.” Over time, Caitlin seems to be getting to know Rogerson better, slowly figuring out how his mind works. She also gets to know some of Rogerson’s clients better, particularly Corinna, who, like Cass, ran away with a man her parents disapproved of. However, although these relationships free her from the more superficial relationships she has with her cheerleading squad, Caitlin is nevertheless finding that she no longer has enough time to keep up with her schoolwork, her friendship with Rina, or her cheerleading practices.
While driving home one day, Caitlin sees Rina driving while crying. Although she is supposed to meet with Rogerson, she pulls over to comfort her friend. It turns out that Rina has been caught cheating on her boyfriend. Worse, her boyfriend’s family—even his grandmother—was with him when he caught her. When Caitlin finally meets with Rogerson again, she explains what happened. However, it is clear that Rogerson is deeply irritated with her for being late. When Caitlin tells him not to be a baby, he hits her in the face. Afterward, he tries to make amends. Caitlin’s face is bruised, and she is worried about what her parents will say when she gets home. However, Cass happens to phone home when Caitlin enters her house, occupying her parents and allowing her to run up to her room. Caitlin’s life begins to unravel after the first hit. However, she finds that she loves Rogerson. Still, she lives in constant fear of being late. Rogerson continues to beat her, but now he usually hits her in her arms and legs, allowing her to cover her bruises with dark clothing.
Still, people have begun to notice Caitlin’s slide. One day in English class, Caitlin’s teacher, Mr. Lensing, asks her to respond to T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Caitlin, who hardly studies at all at this point, is at a loss to explain. One of her classmates explains that the speaker is
talking about his separateness from the rest of the world, the kind of dream-state he is in, all by himself. He says he’s underwater, with these mermaids who both accept and reject him.
Caitlin looks at the last line of the poem and reads “till human voices wake us, and we drown.” Before leaving the class, her teacher asks her to wake up. However, waking up for Caitlin is easier said than done. Although her squad poses an intervention and she leaves the team, although Rina complains that Caitlin never makes time for their friendship, and although her mother notices that Caitlin no longer wears primary colors, Caitlin feels as though she is trapped in a dreamland while she is with Rogerson.
Caitlin now spends every evening with Rogerson, but it is not easy for her to cover up the abuse that she has been receiving. One day, Rina comes over to invite Caitlin out to her lake house. Rina invites her new boyfriend, Jeff, along as well. Although Caitlin is usually quite good at evading these invitations, this time Rina manages to get her out of the house. Caitlin wears a dress with a jacket to cover up her bruises and they leave. However, instead of bringing her home before she will meet with Rogerson, Rina instead argues that it will not hurt Rogerson to wait a little. Caitlin argues that her mother is planning a party for April Fool’s Day, but Rina refuses to leave. Finally, fearfully, Caitlin begins walking home. Jeff eventually picks her up and gives her a ride.
Rogerson sees Jeff drop Caitlin off at her parents’ house, and she knows that he will already be angry because she is late. When she attempts to explain, Rogerson begins to beat Caitlin and she falls out of the side of the car because of it. Rogerson exits the car and begins yelling at Caitlin to get up. However, before he can continue hitting her, Caitlin’s mother comes out of the house to save her, and there is the sound of sirens in the distance. It turns out that one of the neighbors saw Rogerson hitting Caitlin, notified the O’Korens, and called the authorities. However, even as the police are taking Rogerson away, Caitlin worries about him.
Caitlin is entered into Evergreen Care Center. There, Caitlin slowly begins to put her life together. Her mother, who had always worked so hard to arrange her schedule around Caitlin’s cheerleading, now arranges visits. She also brings Caitlin a series of photos that she took. When Caitlin sees her self-portrait, in which she looks stoned and flat, she rips it up. However, as her therapy progresses, she finds herself putting the photo back together again, one piece at a time. She receives a letter from Corinna, who has left her boyfriend to drive to California. She also receives a note from her sister, who explains why she left home. Many people try to apologize to Caitlin, but she explains that there is no need to assign blame.
When the novel ends, Caitlin is asleep and dreaming. People are calling her name. When she opens her eyes, she sees her mother, who steps aside to reveal Cass, returned. Cass reaches down and touches the scar on Caitlin’s temple. Caitlin reflects that
I didn’t know what to say to her just yet, but I knew I had a story to tell now, that was mine, hers, and ours. But for that one instance, I concentrated on reaching the surface, feeling the water break across my face as I burst through it into the air to finally breathe on my own.
