Dreamland

“Like dreamland was a real place, tangible, where we would all wander close enough to catch glimpses and brush shoulders. I always went to sleep determined to go there, to find her and Cass, and sometimes I did. But it was never the way I imagined it would be.”

The idea of a dreamland is a core motif in the novel and is a place where Caitlin feels connected to Cass, and, sometimes, her mother. This initial description of dreamland is a memory from Caitlin’s childhood, which foreshadows the ways that Caitlin’s dreams will not be the way she imagines them to be. Later in the novel, Caitlin will use dreamland and her dream journal as a safe place after experiencing physical abuse.

“In the mirror over my bureau I could see my face was scratched from where I’d hit the light switch, the skin around it a bright pink. No one had even noticed.”

This critical moment foreshadows the future moments when Caitlin will have an injury and her parents won’t notice. Her ability to hide what happens to her later in the novel is a source of sadness, and this is established early on in the novel.

“We had just heard the story recounted so many times over the years that it was easy to take the details and fold them into our own sparse memories, embellishing here or there to fill in the blanks.”

Memory is a core part of the ways that young adults form their identities. The inclusion of the concept that memory gets filled in by embellishment is an important note from Sarah Dessen to the reader to not trust every aspect of the narration. Memory is often impacted by trauma, so this also foreshadows the ways that Caitlin’s memories will fold in on themselves as she experiences abuse in her relationship.