Quotes from book
Dreamland

Dreamland
Sarah Dessen

Dreamland is a teen novel by the American author Sarah Dessen.

Sarah Dessen photo

“She was just a shell of her former self, functioning and talking but hardly alive.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Source: Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“She can be anything, Boo told me, and this is what I remember most, her freckled face so solemn, as if she knew she was the first to tell me. And so can you.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)
Source: Wir sehen uns im Traumland

Sarah Dessen photo

“Behind the camera, I was invisible. When I lifted it up to my eye it was like I crawled into the lens, losing myself there. and everything else fell away.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Source: Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“I had this wild thought that he was the only one in all this chaos who was just like me, and that was comforting and profound all at once.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Source: Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Your mother won a special reward," she told me, "because everyone had a head in her pictures. We all applauded.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Source: Dreamland

Sarah Dessen photo

“Energy, he said, handing me my burrito.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“And that was as far as he got before i heard it. The thumping of footsteps, running up the lawn toward me: It seemed like I could hear it through the grass, like leaning your ear to a railroad track and feeling the train coming, miles away. As the noise got closer I could hear ragged breaths, and then a voice.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“I'd heard of Evergreen Care Center before. Cass and I had always made fun of the stupid ads they ran on TV, featuring some dragged-out woman with a limp perm and big, painted-on circles under her eyes, downing vodka and sobbing uncontrollably. We can't heal you at Evergreen, the very somber voiceover said. But we can help you to heal yourself. It had become our own running joke, applicable to almost anything.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Caitlin, she'd say, her voice dark and serious. I can't hand you the toothpaste. But I CAN help you hand the toothpaste to yourself.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Sitting in front of my parents' house as he kissed me goodnight: Which two planets are almost identical in size?”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“I was drowning in broad daylight and no one could tell.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Duh, he said, smoothing my hair back, Venus and Earth.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“She blinked, twice, obviously surprised. Ummm, she said, keeping her eyes on me. I don't know.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Well, it's New Year's now but I don't feel that way anymore. I wonder if you do either. Something's happening to me. It's like I'm shrinking smaller and smaller and I can't stop it. There's just so much wrong that I can't imagine the shame in admitting even the tiniest part of it. When you left it was like there was this huge gap to fill, but instead of spreading wide enough to do it I just fell right in, and I'm still falling. Like I'm half-asleep, and I can't wake up, can't wake up….”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“Hey Cass, I'd say, hand me that toothpaste.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“In physics, I sprung on him as we sat in the Taco Bell drive-through, what does the capital letter W stand for?”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“And she was good to me: strong, fun, and fiercely loyal. And if I didn't have many other friends because of her-most girls were intimidated by her looks, or thought she was too pushy, or just flat-out feared for their boyfriends-it never bothered me. I never missed having a wide, thick circle of girlfriends: Rina was more than enough. We were comfortable with each other's flaws and weaknesses, so we stuck together and kept to ourselves.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“For two hours I'd felt myself stretching tighter and tighter, like a rubber band pulled to the point of snapping. And now, I could feel the smaller, weaker part of myself beginning to fray, tiny bits giving way before the big break.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“In the open sea, he said. Now shut up and eat your Junior Mints.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)

Sarah Dessen photo

“There were moments - when Jeopardy came on, in the car during radio trivia challenges, or for practically any question I couldn't answer in any subject - that Rogerson simply amazed me. I started to seek out facts, just to stump him, but it never worked. He was that sharp.”

Sarah Dessen book Dreamland

Dreamland (2000)