In Dreamland, a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen, a teenage girl named Caitlin O’Koren reacts to the disappearance of her sister by breaking away from the path that was set out for her. The novel is broken into three parts that focus on the core of the conflicts in each section. Part I, “Cass,” traces the O’Koren family after Cass, the eldest of two daughters, runs away instead of attending Yale. Part II, entitled “Rogerson,” follows the abusive relationship between Caitlin and her new boyfriend, named Rogerson, a teenager from a wealthy and violent household. Part III, the final section of the novel entitled “Me,” shows Caitlin’s healing process. Dessen is the author of multiple young adult novels, some of which share references to the characters or places in Dreamland. This study guide refers to the 2012 edition published by SPEAK, an imprint of Penguin Group. Dreamland was originally published in 2000 by Viking, a division of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.

Content Warning: This novel graphically depicts teen dating violence, physical and emotional family abuse, and drug use.

Plot Summary

The novel opens on the disappearance of Cass O’Koren who has been her parents’ perfect child until she went missing. Cass’s parents are horrified and worried. As they react, Cass’s younger sister, Caitlin, begins narrating her own emotional state, including her feeling that no one notices her, especially given that it is her birthday. As the events unfold around her, Caitlin sneaks off to her room and opens the present Caitlin left behind for her: a dream journal, referencing their shared imagined dreamland.

As the school year starts, Caitlin begins redefining her role in her peer group and with her family. Until now, Cass had always been the straight-A student and popular athlete; now, Caitlin must figure out a path forward as the sole child in her household. When Caitlin’s best friend, Rina, convinces her to try out for cheerleading, Caitlin is surprised that she makes the squad and is immediately sucked into a new group of peer relationships. Meanwhile, Mrs. O’Koren is thrilled that Caitlin is achieving this particular goal, and begins supporting her enthusiastically, just as she supported Cass in the past. When Caitlin falls from the top of the pyramid at a football game, a shift occurs for her. At a party later that night, Caitlin avoids Mike Evan’s offer of his varsity jacket. Mike is a running back for the football team, and accepting his jacket would mean he and Caitlin are an official couple. Instead, Caitlin leaves the party with the mysterious boy she met at the car wash, Rogerson Biscoe.

The same weekend, the O’Korens see Cass on TV as a staff member on a trashy reality show that her boyfriend also works for. As her parents begin obsessing over this new piece of information, Caitlin desperately waits for Rogerson to reach back out to her. After another chance encounter where they kiss, Caitlin begins dating Rogerson in earnest. Throughout their first times together, Rogerson is moody and silent, condescending to Caitlin, and encourages her to use marijuana. When Rogerson takes Caitlin to meet his parents, she witnesses Rogerson’s father hitting him in the face. After seeing Rogerson’s relationship with his father, Caitlin chooses to help Rogerson, feeling more connected to him.

In Part II, “Rogerson,” Caitlin and Rogerson’s relationship begins to become isolating as he insists that Caitlin spend most of her time with him and reacts with jealousy when she is seen with other males. Rogerson becomes angry when Mike Evans talks to Caitlin and later, when Caitlin misses meeting him after talking to Rina. When Caitlin attempts to minimize the conflict, Rogerson hits Caitlin for the first time, and the abuse continues at every slight Rogerson perceives. Simultaneously, Caitlin forms an important friendship with Corinna, who is dating one of Rogerson’s customers. Corinna creates a safe space for Caitlin to be herself and they also smoke marijuana together frequently. When Rogerson strikes Caitlin again after seeing her shake hands with her male photography teacher, she lies to her parents about her injuries and writes about the events in her dream journal, imagining herself giving it to Cass eventually.

The impact of the abuse begins to take its toll: Caitlin’s schoolwork begins suffering, and she feels overwhelmed by any attempts at friendship by others. When Caitlin is kicked off the cheerleading squad, she takes a moment to assess her life, and visits a park from her childhood. She remembers a childhood memory of Cass injuring her with the shovel in the sandbox, cutting her above her eye. Caitlin takes a few grains of sand from the sandbox and puts them in her jacket pocket. Before a big party at her family’s house, Caitlin’s mom tries to get her to wear a fancy sleeveless dress, but Caitlin feels ashamed of the bruises that cover her body. As Caitlin waits for Rogerson to come over, Rina arrives and tells Caitlin that she is taking her to her family’s lake house and won’t take no for an answer. After asking Caitlin’s mom and receiving approval, Caitlin gives in and heads to the lake.

When Rina refuses to drive Caitlin back home for her family’s party and to meet Rogerson, Caitlin panics and decides to walk home before Rina’s boyfriend finds her and drives her the rest of the way. When she returns too late from the lake house, Rogerson is angry, and begins physically assaulting her outside of the O’Koren’s house. Caitlin’s mother discovers her outside as Rogerson continues his abuse, and as Caitlin struggles to maintain consciousness, she registers blue lights that signal a police car’s arrival. In the third and final section of the novel, “Me,” Caitlin narrates her journey to recovery as she receives treatment both for her drug use and for her experience of being abused by a romantic partner. Her therapist supports her to narrate the different parts of her relationship, and Caitlin begins rebuilding relationships with her many visitors, including her parents and friends. As the novel concludes, Caitlin pieces together her self-portrait that she took in the midst of the abuse and pairs it with a final photo of herself from the treatment center. In the final scene of the novel, Caitlin goes home and is reunited with Cass, who has returned home.