The Dream Peddler

A nine-year-old boy wanders off in the snowy night and a stranger comes to town the next day. The stranger pulls along a wagon of wares. His wares are unusual. He has come to the small town to sell dreams to the residents. This is the author’s first novel, but she has a command of character and mood. She deftly manages to introduce many of the town’s residents. The reader will also get the feel of the rather claustrophobic village.

This book could have easily become dreary or maudlin, but the author skirts those feelings with more genuine emotions from her characters.

When the dream peddler evolves from selling dreams to something, perhaps more sinister, the suspense builds. The reader wonders if the town’s people will turn on the peddler after the minister denounces his wares as satanic. Will villagers become lost in their own dreams? The reader is left wondering at the power of dreams to transform our mundane lives into wished for visions. This is a great book for book club discussions and pleasurable reading.