Montana's Summer Sanctuary

Cece arrives early at Charlie's family's musty Montana lake house, preparing for their wedding. The house, though unremarkable, is a sanctuary for her and Charlie, filled with orchards, hammocks, and the promise of a simpler, pre-digital life. Cece is determined to plan the wedding herself, relishing the authenticity and the connection to the land. The landscape is both beautiful and isolating, a place where the past lingers in the air and the future feels suspended. As she navigates the quirks of the house and the oddities of the local community, Cece is both comforted and unsettled, sensing that this summer will be a turning point in her life.

Ghosts in the Orchard

Garrett, Charlie's best friend, is introduced as a baggage handler with a troubled past, caring for his dying father. Their friendship is deep but shadowed by loss and unspoken pain, especially after a college friend's tragic death. Garrett's return to Montana is both a retreat and a reckoning, as he grapples with his father's mortality and his own sense of failure. The orchard, once vibrant, is now a place of ghosts and memories, where the past and present blur. Garrett's interactions with Cece are awkward and charged, hinting at the emotional entanglements to come.

Unraveling at the Lake

Cece's solitude at the lake house brings her mother's death into sharp focus. The anniversary of her loss is a raw wound, coloring her every thought and action. Her relationship with Charlie is loving but complicated by distance and the weight of expectations. The lake, with its cold clarity, becomes a mirror for Cece's inner turmoil. As she plans the wedding and tries to find her place in Charlie's world, she is haunted by the sense that something essential is missing, both in herself and in the life she is building.

The Weight of Friendship

The history between Charlie and Garrett is explored, revealing a friendship forged in college but scarred by tragedy. Their shared past is filled with laughter, adventure, and a devastating accident that left both men changed. Garrett's struggles with mental health and addiction are juxtaposed with Charlie's relentless optimism and drive. The lake house becomes a crucible where old loyalties are tested, and the boundaries between love, obligation, and resentment blur. The presence of Cece adds a new layer of complexity, as unspoken desires and fears simmer beneath the surface.

Wedding Plans and Wounds

As the wedding approaches, the Margolis family gathers, bringing with them their own histories and tensions. The house is filled with laughter, games, and the rituals of togetherness, but also with the undercurrents of old grievances and cultural divides. Cece is both embraced and alienated, longing for the warmth of Charlie's family but feeling the absence of her own. The preparations for the wedding become a way to stave off anxiety, but the cracks in the foundation—both literal and metaphorical—are impossible to ignore.

The Death Hike

Garrett takes Cece on a harrowing hike in Glacier Park, pushing her to her limits and exposing her deepest fears. The encounter with a mountain goat on a narrow cliff becomes a crucible for both characters, forcing them to confront their vulnerabilities and the ways they hurt each other. The physical danger mirrors the emotional risks they are taking, as their connection deepens in unexpected ways. The hike becomes a metaphor for the precariousness of love and the difficulty of moving forward when the past is always close behind.

Confessions and Collisions

In the aftermath of the hike, Garrett and Cece share a charged, drunken evening that blurs the boundaries between friendship and desire. Both are haunted by their own losses and disappointments, seeking solace in each other even as they know it is dangerous. Garrett's unspoken love for Cece becomes a source of both hope and despair, culminating in a confessional email that threatens to upend everything. The emotional collisions between the three main characters—Cece, Charlie, and Garrett—set the stage for the wedding's unraveling.

The Wedding Plague

As guests arrive for the wedding, a norovirus outbreak sweeps through the house, sidelining key family members and threatening to derail the ceremony. The chaos of illness exposes the fragility of the carefully constructed plans and the limits of control. Cece and Charlie are forced to confront the reality that their wedding—and their future—will not be what they imagined. The sense of impending disaster is tempered by moments of humor and resilience, as friends and family rally to salvage what they can.

Vows and Vanishing Acts

The wedding itself is a surreal, feverish event, marked by empty chairs, a sick groom, and an officiant (Garrett) who is barely holding it together. Garrett's impromptu speech becomes a meditation on the nature of marriage as a promise to the future, even as he mourns the life he cannot have. The exchange of vows is both moving and fraught, as Cece and Charlie cling to each other in the face of uncertainty. The ceremony is a vanishing act, a moment of beauty and pain that cannot last.

Aftermaths and Departures

In the days and weeks after the wedding, the characters are scattered by illness, regret, and the weight of their decisions. Cece, stranded by sickness, finds herself drawn to Garrett, and the boundaries between love and betrayal are crossed. Charlie is left to pick up the pieces, his faith in the future shaken. The lake house, once a sanctuary, becomes a place of exile and longing. The aftermath is a reckoning with the cost of hope and the inevitability of loss.

The Years Unspool

The narrative leaps forward, tracing the lives of Cece, Garrett, and Charlie as they build new families, careers, and identities. The lake house remains a touchstone, a place where the past is always present. Children are born and grow, carrying the legacy of their parents' choices. The friendships that once seemed unbreakable are tested by distance, resentment, and the slow erosion of time. The story becomes a meditation on the ways we carry our histories with us, and the difficulty of finding peace.

Children of Summer Time

The next generation—Lana, Jasper, and their friends—come of age at the lake, forging their own bonds and heartbreaks. Their summers are filled with adventure, longing, and the bittersweet knowledge that nothing lasts forever. The rituals of childhood give way to the complexities of adolescence and young adulthood, as the children grapple with their parents' legacies and the changing world around them. The lake becomes both a playground and a crucible, a place where innocence is lost and found again.

The Return to Salish

As adults, the characters return to Salish for a reunion, drawn by both nostalgia and the need to confront unfinished business. The lake house is both familiar and changed, haunted by memories and the passage of time. Old wounds are reopened, and the possibility of forgiveness is tested. The reunion becomes a chance to reckon with the choices that have shaped their lives, and to find, if not closure, then a measure of acceptance.

Smoke and Silence

The Montana landscape is transformed by fire, drought, and the relentless march of climate change. The lake shrinks, the orchards die, and the house itself is threatened by disaster. The characters are forced to confront the impermanence of everything they have loved, and the ways in which the world is slipping away. The silence that once brought peace now feels ominous, a reminder of all that has been lost.

The Last Wolverines

Garrett's lifelong quest to study and protect wolverines becomes a metaphor for the futility and necessity of hope. As the animals disappear, he is left to reckon with the limits of his own efforts and the inevitability of loss. The search for Vincent, the last wolverine, is both a scientific and spiritual journey, a way of grappling with the end of things. The story becomes a meditation on the beauty and tragedy of caring for what cannot be saved.

Memory's Hidden Meadow

Cece's decline into dementia is rendered with tenderness and fear, as she and Garrett navigate the shifting landscape of memory and identity. The hidden meadow of the mind becomes both a refuge and a prison, a place where the past and present blur. The rituals and language of marriage are both a comfort and a source of pain, as the couple struggles to hold on to each other in the face of forgetting. The chapter is a testament to the endurance of love, even as everything else falls away.

The Final Gathering

The friends gather one last time at the lake house, now threatened by fire and the passage of time. The house itself becomes a symbol of everything that has been lost and cherished. Old grievances are aired, confessions made, and the possibility of forgiveness is glimpsed, if only fleetingly. The gathering is both a farewell and a celebration, a recognition of the beauty and pain of having lived and loved together.

The House That Was

The lake house is destroyed by fire, and the landscape is transformed. Lana returns to film the ruins, seeking to capture the essence of what was lost and what remains. The act of remembering becomes an act of creation, a way of honoring the past and making peace with the future. The house that was is both a grave and a garden, a place where new life will someday take root.

Wedding Day, 2004

The narrative circles back to the wedding day, rendering it in all its beauty, chaos, and heartbreak. The ceremony is both a promise and a farewell, a moment suspended between hope and loss. The characters are poised on the edge of their futures, uncertain and afraid, but willing to leap. The story ends with the recognition that every beginning is also an ending, and that the act of loving is always a leap into the unknown.

Characters

Cece Calhoun

Cece is the emotional heart of the novel, a woman shaped by the early death of her mother and the ache of never quite belonging. Her journey is one of longing—for family, for meaning, for a sense of home. She is intelligent, witty, and fiercely independent, but also deeply vulnerable, prone to anxiety and self-doubt. Her relationships with Charlie and Garrett are both sources of joy and pain, as she struggles to reconcile her desires with the realities of love and commitment. Cece's decline into dementia in later years is rendered with compassion, highlighting the persistence of her spirit even as memory fades. Her story is one of searching—for connection, for purpose, for the hidden meadow where happiness might be found.

Garrett Meek

Garrett is Charlie's best friend and, eventually, Cece's husband. He is marked by trauma—a tragic accident in college, a difficult relationship with his father, and lifelong struggles with depression and addiction. Garrett's love for Cece is both redemptive and destructive, leading him to betray Charlie and upend all their lives. His work as a wildlife biologist, particularly his obsession with wolverines, becomes a metaphor for his search for meaning in a world that often feels indifferent or hostile. Garrett is introspective, self-deprecating, and deeply loyal, but also prone to self-sabotage and despair. His later years are defined by his devotion to Cece as she declines, and by the bittersweet knowledge that love is both a gift and a burden.

Charlie Margolis

Charlie is the golden boy—handsome, driven, and beloved by all. His relentless positivity masks a deep well of insecurity and a fear of not being enough. Charlie's friendship with Garrett is foundational, but also fraught with competition and unspoken resentment. His love for Cece is genuine, but he is blindsided by her betrayal and struggles to recover. Charlie's journey is one of loss—of love, of family, of the future he imagined. He is both a victim and a survivor, finding moments of grace in the ruins of his dreams. His later years are marked by grief, especially after the death of his son, but also by a stubborn refusal to give up on hope.

Lana Meek

Lana is the child of Cece and Garrett, growing up in the shadow of her parents' choices and the legacy of the lake house. She is sharp, creative, and restless, seeking her own path as an actress and filmmaker. Lana's relationship with Jasper, Charlie's son, is both innocent and fraught, a mirror of the complexities of love and friendship. As she comes of age, Lana grapples with the weight of inheritance—the stories, secrets, and sorrows passed down from her parents. Her adult life is marked by both achievement and a persistent sense of yearning, as she tries to make sense of the past and find her own place in the world.

Jasper Margolis

Jasper is Charlie's son, born with a heart condition and burdened by the weight of his family's history. He is introspective, artistic, and deeply affected by the emotional currents around him. Jasper's relationship with Lana is a lifeline, but also a source of pain, as both struggle to define themselves apart from their parents. His battles with addiction and depression are rendered with empathy, highlighting the ways in which trauma and love are intertwined. Jasper's fate is a tragic echo of the novel's central themes—the difficulty of holding on, the inevitability of loss, and the hope that something beautiful might endure.

The Margolis Family

Charlie's family—his parents, brothers, and extended clan—are a source of both comfort and conflict. They embody the rituals and traditions that Cece longs for, but also the limitations and blind spots of family life. The Margolises are loving, funny, and fiercely loyal, but also prone to denial and exclusion. Their house is a character in itself, a repository of memories and a stage for the unfolding drama. The family's evolution over the years mirrors the changes in the landscape and the world around them.

Garrett's Father

Garrett's father is a complex figure—absent for much of Garrett's childhood, but a source of wisdom and connection in his final years. His coming out late in life, his illness, and his relationship with Garrett provide a counterpoint to the novel's central love triangle. Their reconciliation is hard-won, marked by humor, regret, and a shared sense of mortality. His death is a turning point for Garrett, forcing him to confront his own fears and desires.

Paige

Paige is Cece's best friend, a source of both support and provocation. She is brash, funny, and unafraid to challenge Cece's assumptions. Paige's own journey—from wild child to mother and executive—serves as a foil to Cece's more introspective path. Her presence at the wedding and throughout the years is a reminder of the importance of chosen family and the ways in which friendship can both sustain and complicate our lives.

Brig, Johnny, Marcus, and the College Friends

Charlie and Garrett's college friends are both comic relief and tragic chorus, embodying the passage of time and the persistence of the past. Their reunions are occasions for both celebration and reckoning, as old jokes and grievances resurface. The group's evolution—from carefree students to aging adults facing illness, loss, and disappointment—mirrors the novel's larger themes of change and endurance.

Angeliki and Becky

Angeliki, Charlie's first wife, is warm, nurturing, and the mother of his children. Becky, his second, is a source of conflict and ultimately a symbol of the ways in which love can go awry. Both women are shaped by their relationships with Charlie, but also by their own desires and limitations. Their stories are woven into the larger tapestry of the novel, highlighting the complexities of marriage, parenthood, and the search for happiness.

Plot Devices

Nonlinear Narrative and Time Jumps

The novel unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth across decades. This structure mirrors the way memory works—fragmented, recursive, and always colored by emotion. The time jumps allow the reader to see the characters at different stages of life, highlighting the ways in which the past shapes the present and the future is always haunted by what came before. The nonlinear approach also creates suspense and deepens the emotional resonance, as revelations are layered and reframed over time.

Multiple Perspectives

The story is told through the eyes of multiple characters—Cece, Garrett, Charlie, Lana, Jasper, and others. This multiplicity of perspectives allows for a richer, more nuanced exploration of events and relationships. The reader is invited to inhabit the inner worlds of each character, understanding their motivations, fears, and desires. The shifting viewpoints also underscore the theme of misunderstanding and the difficulty of truly knowing another person.

Symbolism of Place and Nature

The Montana lake house, the orchard, the lake, and the surrounding wilderness are more than just settings—they are symbols of sanctuary, loss, and the passage of time. The changing landscape, marked by climate change, fire, and decay, reflects the characters' inner lives and the impermanence of all things. Nature is both a refuge and a reminder of mortality, its beauty inseparable from its fragility.

Recurring Motifs: Water, Fire, and Memory

Water (the lake, swimming, rain) recurs as a symbol of cleansing, transformation, and the unconscious. Fire (literal and metaphorical) represents both destruction and renewal, the end of eras and the possibility of new beginnings. Memory—its persistence and its loss—is a central motif, explored through the characters' struggles to remember, to forget, and to make meaning of their lives.

Foreshadowing and Echoes

The novel is rich with foreshadowing—small details and conversations that take on new significance as the story unfolds. The repetition of certain phrases, images, and situations creates a sense of inevitability and interconnectedness. The echoes between generations, between past and present, reinforce the themes of inheritance and the cyclical nature of love and loss.

Letters, Emails, and Confessions

Letters and emails play a crucial role in the narrative, serving as vehicles for confession, revelation, and misunderstanding. Garrett's drunken email to Cece is a turning point, setting in motion the events that will reshape all their lives. The act of writing—whether vows, journal entries, or desperate messages—becomes a way for characters to reach across the void, to try to make themselves known.

The Wedding as Microcosm

The wedding at the heart of the novel is both a literal event and a metaphor for the promises and perils of love. It is a moment where past, present, and future converge, where the hopes of the characters are both realized and undone. The chaos and beauty of the ceremony encapsulate the novel's central concerns: the difficulty of holding on, the inevitability of change, and the courage required to leap into the unknown.

Analysis

Dream State is a sweeping, deeply felt novel that uses the microcosm of a Montana lake house and the lives entwined there to explore the universal human longing for connection, belonging, and purpose. Through its nonlinear structure and shifting perspectives, the book captures the way memory shapes and distorts our understanding of ourselves and others. The landscape—at once beautiful and threatened—serves as both a sanctuary and a reminder of mortality, echoing the characters' struggles to hold on to what matters in the face of loss and change. The novel is unflinching in its portrayal of grief, betrayal, and the slow erosion of dreams, but it is also suffused with humor, tenderness, and the stubborn persistence of hope. Ultimately, Dream State suggests that meaning is not found in grand gestures or perfect moments, but in the messy, ongoing work of loving and being loved—of showing up, again and again, even when the future is uncertain and the past refuses to let go. The story is a testament to the beauty and pain of ordinary life, and to the ways in which we are all, in the end, both haunted and redeemed by the stories we tell.

Last updated: December 14, 2025