A review by imaginary_space
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What if your dreams could change reality?

It will probably make you and everyone around you miserable.

"Isn't that man's very purpose on earth - to do things, change things, run things, make a better world?"
"No!"
"What is his purpose, then?" 

From the protagonist
who is so afraid of his uncontrollable ability that he retreats into passivity,
to the doctor
who first tries to help him, then tries to do good, and then of course is corrupted,
to the woman who just wants to do her job
but gets blinked in and out of existence because of the protagonist's dreams,
no one comes out on top in this book.

Le Guin has created a deeply moving and layered story about helplessness, the corruption of power, roads to hell paved with good intentions, the consequences of our actions, and the connection between our personal lives and the state of the world.
Her writing is masterful and to the point, not a sentence wasted. 

We see the story unfold through the eyes of the protagonist, and discover the feeling of utter helplessness as he wakes up to a whole new life and a new set of memories competing with his existing ones. Because each new reality is the new normal, Le Guin does not point out all of the changes. Instead, she often treats them as if they have always been there, and we, like the protagonist George, have to do the work ourselves. 
Every time he wakes up after a dream, the feeling of dread becomes more pressing. Each new iteration presents us with more moral questions. Who gets to define the "greater good"? Is one person's utopia always another's dystopia? Will people always find new ways to fight? Do we need suffering?

"The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means."

I would like to impress upon the majority of people who currently express their political opinions publicly, whether they are politicians or civilians, the importance of thinking through the consequences of their seemingly simple solutions. The world would be better off for it. 

Also, Le Guin wrote about climate change in the 70s. So there are really no excuses left. Stop pretending, humanity!

Yes, it is dystopian. Yes, it is depressing. Because the world is depressing.
But it also tells us that each of us can change the world. That we should be very careful what we do with that power. And that we should choose wisely who we trust with our power.

"I don't know if our life has a purpose and I don't see that it matters. What does matter is that we're a part. Like a thread in a cloth or a grass-blade in a field. It is and we are. What we do is like wind blowing on the grass."