Happy Dreams

In a bid to save resources, the government of an unnamed country forces half the population to sleep for a day through a small chip implanted under their skin, while the other half remains awake; alternating the sleeping pattern of the population. The sleeping and waking times for each citizen are chosen by a public ballot, however the process unjustly gives the novel’s hero, Akram, a different schedule to his wife, Hala. The loving couple consequently spends two years apart. While Akram tries to correct this mistake by submitting complaints to the relevant ministry, Hala decides to join the resistance group known as “The Awake”. Arrested and punished, Akram suffers the consequences of the actions of his wife, about which he knows nothing. In prison, nightmares are constantly broadcast into his mind as a form of torture, leading to the breakdown of his mental faculties. When the ruling regime falls and the resistance wins, Akram is released, but during the search for his wife, he finds himself forced to confront ghosts and nightmares, struggling to distinguish dreams from reality.