The dystopian novel that might make you consider the current reality
FICTION
The Dream Hotel
Laila Lalami
Bloomsbury, $26.69
Prison is a place beyond shame, writes Laila Lalami in her gripping new novel, The Dream Hotel. Lalami's main character, Sara Hussein, is imprisoned yet has not committed any crime; she is being detained because she dreams of murder. And every murder starts with a fantasy, officials say.
The Dream Hotel is set in a future when people's thoughts, actions and dreams are monitored, monetised and weaponised by tech companies and authorities in the name of convenience and public safety. Each person has a risk score, based on hundreds of data sources including their family, spending, health, education, criminal history and reputation.
Hussein, an archivist and mother of baby twins, is detained at Los Angeles Airport after flying home from a conference in London. First, she is annoyed by the delay; then she is mystified as there'd been no major change in her life since the last time she'd seen her risk report. 'She didn't lose her job, didn't get evicted, didn't default on a loan, didn't receive public assistance, didn't owe child support, didn't abuse drugs, didn't suffer a mental health crisis, any of which might have ticked up her score,' writes Lalami. 'And she didn't have a criminal record – wasn't that the biggest factor in calculating the likelihood of a future crime?'
But Hussein had chosen to install an implant in her brain to improve her sleep quality. The product manufacturer had then harvested that data and trained artificial intelligence to look for patterns and make predictions. The device revealed that Hussein had dreamed of killing her husband, with whom she was juggling the care of young children. 'The algorithm knows what you're thinking of doing, before even you know it,' a warden explains.
Labelled a 'questionable person', Hussein is sent to a women's 'retention' centre for an observation period of 21 days. But three weeks come and go: Hussein can only leave when her risk score falls below the legal limit. Prisoners are told if they are compliant and work hard - doing mind-numbing jobs to boost income for the prison's sharemarket-listed owner - they will eventually be released. But the prison's rules are capricious, and Hussein struggles with compliance. Readers are left wondering whether Hussein will ever escape.
The Dream Hotel contemplates the nature of freedom for people who have never lived without internet surveillance, and bear the brunt of its most brutal applications. The novel's imagined crime-prevention prison program is popular among the broader population.
But how can anyone survive imprisonment when they are judged not by their actions, but by their darkest thoughts and uncontrollable dreams? And when prisoners make money for their jailers, do they stand a fair chance of being released?
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The Age
25-05-2025
- The Age
In The Dream Hotel, even thinking about murder is enough to send you to jail
FICTION The Dream Hotel Laila Lalami Bloomsbury, $26.69 Prison is a place beyond shame, writes Laila Lalami in her gripping new novel, The Dream Hotel. Lalami's main character, Sara Hussein, is imprisoned yet has not committed any crime; she is being detained because she dreams of murder. And every murder starts with a fantasy, officials say. The Dream Hotel is set in a future when people's thoughts, actions and dreams are monitored, monetised and weaponised by tech companies and authorities in the name of convenience and public safety. Each person has a risk score, based on hundreds of data sources including their family, spending, health, education, criminal history and reputation. Hussein, an archivist and mother of baby twins, is detained at Los Angeles Airport after flying home from a conference in London. First, she is annoyed by the delay; then she is mystified as there'd been no major change in her life since the last time she'd seen her risk report. 'She didn't lose her job, didn't get evicted, didn't default on a loan, didn't receive public assistance, didn't owe child support, didn't abuse drugs, didn't suffer a mental health crisis, any of which might have ticked up her score,' writes Lalami. 'And she didn't have a criminal record – wasn't that the biggest factor in calculating the likelihood of a future crime?' But Hussein had chosen to install an implant in her brain to improve her sleep quality. The product manufacturer had then harvested that data and trained artificial intelligence to look for patterns and make predictions. The device revealed that Hussein had dreamed of killing her husband, with whom she was juggling the care of young children. 'The algorithm knows what you're thinking of doing, before even you know it,' a warden explains. Labelled a 'questionable person', Hussein is sent to a women's 'retention' centre for an observation period of 21 days. But three weeks come and go: Hussein can only leave when her risk score falls below the legal limit. Prisoners are told if they are compliant and work hard – doing mind-numbing jobs to boost income for the prison's sharemarket-listed owner – they will eventually be released. But the prison's rules are capricious, and Hussein struggles with compliance. Readers are left wondering whether Hussein will ever escape. The Dream Hotel contemplates the nature of freedom for people who have never lived without internet surveillance, and bear the brunt of its most brutal applications. The novel's imagined crime-prevention prison program is popular among the broader population.
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Perth Now
Aussie teenager plunges to his death while paragliding on family holiday
An Australian teenager has died and a paragliding instructor is allegedly on the run after a horror flying incident in Lebanon. Hussein Mearbany, 16, was paragliding over Sahel Aalma, about 20 minutes north of Beirut, on May 10 when he slipped out of the lightweight aircraft and fell more than 300m to the ground, killing him instantly. Authorities believe the teenager's harness was not properly secured and are working to track the paragliding instructor who allegedly went into hiding following the tragedy. The owner of the paragliding company, which is based in nearby Jounieh, has been arrested, according to local media reports. Hussein's cousin Sam Merbani told the teenager, from western Sydney, was just two weeks into a holiday with his mother and siblings at the time of the tragedy. Merbani said a funeral was held for her cousin in the days after his death and the family made the decision to lay the teenager to rest in Lebanon. Local authorities have launched an investigation into Hussein Mearbany's death. Credit: Social media 'When his father heard the news he flew (from Sydney) to Lebanon to see him,' she said. 'The family arrives back to Sydney on the 21st (of May). 'The day they leave Lebanon is going to be the hardest day of their life.' Harrowing footage provided to shows Hussein's final moments as he took off on the ill-fated journey. In the video, the teenager can be seen strapped in front of the instructor as they ran off a the edge of a cliff. Other videos circulating online reportedly show the teenager falling through the sky moments later. Footage shows his final moments as he took off for the ill-fated flight. Credit: Supplied The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Lebanon. 'We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time,' DFAT said. 'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.' Members of the Islamic community gathered in Mearbany's home suburb of Guildford earlier this month to offer their prayers for the teenager whose life was tragically cut short. '(He) went to Lebanon for a holiday — full of dreams, excitement, and the energy of youth. Like many young men, he wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying, so he went hang gliding off the mountain peaks of Lebanon,' one tribute post reads. 'What was meant to be a moment of thrill became his final moment. 'May Allah grant his family patience and reunite them with him in the highest levels of Jannah. 'And as for us — still breathing, still planning, still distracted — take this as a wake-up call. The only promise in life is death.'
7NEWS
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Aussie teenager Hussein Mearbany killed paragliding in Lebanon
An Australian teenager has died and a paragliding instructor is allegedly on the run after a horror flying incident in Lebanon. Hussein Mearbany, 16, was paragliding over Sahel Aalma, about 20 minutes north of Beirut, on May 10 when he slipped out of the lightweight aircraft and fell more than 300m to the ground, killing him instantly. Authorities believe the teenager's harness was not properly secured and are working to track the paragliding instructor who allegedly went into hiding following the tragedy. The owner of the paragliding company, which is based in nearby Jounieh, has been arrested, according to local media reports. Hussein's cousin Sam Merbani told the teenager, from western Sydney, was just two weeks into a holiday with his mother and siblings at the time of the tragedy. Merbani said a funeral was held for her cousin in the days after his death and the family made the decision to lay the teenager to rest in Lebanon. 'When his father heard the news he flew (from Sydney) to Lebanon to see him,' she said. 'The family arrives back to Sydney on the 21st (of May). 'The day they leave Lebanon is going to be the hardest day of their life.' Harrowing footage provided to shows Hussein's final moments as he took off on the ill-fated journey. In the video, the teenager can be seen strapped in front of the instructor as they ran off a the edge of a cliff. Other videos circulating online reportedly show the teenager falling through the sky moments later. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Lebanon. 'We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time,' DFAT said. 'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.' Members of the Islamic community gathered in Mearbany's home suburb of Guildford earlier this month to offer their prayers for the teenager whose life was tragically cut short. '(He) went to Lebanon for a holiday — full of dreams, excitement, and the energy of youth. Like many young men, he wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying, so he went hang gliding off the mountain peaks of Lebanon,' one tribute post reads. 'What was meant to be a moment of thrill became his final moment. 'May Allah grant his family patience and reunite them with him in the highest levels of Jannah. 'And as for us — still breathing, still planning, still distracted — take this as a wake-up call. The only promise in life is death.'
