First published 1995
Roland Pritchard stocks shelves and rings up customers at a convenience store, but his real life happens when he sleeps. In his dreams, he inhabits the body of a monk living in a monastery within a fantastical realm. This other world provides refuge from his isolated daily routine behind the counter. The monk Roland becomes experiences his own nocturnal visions that reveal glimpses of a technological future world. These nested dreams create layers of reality that blur the boundaries between Roland's waking loneliness and his sleeping adventures. As the convenience store clerk seeks escape through his monastic dream identity, he discovers that even his fantasy refuge carries its own burdens of prophetic nightmares about tomorrow's world.
Genres: science-fiction, literary-fiction, fantasy, psychological-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, nested-narratives
Setting: Monastery, Convenience Store
Period: Fantastical Realm, Technological Future
352 pages · Paperback · Avon Books