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 scared of his uncontrollable ability he withdraws into passivity,

to the doctor

who first tries to help him, then tries to do good and then is of course 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

, nobody in this book comes out on top.

Le Guin has crafted a deeply moving and layered story about helplessness, the corruption of power, paths to hell that are paved with good intentions, the consequences of our actions and the connectedness of our personal life and the state of the world.
Her writing is masterful and to the point, no sentence wasted. 

We see the story unfold through the protagonist's eyes and discover the feeling of utter helplessness when he wakes up with a complete new life and new set of memories competing with his existing ones. Because each new reality is the new normal, Le Guin does not point us to all of the changes. Instead, they are often treated as if they had always been there and we, just like our protagonist George, have to do the work ourselves. 
Each time he wakes up after a dream, the feeling of dread is more pressing. Every new iteration confronts us with more moral questions. Who gets to define the "Greater Good"? Is one person's utopia always another's dystopia? Will humans always find new ways to struggle? Do we need suffering?

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

I would love to impress on the majority of people who currently express their political opinions publicly, be they politicians of civilians, the importance of thinking through the consequences their seemingly easy solutions would have. The world would be better off for it. 

Additionally, 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 every one of us can change the world. That we should be very careful what we do with this power. And that we should choose wisely who we entrust 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."