The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

What if humans could play God?

I’ve been long overdue to read the work of legendary science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. This is my first time reading her, though I know it’s a bit of an odd first choice because she’s most famous for the Earthsea series, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed. But I chose this because it takes place in Portland, Oregon, where she lived for many years until her death in 2018. Though Portland itself doesn’t play a defining role in the novel, landmarks like Mount Hood function as a litmus test for how dramatically the world shifts throughout the book (no spoilers ahead!) From what I’ve heard, she might also be one of Oregon’s greatest writers, so I wanted to include her in my #Reading50States challenge.

The Lathe of Heaven is a thought experiment in the form of a novel about a young man who sees a therapist because whatever he dreams, no matter how ridiculous or unwanted, ends up coming true upon waking. His therapist is understandably skeptical at first but then realizes it’s true and develops a technique by which he can control his patient’s dreams — or so he thinks. Things get pretty wild from here. I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll say that this deeply philosophical story reminded me of the parable of the Chinese farmer, in which every seemingly good thing that happens to the farmer turns out to be bad in some other way, and every unlucky thing turns out to actually be fortunate. Le Guin’s engagement with Taoism is clear in quotes that precede each chapter and the questions Lathe brings up: What happens if you try to impose your vision of a better world onto others? What is at stake in doing so? While at times the novel felt a tad heavy-handed with its exploration of these questions, light on character development, and in a couple parts a bit dated, I appreciate how imaginative it is and the philosophical stance it takes. This is certainly not the last Le Guin book I will be reading!