Forgive my terseness, the computer crashed when I was nearly done with the w/u last time and I'm a little ticked.

Animal Dreams is a pretty well-known novel by Barbara Kingsolver. (released 1991) In it, a confused young woman, Codi Noline, returns to her tiny sleepy hometown of Grace, Arizona. Described in loving detail, fictional Grace's is seriously threatened by a local mine's pollution. Codi is confused about her life, love, and the world in general. She also needs to help tend to her slowly dying senile father.

The narrative drifts into an unusual narrative form which has come to be known as magic realism or magic surrealism. The story drifts through time, using flashbacks, dreams, and Native American myths, Animal Dreams is an unusual book. Characters such as the repressed, dying Homer Noline, Codi's father, and the philosopher/train engineer Loyd Peregrina add to this incredibly detailed tale.

"Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life."
--Loyd Peregrina in Animal Dreams