Eric Puchner’s life took an extraordinary turn when Oprah Winfrey personally called to announce his novel Dream State as her latest book club pick. The Johns Hopkins professor, previously “toiling in obscurity,” described the moment as surreal: “I nearly dropped the phone. Her voice was unmistakable.” Published this week, the 432-page epic weaves a half-century story of friendship, love, and roads not taken.
Set against Montana’s changing landscapes and California’s sun-drenched valleys, Dream State follows two college friends entangled with the same woman. Puchner masterfully explores how their choices ripple across decades, asking: What defines a life well-lived?
“This exquisite examination of relationships will grip you until the final page,” Winfrey declared in her Empire State Building podcast with Puchner.
The novel’s inspiration springs from:
- A disastrous real-life wedding Puchner reimagined
- Summers at a Montana retreat facing climate crises
- His PEN/Faulkner-finalist insight into suburban disillusionment
Now a Baltimore resident, Puchner contrasts his academic career with newfound visibility: “Watching Montana’s droughts intensify, I knew I had to write about fragile ecosystems—both environmental and human.” With Starbucks amplifying Oprah’s book club reach, Dream State positions Puchner as a generational storyteller bridging literary craft and urgent planetary themes.
