A teenaged daughter's spiral into opiate addiction after the death of a beloved father and her mother's unwitting protection of her disease lead both to hard-won insights.
IBPA Ben Franklin Awards Finalist in Popular Fiction
"This novel details a family's experience with addiction in a way no guidebook can. It captures the rational and irrational fears, the spiral of addiction, and the tension of an ill-timed event. It is a trip through the emotional house of horrors families of an addict must contend with. But Linda Dahl also clearly understands the power of art (a painter in her story-but it could be any art form) to help heal and restore. The conclusion moved this parent to tears. I have to believe that this book is restorative not only for the reader, but also for the author."
—Bill Williams, author, educator, and Advocate of the Year for the Addiction Policy Forum 2017
"Compelling and insightful, The Bad Dream Notebook, takes readers on a powerful ride on the rollercoaster of addiction. Linda Dahl has brought to the page what so many families live through in the real world each day. For anyone who struggles with addiction, loves someone who does, or simply wants to learn about how addiction impacts families, The Bad Dream Notebook is an engaging and enlightening read that will leave you with a deeper sense of understanding and compassion."
—Lisa Smith, author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar
The Bad Dream Notebook is an insightful, relatable and engaging story of addiction, denial and the consequences of enabling. It's a book you'll want to read more than once."
—J.A. Wright, author of How to Grow an Addict
"Life becomes a nightmare for artist Erica Grey as she struggles after her husband's death and her daughter battles drug addiction. Linda Dahl paints a vivid and compelling picture in The Bad Dream Notebook as mother and daughter wrestle demons and grief to find the road back to each other."
—Phyllis Piano, award-winning author of Hostile Takeover: A Love Story and Love Reconsidered
