Reviewed: The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick – Spoilers

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a story about a treatment centre in desert which erases your grief and sad part of the life. Four strangers met along the way to the centre for different reasons..but one final goal??

What their plan is, let’s find out….

Book Review: The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

With a premise as haunting as it is fascinating—a sleep therapy center that promises relief from grief—The Poppy Fields explores loss, memory, and healing with tenderness and quiet power. The characters are emotionally rich, and the ethical questions hit hard.

But while the ideas soar, the pacing stumbles; much of the book swings in introspection and a slow road-trip narrative where not much happens.

Sky, one of the four travelers, feels underdeveloped, her arc less meaningful than the others’. A beautiful book that almost bloomed completely—but a few petals fell short.

Similar Read: The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick Summary

Imagine this: a unknown treatment center in the California desert where you can have a full-on coma-sleep in a red pajama uniform, surrounded by strangers, in neat little rows like sad human tulips.

Enter to The Poppy Fields, a free place but with a catch. The main problem here is: there’s a 25% chance that you’ll wake up as a complete new being. You will not gonna have any pain but it’s more than that.

Ava’s going, but not for therapy. She wants to confront her sister, Ellis, the mysterious founder who basically ghosted her family to create this grief Disneyland. Ray’s going too, haunted by his firefighter brother Johnny, who did the sleep and came back a cold stranger.

Also Read: The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

“If we sleep, if we suffer the side effect, if we are no longer shaped by the people we love, who are we?”

And Sasha? She almost got married but realized she was mourning the version of herself she lost somewhere along the way. Together with Sky, an 18-year-old wanderer who might as well have crash-landed into their cause, they road trip toward the desert, sharing snacks, confessions, and a whole lot of emotional unraveling.

The Poppy Fields Ending Spoilers:

But the real therapy? Happens before they even reach the center.

When they finally arrive, secrets unravels. Ray’s brother? Yeah, he chose to forget. Ava? Realizes Ellis wasn’t running from family—she was trying to build something that helped people survive which they fear the most. And Sasha? She doesn’t need to let go of her pain; she needs to face it.

In the end, they ultimately opt out of the sleep treatment and realize healing comes from connection, not erasure.

Quotes:

“Is not feeling the ‘pain’ worth not remembering the ‘love’?”

Trigger Warnings:

• Death and dying
• Emotional trauma and PTSD
• Loss of memory
• Suic*dal ideation

Final Verdict?

So now what? Liked It? Kinda Yes. Because healing isn’t about erasing the grief/hurt—but bout learning how to carry it without letting it affect you.

• If you loved The Measure or Nine Perfect Strangers.
• If you want to read a book on healing in unconventional ways
• If you are curious about fantasy stories involving unknown medical ethics
• If you want a thought-provoking book club pick.

Books like The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick:

• Severance by Ling Ma
• The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
• Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

About the Author:

Nikki Erlick is a NY Times bestselling author of novel The Measure. Her book has been translated into more than 24 languages till now. This is her second book.

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