Tell Me Your Dreams Essay, Research Paper

The latest novel written by Sidney Sheldon, ?Tell Me Your Dreams?, is about three stunning young women. Their names are Ashley Patterson, Toni Prescott, and Alette Peters. They all live in Cupertino, California and work at Global Computer Graphics, a successful, fast-growing young company with two hundred employees in Silicon Valley. Ashley Patterson is a confused woman, but is smart and beautiful. She?s lonely, timid, and certainly convinced she?s being stalked. Toni Prescott is an insolent, British flirt with a passion for Internet dating and cabarets. Alette Petters is a wannabe artist who chooses quiet, dreamy weekends with handsome painters.

Ashley reminds herself of her high school boyfriend, Jim Cleary. He was the most popular boy in Bedford Area High School. He was on the football team, was handsome and amusing and had a killer smile. He had promised her that they would run away together to Chicago, but Ashley was left at the station watching the train to Chicago leave.

Toni had met Jean Claude Parent in an on-line chat room. Jean told her all about Quebec City. Toni was interested and would like to go to Quebec one day. Toni and Jean talked on-line every chance they get. Alette also met a guy, Richard Melton, in the Museum of Modern Art, in San Francisco. They talked about great artist and about Alette growing up in Rome. Alette assured Richard that she?d see him again soon.

Ashley receives an invitation to her Ten-Year Class Reunion. She decides to go and reunite with all her classmates except the person she wanted to see, Jim. A close friend of hers, Florence Schiffer, tells her the horrible news of Jim. The day after the graduation party, Jim?s parents came back and found his body stabbed to death and castrated. She believes her father had killed Jim for her father told Jim to stay away from Ashley.

Dennis Tibble was Global Computer Graphics? computer genius. He was known around the plant as “The Fixer.” He was in his early thirties, thin and bald with an unpleasant, arrogant attitude. The plant knew he was fixated on Ashley. Ashley didn?t like him much but she had agreed that she?d go over to his place to discuss about the advice he needed from her. The last thing she?d remember was taking a sip of wine Dennis had given her and she woke up in the Chicago Loop Hotel three days later from the day she went to Dennis? apartment. She thinks that Dennis raped by slipping a date-rape drug in her drink. When she returns back to Cupertino, Dennis is discovered stabbed to death and castrated. Deputy Sam Blake is the detective for Dennis? murder case. He questions Ashley about Dennis, but she just tells him that she went to his apartment weeks ago for business only.

Toni is excited that the company is going to Quebec City for a big computer convention during winter break. She would be able to meet Jean in person. She spends her days in Quebec City with Jean as her tour guide. One day he lets her have a ring in his store and later that night he asked her to go to his place but she had said tomorrow. The next day, early morning, a police officer was driving by Jean?s house. He noticed that the door had been left open. He went inside and found Jean?s body stabbed and castrated. They knew he was last seen with Toni. But there was no trace of her and there was no information they could find about her except her name, description, and fingerprints.

Alette went to meet Richard at the De Young Museum. They had lunch and explored the museum. Richard offered her to come to his apartment and see his painting. But Alette said not yet and she?ll see him next weekend. Richard?s roommate found stabbed and castrated. The detectives of San Francisco called the detectives of Cupertino explaining that they have the same murder as they do stab wounds and castrations.

Deputy Blake had Ashley take a polygraph test. He asked her questions about herself and if she knew the murder victims. The only victims she didn?t know were Richard and Jean. She also stated she didn?t kill Dennis. When Ashley got home that evening, she saw in bright red lipstick, YOU WILL DIE, in her bathroom mirror. She immediately called Deputy Blake and asked him to stay because she didn?t want to be alone. Deputy Blake stayed in the couch and Ashley went to bed in her room. Ashley woke up to a scream. A woman found Deputy Blake?s body stabbed and castrated outside in the alley.

The authorities found that for the murders in Bedford, Cupertino, Quebec City and San Francisco the same DNA was found in each crime scenes. It was Ashley?s DNA so the took her in custody. Her trial was held in California since 3 of the murders occurred there. A psychiatrist discovered that Ashley has MPD, Multiple Personality Disorder, and her other personalities are Toni and Alette. At the end of the trial, the jury found Ashley guilty of the murders of Dennis Tibble, Deputy Samuel Blake, and Richard Melton. But luckily, Ashley?s defendant lawyer, David recorded Ashley in hypnotist. During hypnotist, her other personalities took control of her. But then Toni discovered he?d been taping and attacked him with a letter opener and stabbing him in the hand. David showed what he recorded to the judge and the judge decided that Ashley is not guilty by reason of insanity. Ashley will be treated in a mental health facility.

Dr. Gilbert Keller was in charge of Ashley?s therapy. It took years until he discovered what had happen to Ashley. On the day Ashley?s father came to visit with his fianc?e and her six-year old daughter, Ashley?s father was tossing the young girl up in the air and catching her. Just watching her father tossing the girl reminded her of him tossing her as a girl. She went hysterical, but when she was done she remembered what her dad did to her. He had molested her when she was young. The first time was in London when she was six, then Toni was created to protect her. He would go to her bed every night. When they went back home to Bedford, she?d tell her mom but her mom didn?t believe her. When Ashley and her dad went to Rome, he molested her again but this time he forced himself inside her while she was asleep, then Alette was created to protect her, too.

Toni had admitted to committing all the murders. Jim, Dennis, Jean, Richard, and Deputy Sam had each intended to have sex with Ashley. Ashley did go to Jim?s house. Dennis led Ashley to his bedroom. Toni did go to Jean?s house. Alette did go to Richard?s apartment. Deputy Sam was in Ashley?s apartment, but as protection, until he heard noises in her room, it was her moaning and he saw her naked and went in her bed. Toni, thinking it was their father, grabs the closest sharp object, a knife or a broken bottle glass, and stabs each guy and castrated, so they would never do that again.

Dr. Keller unites the three of them so that Ashley would know who also controls her. Months later, after a struggle of Toni?s urge in killing their father had faded, Dr. Keller united them as one personality, Ashley Patterson. Ashley was discharged would return home to Cupertino, where regular therapy and evaluation sessions had been arranged with a court-approved psychiatrist. Ashley had never been so happy, now she has a wonderful life ahead of her.

?Tell Me Your Dreams? is the first book I?ve read written by Sidney Sheldon. I am, or should I say was the type of person that didn?t like to read books as thick as this book is. My cousin suggested that I read this book. He promised me I wouldn?t be able to put the book down. I didn?t think he would be right, I couldn?t put the book down. I read the book as I ate dinner and breakfast. I even stayed reading the book up till midnight not realizing what time it was. I spent at least three days reading this book. Usually it takes me three weeks to read a book this thick. This book is very interesting. It keeps you wondering what?s going to happen. There is so much detail you can be able to visualize every scene. I was very confused with the murders. At first I thought it was her father, but then people Dr. Patterson didn?t know were being murdered to so it couldn?t be him. I didn?t know who the killer was until Toni admitted to the murders. I had never heard of multiple personality disorder (MPD), also know as dissociative identity disorder (DID), until now. I have learned so much in this book about that I never knew. For instance, I learned about MPD, how the public thinks it is all an act, how a person with MPD wouldn?t even know her alter personalities, and how fingerprints and DNA are so efficient.

This book can be described as excellent, but not for the pessimist. The book gives a perfect description of what it tries to do. It is very entertaining and full of suspense. It would be a perfect bed companion, but I doubt that someone would be able to sleep after reading it. The Twist and turns intrigued me. But the main reason I liked this book is that it told me something about life, but also how to deal with it.

The best part I like in the book was in the end when she got to have a better feel on life. You can tell by her words, ?This makes up for a lot of the ones that didn?t succeed doesn?t I, Gilbert?? that before leaving the psychiatric hospital she was filled with accomplishment and joy that she made it through everything. I also was happy she got to have a happy ending.