have no idea what the point of this book was,
This is a domestic drama with dashes of philosophy and multiverse theory, A handful of neighbors are living their lives per usual until they begin seeing alternate versions of themselves, One of these individuals is a scientist
studying animal behaviors in response to seismological activity and so we start to get the feeling that the "dormant" volcano located near their shared Oregon town may not be as sleepy as commonly believed.
Given how early that seed of doubt regarding the volcano's dormancy was sown, I'll give you one guess how this book plays out, All the rest is just a meandering buildup to that point,
The author had an interesting concept here and I did enjoy the surgeon's sections, Those were highly reminiscent of the early seasons of Grey's Anatomy back when that show was even partially good, but this book, as a whole, was extremely boring.
.Stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book and in exchange provide honest feedback,
Four neighbors in Oregon begin to see alternate versions of themselves and don't know why, As the book progresses, we learn about how each character is dealing with a particular adversity and how these visions fit into that, This started out strong for me, but I was left feeling disappointed, When I read the summary, I thought this was a really cool concept, A bunch of people see alternate versions of themselves that alter how they see things and the choices they make A character driven novel Sounds interesting!
I don't want to say much more about the plot because I think that is part of the reason I was left feeling disappointed.
In an attempt to market the book, the story was made out to be something that it isn't more scifi and dramatic, While the characters were well developed and interesting, the book didn't live up to what I thought was its full potential, For example, the why behind the visions wasn't really explored in depth and in the last section of the book, it seemed like the timeline wasn't really what we thought, but then it kind of veered in a different direction.
I feel like I'm struggling to properly explain, but in an attempt to keep this as spoiler free as possible, this is the best I can do,
Ultimately, If,Then was good, The visions the characters had didn't play as much of a part as I thought they would, In the absence of this, was a very good story with interesting people and lessons to learn, I think most people will be able to look past the criticisms I had and enjoy this immensely, The writing was strong the plot just needed some flushing out in parts for me, I look forward to seeing other reviews and welcome anyone who would like to discuss what I think would be a great pick for a book club! I loved this time warping, mind twisting novel! Day's prose is convincing and beautiful, whether she is writing from the point of view of a doctor doing surgery, to a scientist doing field work, to a realtor selling houses.
She handles the unusual bumps and folds of time that the story reveals in an equally expert way, I often thought of Tom Perrotta's wonderful The Leftovers as I read it, in the sense that she made me believe that unbelievable things could actually happen, This is literary fiction with a delicious element of science fiction that will appeal to lovers of both, Don't miss it. sitelinkIf, Then is a quiet, speculative novel about four neighbors living in suburban Oregon, Ginny and Mark are an unhappily married couple, Samara is a young woman coping with the recent death of her mother, and Cass is a young mom who's had to sacrifice her academic ambitions for motherhood.
Gradually the novel introduces the possibility of parallel realities which have begun to overlap, as each character starts to see visions of an alternate version of themselves, Throughout the course of the short novel we study each of these characters and unearth the decisions each of them made which prevented their other self's reality from coming to fruition.
While I enjoyed this from start to finish and found the ending in particular to be utterly brilliant, I ultimately think I was hoping for more from this novel's speculative angle.
Suburban life is chronicled convincingly, and each character is constructed carefully, but I don't think this digs deep enough to be the kind of characterdriven novel it's trying to be.
This could have been offset by the concept of parallel realities playing a larger role, but instead, that element is more of a vehicle used by the author to explore the novel's central concept: if I had done this instead of that, then what would have happened as a result Still, it's a quick and thoughtprovoking read, and though it's underdeveloped in places I think some of the ideas it raises are interesting enough to make up for that.
.stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review, This is an intriguing, beautifully written work of speculative fiction, I've shelved it as science fiction, but it's not conventional SF, In this story, set in Oregon, several neighbors in the small town of Clearing see visions of themselves and those close to them in parallel realities as the longdormant Broken Mountain volcano shows signs of erupting.
I found it to be quite a pageturner, increasing in pace and intensity as the eruption approaches, It's a thoroughly enjoyable and thoughtprovoking read, especially if you're curious about the existence of a multiverse in which people's choices lead to big differences in how their lives play out.
Can speculative domestic dramas be a new trend Because I would like to read at least five more books like this one, It takes the kind of complex character building I really enjoy and adds unexpected elements and surreal twists that keep it from feeling like anything close to the same old thing.
At the heart of this book is what usually exists just in your mind as you wonder what other paths your life could have taken if you'd made a different decision.
But in this book, those other selves are eversobriefly made real to a group of characters in an Oregon town, In the middle of a normal day they will see, for an instant, another version of themselves that is much the same but slightly different, As these visions recur, they have varying consequences for everyone involved, A woman starts to wonder about the possibility of life with a female coworker by her side instead of her husband, A daughter views glimpses of her recentlydead mother planning a new start and starts to reconsider who her mother was,
I particularly loved Cass, the brilliantphilosopherturnednewmom who is not sure she will ever go back to finish her PhD, She reminded me of two other recent brilliant female characters innovels, in LOST AND WANTED and THE TENTH MUSE, and I am hopeful there are even more coming.
This is the kind of book that could do really well in a book club, generating a lot of discussion and a good way to dip your toe into speculative fiction for clubs that may be hesitant to move into genre novels.
BOOK REVIEW
IF, THEN
KATE HOPE DAY
Thank you to randomhouse
katehopeday netgalley
for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
If, Then is strangely intriguing, If I had made this choice, then this would have happened, Everyone thinks that sometimes. One little thing can change the course of an entire life, People in a small Oregon town actually witness themselves from time to time around town, only as different versions of themselves in imagined scenarios, The characters are privy to the reality of speculation and how certain choices would have affected the entire course of their lives, Can you imagine There's my neighbor if, then, or there's my dead mother if, . . then, or there's me with a husband and kids, if, . . then Seriously, it's straight up creepy yet absolutely fascinating, Well written, sharp and insightful, this story is layered with complexity in a unique and terrifying world, The premise is so original, and it's a captivating story from the first page to the last, I highly recommend not missing this one, especially if you've ever wondered what might have been, This review can also be found sitelinkon my blog,
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cw: infidelity, grief
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration.
All of the opinions presented below are my own, All quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and are subject to change upon publication,
Im sure all of us have wondered what if, All those little and big choices that weve made throughout our lives, What they would have led to, where wed be today had we chosen a different path, If, Then explores what would happen if we got a glimpse of these once possible other lives, The plot is mostly slowmoving and even when big things happen, the focus is almost entirely on the characters internal lives, Kate Hope Day is a remarkably good writer, and I was surprised to find this was her debut novel, She writes flawed, believable characters whose lives you will truly care about, Its hard to delve too much into without reaching “spoiler” territory, but Ill try,
She waits for a rush of gratitude for all the good, solid things in her life, But it doesnt come. Her life will continue just as it is, Shell go home and figure out what to make for dinner, Shell have a glass of wine, feed the cats, and talk to Mark about what to do if school is cancelled next week, Shell iron a shirt for clinic tomorrow,
Ginny was probably my favorite character although Im probably biased because shes queer, She starts out as the stereotypical womanwhocanthaveitall, a surgeon who doesnt have time for her family, but as her thoughts and experiences are exposed to us she becomes her own person outside of the trope she lives.
I do wish that her husband, Mark, had felt a bit more sympathetic to me, but I think thats also due to some personal bias, It was interesting to see how Ginnys perception of their relationship seemed to change the nature of the relationship itself, although Mark had something to do with that as well.
Shes not very good at it loving and being loved,
Samara is deep into mourning the loss of her mother, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship explored in a different way than Ginny and Marks.
Most would assume that the death of a person ends your relationship with them, but it was clear that Samaras bond with her mother was able to strengthen even after the death of the latter.
I liked how this was displayed, through Samara imagining the things her mother would say and how those things shifted after Samaras impression of her had changed,
The picture Cass has of herself it doesnt match the woman in the rocker at all, When she thinks of herself the picture is colorless, all light eyes and skin and hair, Washedout. Static. An overdeveloped drivers license photo that lives permanently in her mind, But this other Cass is a polychromatic wonder, Full of agile, assured movement, even in routine pose, Full of grace.
Last but not least, I just adored Cass and seeing how her relationship with herself changed, Cass is a new mother and former doctorate student who put her studies on hold in order to care for her child, After giving birth, she lost all motivation to write and sees no way of returning to her former life in academia, As someone with depression and chronic fatigue, I can relate to having the need to do something while also lacking the ability to do it, Watching Cass grapple with this internal struggle felt simultaneously saddening and inspiring, With not just Cass, but the entire cast of characters, Day shows that change, even when necessary, is not easy,
What I really loved was the ending, There is a slowly rising wave of emotions building throughout the novel that come to a thrilling climax near the end, The aftermath of this wave is examined in a thoughtful and realistic light, and Day makes no promises of easy happy endings, She recognizes that although things are hopeful for these characters and their futures, difficulties still lie ahead, Im no longer satisfied by carefree endings and enjoy the more nuanced world Day was able to provide, The journey of these characters is not at an end, and that is made clear to the reader, I put down the book with a surge of emotion, and hope that Days next novel will give me a similar experience, .
Take If, Then Authored By Kate Hope Day Expressed As E-Text
Kate Hope Day