Max Barry
O.R.S.
Felicity Staples, intrepid reporter, gets in the middle of a down-the-rabbit-hole chase across multiverse, trying to stop a serial killer from killing the titular Madison May over and over again. Kind of About Time meets Sliding Doors meets The One (The Jet Li movie.). Told in third person from multiple perspectives.
How much did you like it overall?
Max Barry is a reliably fun writer, for the most part, and this novel, while lumpy and falls apart towards the end very badly, is very much on par with his other works like Lexicon and Jennifer Government.
What did you like most?
The twisty-turny who’s the bad guy/who’s the good guy nature of the story was fun to follow for a large part of the book–as well as Felicity’s own ruminations about the different versions of her own life and the relationship she has with her boyfriend, who by turns is more or less attentive, competent, and thoughtful. If you’re so inclined, a subthread could be read as what we put up with, what we settle for, what we yearn for, etc. as we grow up.
What did you not like about it?
While the twisty-turny nature of trying to figure out which of the other time-jumping people are the good vs. bad guys, the introduction of the “time jumpers club” as I’m calling them, adds a bit of an unnecessary element that was better handled in The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. The biggest problem is the ending, which ties up a little neatly and without much fanfare–in a kind of TV movie of the week-esque way, which is a shame given the build-up throughout the book of a possible reason why the antagonist was chasing down this particular individual.
Any favorite moments?
Weirdly, it was less of the time jumping elements, fun as they were at the beginning, but more of how Felicity herself reflects on the different takes of her own life. These reflections take what is otherwise a fairly prosaic plot to a more interesting place. Kind of like maybe the way The Good Place tv show is a bit more introspective than one might expect.
Where do I put it on The Shelf?
Middle bottom? Definitely well put together and speedy. Not quite sticking the landing towards the end.
Any closing thoughts?
Made me want to re-read Lexicon, his linguistic mind control/nudge book, which is a good sign. Also, made me appreciate Connie Wills and Claire North’s First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
336p
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